Smaller churches may not have as wide a slate of high-tech options, but could join congregations already livestreaming, or explore ways to conduct sermons or services on Facebook or other online platforms. (This might be particularly helpful for high-risk members who decide to stay home, even if the church remains open.)
For churches trying to decide how to respond, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention published an online article with suggestions and guidelines to consider.
The ERLC said local churches should consult closely with local officials to make decisions based on the relevant information and conditions in their areas. For those continuing to hold worship services, some basic advice includes:
- Don’t shake hands.
- Provide hand sanitizer throughout the building.
- Thoroughly clean before and after the service.
- Refrain from passing an offering plate. (Online giving is an alternative.)
- Consider how to mitigate health risks when handling the Lord’s Supper (including the possibility of postponing it for a time).
- Cancel church-wide meals, and consider canceling or postponing other non-essential meetings.
(To see the full list of recommendations click here.)
Churches should consider urging members at high risk of becoming seriously ill (including older people and those with underlying health conditions) to stay home. But one thing not to refrain from: ministry. That’s especially important for those members who might stay away from gatherings, or who become sick at home and need help.
Church leaders should stay in contact with vulnerable members, and make plans for how to help meet their needs if they grow ill or homebound. (Dropping off meals at doorsteps or consulting with family members about care plans are helpful steps to consider.)
In neighborhoods, church members should be aware of those perhaps unconnected to a church or other family members and consider ways to make sure they have the help they might need.
And Christians should pray.
As pastor Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist noted, it’s good to pray for God’s mercy, and that churchgoers will soon be able to meet again without the specter of unintentionally harming one another.
We have good Biblical ground to pray God will soon make that possible: The Scriptures teach He delights when His people gather, and that He’s made gathering a central part of our Christian growth and life. For many churchgoers, that’s what makes this mysterious virus particularly difficult.
But even for those separated from the church for a time, other Scriptures remind us: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
—This story has been updated to clarify the number of weekly attendees at Christ Covenant Church.
Comments
burningheart
Posted: Fri, 03/13/2020 06:14 pmPerhaps many saints will rediscover what church (called-out ones) really is -- you know the one Jesus is building. I pray that those who are born from above by the Holy Spirit will be filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit during these trying times -- you know the fruit of love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, etc. If you are truly in His church you are in His Kingdom -- against which the gates of hell cannot prevail!
The various religiious systems that call themselves churches may need to shut down and depend upon the internet since they seem to depend upon wealth, power, and prestige instead of on the Holy Spirit. Most likely they will find various ways on the internet to continue to collect the money.
Xion
Posted: Fri, 03/13/2020 08:14 pmThe California government has asked all citizens to not hold gatherings of more than 250 people. Many churches in California will not gather on Sunday, but rather hold live video broadcasts. On the up side, this new live broadcast experience may actually help expand the Kingdom of God to reach people who hesitate to darken the door of a religious establishment.
CaptTee
Posted: Fri, 03/13/2020 10:54 pmIt doesn't take much of an investment for even small churches to livestream.
We started doing Facebook Live with an old, donated iPhone 4 balanced on the shelf in front of the sound booth.
We have since upgraded to a better camera and a laptop with an audio feed from the sound system, which helps so latecomers' conversations with ushers aren't picked up and brodcast.
HANNAH.
Posted: Tue, 03/17/2020 12:11 amI could wish that a different picture had been used. The misspelling of coronavirus on the sign makes the church (and Christians) seem uneducated and perhaps not an intelligent source of help.
Reading about the church that hasn't closed since the 1918 flu epidemic coincides with my working on an annotated family photo album that includes an ancestor who died from that pandemic. Her nephew (my uncle) reported that 30 million people died worldwide. We're nowhere near that, and we can thank God through the efforts of so many in healthcare that we probably will experience a mere fraction of that terrible time.