Yates Baptist Church Facilities Use Policy

Yates Baptist Church (Yates) is blessed to have facilities, including both buildings and grounds that can be used to support church and community activities. As a Christian church Yates has a desire to serve as an outreach to the community and be a cooperative partner with other like-minded organizations. Yates provides its facilities to support church and community activities that extend or complement its missions and ministries. 

General policies are as follows:

1. Users must complete the Yates User Agreement and Liability Waiver and secure appropriate approvals prior to use. All non-member organizations/individuals requesting facility usage will be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance with Yates Baptist Church as “Other Insured.”

2. Activities must support or complement the mission and ministries of Yates Baptist Church. No activities may conflict with Yates Baptist Church’s accepted tenets of Christian faith and practice as defined in the Yates Baptist Church bylaws.



3. Facilities are available only to local non-profit organizations and individuals. Commercial or for-profit activities are strictly prohibited.

4. Approval for use does not imply church endorsement of an organization or its positions. Groups may not advertise in a way that implies church endorsement.

5. Smoking is prohibited in the building. Recreational alcohol use is prohibited on all church grounds.

6. Users must follow all local laws and ordinances, including noise restrictions.

7. Users are responsible for all set-up of the contracted space. Users must fully restore facilities to their pre-use condition (clean, orderly, and original seating configuration) immediately after the event.

Financial Policies for Facilities Use

1. Yates may collect rental fees, damage deposits, and maintenance fees for facilities and equipment use prior to facility use. Fees and deposits must be paid per the Fee Schedule unless specifically waived by the Deacon Chair and Church Treasurer.

2. Yates will return the applicant’s damage deposit within two weeks after the event if the facility is left in pre-use condition, as determined by the Building and Grounds Committee. Failure to clean or restore the space may result in forfeiture of the deposit.

3. Yates will not collect any form of payment, including cash, checks, or electronic transfers made out to Yates Baptist Church for event admittance. 

Determining Priority for Facilities Use

In the event that multiple requests are made for the same space, date and time, the following criteria will be used to determine priority.

1. First priority is for congregational programs of Yates, including committee meetings, ministry teams, and member needs (including wedding and funeral services).

2. Second priority is to eligible non-profit groups affiliated with Yates through its mission or members (e.g., Scouts, election polling).

3. Third priority is to the general community and other eligible organizations on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cancellations

Yates reserves the right to change or cancel reservations due to emergencies. A full refund can be requested if changes are unacceptable to the renter.