Gem Tourism
We have many opportunities to engage in a ministry to visitors and tourists, but sometimes we just need to find a way to improve that engagement. Do you have a story to tell, whether it’s about your extraordinary building or a part your church has played in local history? People come to our churches for all sorts of reasons, and it’s vital that we offer a warm welcome to tourists and pilgrims. If you would like to improve the way you respond to visitors (no matter how big, or small, or whichever category you think you might fall into), the resources here should help you do that in a professional way. Many have been recommended or developed by the Herefordshire and Shropshire Tourism Groups and are packed with hints and tips on how to develop a ministry to visitors.
Resources
Building Resources
- Crossing the Threshold Toolkit
- Germinate: Accessible Welcome for Rural Churches (Building & Mission)
- Germinate: An Open Welcome Toolkit for Churches
- Spirit in Stone – Basic Access Questionnaire
- Spirit in Stone: Preparing an Accessibility Action Plan
Communication / Social Media
- ChurchCare: Notices
- Church of England: Looking After Your Churches Social Media and Website
- Church of England: How To Set Up a Film or Video On Your Phone
- Church of England: How To Create Subtitles For Your Video
- Church of England: How To Create a Facebook Page For Your Church
- Church of England: Seven Social Media Post Ideas and Examples
- Church of England: Five Pages Every Church Website Should Have
- Church of England: How To Boost A Facebook Post
- Church of England: How To Create a Free Instagram Profile and Business Profile
- Communications Resources
- John Truscott: Customer Care for Churches
- John Truscott: Social Media
Interpretation Resources
- Association of Translation Services: Guide to Buying Translation Services
- ChurchCare: Display Cases
- ChurchCare: Ruined Churches
- Infopoint
- Sensory Trust: Accessible Information – Clear and Large Print
- Spirit in Stone – Creating a QR (Quick Response) Barcode
- Spirit in Stone – Creating resources for trails for children
- The Arts Society: NADFAs Church Trails
- UK Association for Accessible Formats: Creating Clear Print and Large Print Documents
- VisitBritain: How To Write an Accessibility Guide
Heritage Resources
- Ancient Monument Society
- Ancient Yew Group
- Archaeology of Churches in Wales
- British History Online
- British Listed Buildings – England
- British Listed Buildings – Wales
- Caring for God’s Acre – Burial Grounds Through Time
- Caring or God’s Acre Action Pack
- Church Monuments Society
- Commonwealth War Graves
- Conservation Register
- Discover Christian England
- Heritage Gateway
- Monumental Brass Society
- National Bell Register
- National Monuments Record of Wales – Online Database
- National Pipe Organ Register
- The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland
- The Ecclesiological Society
- The Georgian Group
- The National Archives
- The Stained Glass Museum
- The Tile and Architectural Ceramics Society
- The Victorian Society
- Twentieth Century Society
- War Memorials Trust
Television/Film Location Resources
- Creative England: Photographing your Property for Registering as a Film Location
- Wales Screen: Registering as a Film Location in Wales
Tourist Organisation Resources
- Churches Visitor & Tourism Association
- ExploreChurches
- Herefordshire Churches Tourism Group
- Shropshire Churches Tourism Group
- Small Pilgrim Places Network
Visitor Experience Resources
- Champing
- ChurchCare: Introducing Art into Churches
- Heritage Open Days: Organising an Event
- Ride & Stride
- Spirit in Stone – Creating resources for trails for children
Visitor Welcome Resources
- Church Buildings For Everyone – A Visitor Welcome Toolkit
- ChurchCare: Accessibility
- ChurchCare: Insurance, Health and Safety
- ChurchCare: Sharing your building and finding partners
- Germinate: Toolkit – How To Open Church Buildings Effectively For Visitors
- Highways Agency: Application for Tourist signs on Highways Agency roads
- Historic England – Opening and Welcoming Places of Worship
- London Diocese: Creating a Friends Group Toolkit
- National Churches Trust: Setting Up A Friends Scheme
- National Funding Scheme – Contactless Payment Systems
- Parish Resources: A Friends’ Scheme
- Parish Resources: Donation Units
- Southwark Diocese: Access Appraisal
- Shropshire Council: Application for Brown Tourist Signs
- Spirit in Stone – A Visitor Welcome Toolkit
- Spirit in Stone – Creating a QR (Quick Response) Barcode