Dealing with the Storm

“You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.” (Isaiah 25:4-5)

Let me begin by clarifying that I am not a medical professional.  So any of my thoughts here are purely my opinion, and any suggestions are based only on my research and talks with medical personnel.  I hope that I will have approached this topic with some common sense and not fear driven.  I would appreciate hearing your thoughtful opinions on what I have written  here.

Many churches have a strong desire, and even public pressure, to restart physically meeting together as a church family while states begin to consider easing COVID-19 restrictions.  What will doing church look like going forward, and what should it look like right now?  Also, what arrangements should the staff and congregation take to minimize the risk of spreading the virus?

Not being an Epidemiologist, I cannot be 100% certain of how the COVID-19 virus will behave or when it will dissipate.  I believe there could be localized spikes in the virus occurrence as restrictions are eased.  In all probability this will occur sooner or later for the country to achieve what is called herd immunity (achieving immunity in 60% of the population, or greater), either through exposure-based immunity, or by mass vaccination. [1] Confining everyone for a year will only delay this unavoidable occurrence.  We have sufficient history available to see how pandemics behave in large populations

Most of us have heard the experts, seen the models, and counted the numbers daily with a type of morbid fascination.  This only adds to stress and depression and is not healthy in large doses.  I do feel that it is possible for the church to physically resume meetings with a good degree of safety. This safety requires that all of the attendees play their parts and respect the well-being of their family in Christ.

Here are some of my thoughts on a safe gathering, which is by no means exhaustive, for both the church ministry staff and for the congregation.  Each group must take an active role in this.

I have parenthetically marked each action with the group in your church that is responsible:

1) No hugs or any physical contact (STAFF/CONGREGATION)

2) Clean and disinfect the ‘snot’ out of everything. Repeat. (STAFF)

3) Change the sanctuary seating layout - less seating, more spacing (STAFF)

4) Offer more services to make up for the lack of seating in each service (STAFF)

5) Post pictures and procedures online of the new seating and other precautions to the church website (STAFF) 

6) Use technology to have people sign up for each service.  Control the app to set limits on the number of attendees when the new reduced seating capacity is full for that service.  Some Apps for this include: Cvent OnArrival, RegOnline by Lanyon, or Event Farm.  (Staff) [2]

7) Communicate! I cannot emphasize this enough. The Senior/Lead Pastor should send out numerous emails to the congregation detailing safety procedures (include photos and website links) (STAFF) The pre and post-service physical distancing requirements as well as the temporary elimination of hanging out should be announced by the pastor after each service and included in the church-wide email(s) and on the church website.  Services must be in and out. No groups gathering in lobby/sanctuary.  Security and ushers/Greeters are responsible for moving things along before/after services.

8) Use Full PPE for security and ushers.  Gloves on always, masks up over face when dealing directly with people.  Do not assume everyone knows how to properly protect themselves! (STAFF/VOLUNTEERS)

Be watchful!  People who appear sick should be asked to go home and attend online-services. Security/Safety Teams should be extra vigilant for people who are flagrantly violating safety measures.  All staff and volunteers should be watchful for signs of extreme stress, agitation and depression among people in your churches.  Our world have been turned upside down, and this has not been an easy time for many people. (STAFF/VOLUNTEERS)

9) No before or after service meet-and-greets (STAFF/CONGREGANTS)

10) No food or drinks served or available (STAFF/CONGREGANTS) 

11) No nursery, children’s or youth ministry. (STAFF)  This is a difficult one.  Kids of all ages have an exceedingly difficult time keeping their hands away from their faces and keeping things out of their mouths.  We do not want well-children being exposed and we do not want infected children spreading the virus to each other, their families, or to the children’s ministry staff.  This also hinges on whether or not their children can remain stationary once seated in the sanctuary.

All this will seem new, strange and troublesome, but it will pass.  The Body of Christ has weathered quite a few storms before, and it remains a beacon of light in a dark world.  So, it was then and so it will be now.

Be safe, and may God bless you!  

[1] MT Technology Review, https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/03/17/905244/what-is-herd-immunity-and-can-it-stop-the-coronavirus/

[2] Tech Tools for event check-in, https://www.smartmeetings.com/tips-tools/technology/89782/event-registration-and-check-in-apps