03/14/2020
Thoughts on Spiritual Considerations for Churches during the COVID-19 Pandemic
This week The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. On the same day, Arkansas had its first case of this new coronavirus. At the time of this writing, we now have multiple cases in multiple counties in Central Arkansas. As I’m sure you’ve already seen, the CDC, Arkansas Department of Health, and local authorities are recommending social distancing measures to help flatten the epidemic curve, essentially trying to spread out the number of infections over time to help lower the burden on an already stretched healthcare system. Many friends and coworkers have reached out to me this week about infection control considerations for their churches. I’ve discussed many of these issues with my co-elders and deacons at church, as well as my partners at Infectious Disease Resource Group. This has allowed for a lot of healthy dialogue on how churches can best take steps to follow CDC guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus, serve the members of their congregation, and serve the community. I want to share some of those thoughts with you in two parts:
Church Steps for Social Distancing and Reducing the Impact of the Outbreak
1. Form a team to plan for your church response. This pandemic is a rapidly changing situation. We created a list serve for our team so we can quickly discuss issues that pop up. I would recommend having the team include members of church leadership such as deacons/elders, those in charge of communion, the greeters, etc. Having physicians or other healthcare workers on the team is helpful also.
2. Encourage any church members who are feeling ill and/or having a fever to stay home. This is good advice even outside of this pandemic.
3. Encourage members to avoid close contact such as shaking hands, hugging, passing the peace, etc. If there is space on the pew to keep more distance, try to spread out.
4. Encourage regular and good technique hand washing and covering sneezes and coughs.
5. Consider modifications on how you observe the Lord’s Supper by minimizing touching of common items. For example, you could have one person hand out individual element packages rather than passing a plate or using a common cup. This applies to passing the offering too. Consider options such as online giving, dropping off donations in an offering box, or having an usher hold the plate as you exit the sanctuary.
6. The risk of COVID-19 complications starts going up at 50, higher at 60, higher still at 70 & 80, and particularly if there are underlying conditions of lung or heart disease or diabetes. If there are cases in your area, advise those members of the risk and make sure they know they are welcome to (or even encouraged to) stay home for their safety.
7. Follow your local and state health authorities for guidance. Given the current outbreak in Central Arkansas, all groups over the size of 200 have been encouraged not to meet and our church is cancelling corporate worship this week in compliance. Consider online worship service.
Serving the Congregation and Community
1. Form a team of deacons or other members to respond to any needs of the congregation. You may already have a care team that fills this role in day-to-day operations. Some elderly and other high-risk members may be homebound during this time for their protection. Some members may be sick or quarantined due to the illness. They may need someone to run errands for them or bring them supplies such as food and medicine.
2. Look for ways to serve those in the local community. School closures will affect the families who rely on schools for meals and childcare. Many of these parents are hourly wage workers whose incomes may be particularly hard hit by missing work. Help those you know in need or donate to your local food pantry. As individuals, this is also a good opportunity to serve the members of our neighborhood as well.
3. Look for creative ways to minister to your congregation and keep them connected (use chat apps for prayer requests, make phone calls to check on members of small groups, use Facebook groups for members of the church to share resources, etc).
4. Continue to be in prayer during this time. The church has a unique opportunity to be a witness to the community and the world. Pray that we can lead the way in being people of peace, not given to fear, but serving each other and our communities wisely.
As my pastor recently encouraged us, let us as Christians join together in prayer in the spirit of Paul’s call to the Philippian church:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4–7, ESV).
Brandon Walser, MD
Infectious Disease Resource Group
