Campus Usage Policy

Grace Church Shrewsbury seeks to faithfully use its facilities to glorify God by sharing the gospel and serving the community. The facilities are available to all individuals and organizations whose purpose and activities are not in conflict with or are deemed to be inconsistent with the Statement of Faith/Doctrine, Mission and Vision of Grace Church.
Use of Church Facilities. The Church’s facilities usage policy has two very important reasons. First, the church may not in good conscience materially cooperate in activities or beliefs that are contrary to its faith. Allowing its facilities to be used for purposes that contradict the church's beliefs would be material cooperation with that activity and would be a grave violation of the church's faith and religious practice (2 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:22); and 
Second, the church must present a consistent message to the community, and the church staff and members must conscientiously maintain that message as part of their witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Allowing facilities to be used by groups or persons who express beliefs or engage in practices contrary to the church's faith would be considered by many outside of the Church to be an endorsement of activities or beliefs that are in conflict with or deemed to be inconsistent with the Church’s beliefs, faith and moral teachings, and have a severe, negative impact on the message that the church strives to promote. It will cause confusion and scandal to church members and the community
This policy applies to all church facilities, regardless of whether the facilities used in any way contradicts the church's faith. (Col 3:17).

Church Facilities Use Restrictions

Use of the facilities, or any portion thereof including the land will not be permitted to persons, organizations or groups holding, advancing, or advocating beliefs or practices that conflict with or are deemed to be inconsistent with the church's faith or moral teachings, which are summarized in, among other places, in the Statement of Affirmation. Nor may church facilities be used for activities that contradict or are deemed inconsistent with the church's faith or moral teachings. The pastor, or his official designee, shall be the final authority and decision-maker determining whether a person’s, organization’s, or group’s beliefs or practices, or its proposed use of the Church’s facilities conflicts with or deemed to be inconsistent with the Church’s beliefs, moral teachings, Mission, Vision, constitution or bylaws.
Grace Church Shrewsbury requires that all non-church-related activities and ministries must indemnify and hold Grace Church harmless against all liabilities arising out of or regarding the use of its facilities.  Additionally, all non-Grace Church groups or organizations must provide a certificate of insurance naming Grace Church Shrewsbury as insured for any/all liabilities for all programs, events or gatherings other than an approved meeting of less than fifteen people.
The decision to approve or deny an application for use of the Church’s facilities is at the sole and absolute discretion of the churches duly elected Board of Trustees, the Senior Pastor, and Director of Campus Operations.

Determination of Use and Fees will be as Follows:

  1. Grace Church Shrewsbury ministries will receive priority.  There will be no fees or security deposit for facility use by Grace Ministries.
  2. Member(s) of Grace Church will be charged the member rate for private (family) use by the member.  Member fees only apply for those who are listed in the Grace Church Membership Register.
  3. Funerals and Weddings will receive priority, and the pastor(s) will have full discretion in scheduling, which may preempt all other activities or facility uses. Receptions for Funerals and Weddings will be handled separately (see below)
    1. Weddings for members and immediate family will not be charged a fee for use of the sanctuary.  Non-members will be subject to the security deposit and a usage fee. Setup for these events, if not same day just prior to the event, will be subject to prior approval to avoid conflicts in scheduling. All activities will terminate by 9:00 P.M. 
    2. Funerals: There will be no fees or security deposit for use of the sanctuary 
    3. Receptions are permitted, subject to space availability, and subject to attached fee schedule and custodial charges.
  4. Non-Grace Church Christian Ministries, whose mission is in accordance with Grace Church’s mission and affiliated with a Church organization, will be permitted to use the facilities at the discretion of the Trustees.  A security deposit is required from the group which will be returned, and a donation would be appreciated, but is not required. Security Deposits will be refunded when the facilities used for the event have been returned to the pre-event state, and the keys have been returned.
  5. Non-Profit Groups and/or Non-Profit Social Service Organizations whose mission is in accordance with Grace Church’s mission and the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church may be permitted to schedule meetings and will be subject to a security deposit and rental fees. 
    1. Events, Programs, Dinners, Large Gatherings, etc. require approval after the submission of Facility Request Form and applicable non-member deposit and rental fees.
    2. Setup for these events, if not same day prior to the event, will be subject to prior approval to avoid conflicts in scheduling. All events will end by 9:00 P.M.
  6. All Other Groups will be permitted to use Grace Church facilities at the full discretion of the Board of Trustees.  These groups will be subject to a security deposit and the non-member facility fee.
  7. The Upper-Level Multi-Purpose Room (Sanctuary) is available for use Monday through Saturday.
    1. A Campus-Usage Form must be submitted and approved prior to use.
    2. All Events on Saturday must conclude by 9:00 PM
    3. Any Audio/Video/Music use must be approved in the Campus Usage Form and handled only by the Grace Church Tech Team.
    4. Groups using the upper-level multi-purpose room are responsible for sweeping & mopping the floor after the event and setting up chairs. If the group does not want this responsibility, an additional $100 custodial fee will be added to the room usage.  
  8. The Lower-Level Multi-Purpose Room and Kitchen is not available unless prior arrangements are made with the Director of Campus Operations.
  9. The Upper-Level Kitchen is available for use in accordance with the Campus Usage Policy and the Kitchen Usage Guidelines posted in the kitchen and given to those who rent it.
    1. Groups using the upper-level kitchen are responsible for sweeping & mopping the floor after the event. If the group does not want this responsibility, an additional $100 custodial fee will be added to the room usage.  
  10. The nursery is not available unless prior arrangements are made with the Nursery Director & Campus Operations Director, and usage is subject to approval from Nursery Director/Trustees and in conjuncture with upper level classroom fees.
  11. Use of Property and Grounds falls under the same rules and guidelines of building usage, with security deposits and usage fees for all non-Grace Church ministries and events. Proposals for use of athletic field must be requested 30 days in advance prior to ministry or event.  No non-Grace events / ministries will be permitted to use the athletic field on Sunday mornings before noon.
  12. Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco are not permitted on the entire Grace Church Campus.
  13. Security Deposits will be refunded at the full discretion of the Trustees and subject to inspection, when the facilities and grounds used for the event have been returned to the pre-event state, and the keys have been returned. All damages of Grace Church property will be the sole responsibility of the person/group using the facility, including the full current value of the damaged property, in addition to the security deposit.
  14. All Campus facilities usage and fees are subject to change at the sole discretion of the Board of Trustees.
    1. If two or more ministerial events are requested for the same date and time, order and precedent of events is at the sole discretion of the Director of Campus Operations, Senior Pastor, and Board of Trustees.
Conflict Resolution.  Any dispute arising out of the approval or denial of an application for use of the Church’s facilities, or arising out of the actual use of the facilities, or any violation of the Facilities Use Policy shall exclusively be resolved by biblically based mediation and, if necessary, legally binding arbitration in accordance with the governing documents of the Church or in default thereof, the Rules of Procedure for Christian Conciliation of the Institute for Christian Conciliation, a division of  Peacemaker Ministries.  Judgment upon any arbitration decision may be entered in any court otherwise having jurisdiction.  The parties understand that these methods shall be the sole remedy for any controversy or claim arising out of this agreement and expressly waive their right to file a lawsuit in any civil court against one another for such disputes, except to enforce an arbitration decision.
Effective 9/17/2024