President Trump announced last week that churches were to be considered essential and allowed to open. It should be noted that he did not order churches to open but said they should be allowed to open. If it is considered safe for tattoo parlors, bars, restaurants, retail stores, etc. to open then churches should be allowed to open under the same guidelines. I agree with his comment completely. However, that does not mean that your church needs to open next Sunday.
Every church is different. The people are different. Some churches are ready to open under the proper guidelines while others are not. Some have the ability to open safely, and some will struggle to do so in the current climate. Although everybody might want to get back to worshiping together, it must be done properly or more problems will occur. At least one church I've read about opened before they were ready to do so, and several people in the congregation became, including the pastor's wife who passed away. We must use wisdom and do this the right way.
Pastors are often caught in the middle of this discussion. They have people from both sides pushing them to either reopen or not reopen. I'm sure most of them are anxious to reopen themselves, but they have to make sure they protect their flock as well. Many pastors are working with their leadership boards to ensure that they will be able to reopen safely, and won't make the call to hold live services until then. Support their decision. They are looking out for your welfare. They want to keep you safe.
Some pastors won't tell you this, but since I'm retired, I will. Yours is not the only voice your pastor listens to. He or she has more to consider than your opinion or your wishes. He or she is responsible to God for the welfare of the entire congregation which carries more weight than the wishes of individuals. If you've been pressuring your pastor to resume live services before he or she feels it is safe to do so, stop it. Trust your pastor's leadership. I probably might as well go ahead and say this as well, if you can't trust your pastor's leadership that might be an indication you would be happier in another church.
That's harsh, but I served too many years as a resource minister and watched too many pastors pulled one way and another by conflicting groups in churches. This illness is serious. People have died and are dying. If the pastor and lay leaders do not feel it's safe to reopen, then trust them. Be patient. We'e waited over 2,000 years for Jesus to come back; I think we can wait a few more weeks before we return to having church services if we need to.
This pandemic has been difficult on each of us in different ways. Pastors have experienced additional stress trying to provide pastoral support when they've been unable to visit hospitals or be with families who have lost loved ones. Many have scrambled trying to learn new technologies or find those with the skills to air worship services online and on social media. I just want to encourage you to not add to your pastor's stress by trying to convince him or her to do something the church may not be ready to do.
This is a great time to pray for your pastor, for your church leadership teams, and for the church. I think we will have some challenging times ahead of us as we come through this, and prayer and your support are going to be critical.
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