The Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a denomination with a predominantly African American membership, has been hit hard by COVID-19. Bishop Charles Blake Sr. encourages pastors to “delay reopening churches at least through the end of June, if not later” and to resume activities cautiously and in phases. “Several states have decided to relax restrictions,” Blake says, but “premature reopenings will once again put tens of thousands of our COGIC saints in harm’s way.” Gathering in person should wait until “we have credible and substantiated evidence that it is safe to do so,” he adds.
As they study how to reopen, pastors agree that mitigating the risk of virus spread is a priority. Drew Shelley, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, recently informed his congregation that the initial reopening date of June 7 is being pushed back. The real question is “How do we love people in the way of Jesus while we walk through this pandemic?” he says, and the answer may include preregistering for worship, wearing masks, taking temperatures, and not singing for now.
Shelley admits it’s tough to think about those things and tough “to move the goal post a little further down the field” for reopening. But the church and its members have been well-equipped to offer the connection that people hunger for now, he adds.
Quality Is Another Key Factor
During a May 13 webinar hosted by the United Methodist Church (UMC), nine leaders discussed the topic of reopening. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, expressed concern about the quality of in-person services, based on all the required safety measures. For now, he says, online services have an edge because people feel safe at home, where they can sing and take communion “virtually.” Citing a survey in which 42 percent of congregants say they won’t return to church until there’s a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, Hamilton says it may take a year for attendance to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Jennifer Stiles Williams, pastor of St. Luke’s UMC in Orlando, admits she isn’t a fan of asking worshipers to preregister or RSVP. It goes against the congregation’s “core values of inclusivity,” she says, yet it’s tough to plan for adequate worship space without such a system.
Also on the webinar, Olu Brown, pastor of Impact Church in Atlanta, says they’re waiting until at least July to meet, despite the state of Georgia being open. While they wait, Brown says staff members are trying to over-communicate with congregants about virus-related news and resources.
Under new guidelines from the California Department of Public Health, faith organizations in that state can resume operations at 25 percent capacity (up to 100 people) if they follow certain conditions. These include having everyone wear face masks, practicing physical distancing, and restricting group singing to the outdoors when possible.
