Renting Your Church: Policy and Sample Forms

Most churches rent some or all of their facilities in the course of a year. This could be to a member or an attendee. The renter could also be a person or organization in the community. An XP has graciously provided the policy and sample forms for how their church deals with such rentals.

Example of rental use covers the gamut:

• Weddings and funerals are the most common rental of worship centers and chapels.
• Birthday parties can be high on the list for one-off events utilizing one room.
• Community Bible study groups are common renters for weekly or monthly meetings, often ongoing for months or years.
• Christian organizations often rent a room or the entire campus for one-time workshops, seminars and events.
• Local civic groups and organizations may wish to use one room, the worship center or the entire campus. Few places can easily seat as many people as your worship center, whether that be seating for 200 or 2,000.
• High schools and universities often need space for baccalaureate and even graduation exercises.
• Local police departments need room for specialized training. One police department did SWAT training with armed officers at a local church.

Your church undoubtedly has additional examples of people and groups that wish to use your facility.

Before you rent your facility, develop a comprehensive policy. Decide if you will only rent to people and organizations of like-faith, or whether you will let anyone use your facility. Pertaining to weddings and funerals, consider who can perform a ceremony at your church.

Have rental forms that are clear. Set fair market prices that reflect your local community.

Enjoy these sample forms from another church!

Click on an image below to see the PDF