Historically, there has perhaps never been a more visible display of the Church in action, loving and caring for people in distress, than its response to major disasters. I have watched churches mobilize thousands of people to sacrificially give of their time and money to reach out a helping hand to the survivors of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks.

A pandemic outbreak presents unique problems not experienced in most disasters, which may prevent churches from responding in a way that seems natural for them. In times of disaster, people often feel an innate need to come together to provide aid to people in distress. However, to provide an effective response that helps people and prevents the spread of the pandemic, congregations must strategically and carefully plan their response and put protections in place that may seem unnatural, unfamiliar, and contrary to those activities that are normally a part of a community of loving fellowship.

To help keep communities healthy during a pandemic outbreak it will take all of us—community and faith-based organizations, government, businesses, and schools—working together. As trusted community leaders, clergy can communicate important health information in an effective and motivating manner. You know the people in your community who are most vulnerable and hard-to-reach and are uniquely positioned to help keep people healthy in an outbreak.

A pandemic occurs when a disease spreads rapidly, affecting most countries and regions of the world. Influenza pandemics have occurred periodically throughout history, including a major pandemic in 1918, and smaller pandemics in 1957, 1968 and in 2009 and 2010 with the novel H1N1 virus. Influenza viruses are constantly changing, producing new strains. An influenza pandemic occurs when a virus emerges that is so different from previous strains that few, if any, people have any immunity.

It is critical that church leadership carefully plan in advance for how they will handle a pandemic outbreak and intentionally prepare congregations for an effective response. The following are some things that church leadership can do to help prepare their staff and congregation for a pandemic outbreak.

People in vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations may never receive important health messages because they are not connected to mainstream communication networks or because they cannot understand English. Others may be unable to afford healthcare or to access the services they need to stay healthy. Often it is churches which provide services to these population groups and may be one of the few trusted sources for effective outreach. Although vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations may vary from community to community, they can include:

Your church can provide programs and services critical to helping vulnerable and hard-to-reach individuals and families. Here are some suggestions:

Most activities in churches involve services or meetings that bring people together. During a pandemic, CDC and your local health department may suggest that people avoid close contact with others and avoid attending large gatherings, a practice often called social distancing. These measures are intended to slow the spread of disease. Religious traditions and obligations may make it difficult to implement social distancing measures. However, faith-based and other community groups can do some specific things to help keep their members healthy. Churches should explore alternative means of communicating. With the advances in modern technology, communicating services and meetings via the Internet is a simple and cost-effective alternative to communal gathering.

For additional information and practical tools relating to congregational pandemic planning, look under the “community planning” tab at http://www.flu.gov.

Kevin Ellers is Territorial Disaster Services Coordinator for The Salvation Army Central Territory and coauthor of The First 48 Hours: Spiritual Caregivers as First Responders.