Building Use Policy
Last Updated: February 20, 2018 Contact: Geoff DavisVeritas Building Use Policy
PURPOSE:
As Christians we are called to steward what God has entrusted to us, our building included. The following policy outlines the process, responsibility and liability for using one of the Veritas buildings.
We desire that our buildings provide a place for worship, community, service, learning and mission to be cultivated in both our church and in our city. While it’s primary use is for the fellowship of Body of Christ, we also desire our building to be a blessing to our neighbors and serve our community. Therefore we do allow approved non-members and outside groups to use our building.
However, building use will not be permitted to persons or groups holding, advancing, or advocating beliefs or practices that conflict with our church’s faith — summarized in, among other places, Veritas’ Statement of Beliefs. Nor may our building be used for activities that contradict or are deemed inconsistent with the our faith. The Elders, or their official designee, are the final decision-makers concerning use of our building.
These policy restrictions are necessary for two important reasons. First, allowing our building to be used for purposes that contradict our beliefs would be material cooperation with that activity and would be a violation of our faith and religious practice (2 Cor 6:14; 1 Thess 5:22). Second, it is important that Veritas present a consistent message of the Gospel to our community and to our church. Allowing our building to be used by persons or groups who express beliefs or engage in practices that are contrary to our faith would promote and inconsistent message and could cause confusion and scandal to our community and our church as they may reasonably perceive that Veritas agrees with the beliefs or practices of those using our building. This policy applies to all of Veritas’ property as we desire to glorify God with everything we have been given.
Event Classification
All events fall within 2 categories and are prioritized in the order below:
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- Veritas Events: events directly overseen by staff or ministries. These events are not subject to any fees.
- Non-Veritas Events: events overseen by church members or outside organizations. In most circumstances, these events will be charged according to the fee schedule listed below. (Note that Veritas members and building tenants may be excluded from certain fees.) The event must meet the following qualifications.
- Groups or persons requesting building use must affirm that their beliefs and practices and planned uses of the facilities are consistent with Veritas’ faith and practices
- The group or person must submit a Building Use Request Form
- The group or person must be willing to take responsibility for the building and equipment used and must agree to abide by Veritas’ restrictions and rules of conduct and any additional instructions by Veritas staff.
- A Veritas staff member is to be on site for the duration of the event unless the event is being overseen by a building tenant.
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Fee Schedule
- $50.00 for building use
- $25/hour for building oversight
- $50/hour for an audio tech
- $25/hour for a media tech
- A deposit equal to 25% of total building use fee is required to secure event date
Reservation/Building Use Procedure
Forms: Non-Veritas events are required to submit a Building Use Request Form at least three weeks prior to event date. This form can be found here. All requests will be responded to within 1 week of receipt. Completion of the Building Use Request form does not guarantee approval of the space requested.
Group Contact: Every event will have a point person from their group for their event. This is typically the person who fills out the Building Use Request Form. The point person will be responsible for completing all checklists and complying with all policies and procedures.
Walkthrough/Cleaning Procedure: Within one week of the event date the point person and a Veritas staff member will complete a walkthrough of the Veritas building. During the walkthrough the staff member will go over all building use policies and cleaning procedures. Completion of the Cleaning Checklist is required before exiting the building.
Weddings: Use of the building for a wedding is allowed and all the details can be found in the Wedding Policy documents. To request such documents, email veritas@veritascolumbus.com
Restrictions and Rules of Conduct
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- No alcohol may be served on church property.
- Smoking inside the church building is prohibited.
- Abusive or foul language, violent behavior, and drug or alcohol abuse are strictly prohibited while using the church building. Any person exhibiting such behavior will be required to leave the premises.
- Groups are restricted to only those areas of the building that the group has reserved.
- Food and beverages are allowed only in approved, reserved areas.
- For use of the building for a political event note that Veritas will not endorse, campaign for, or contribute money to candidates.
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