“Untrue if I didn’t say this setup bummed me out the first time I saw it, but my heart will get there by Sunday,” a pastor wrote on Instagram, viewing sparse chairs in a larger room with minimal capacity. “Some of us will be here, some home on Zoom, but all gathered around the same gospel.”
Across Canada, some churches are starting, slowly, to regather. And we have a lot to process.
Some Aren’t Ready
“Is regathering a wise idea?” a friend wrote on my timeline. “The case numbers aren’t going down lately. It is very concerning to me. I am most worried about a second wave. What are your thoughts?”
Another pastor friend surveyed his congregation, and found that the majority weren’t ready to return again, including key volunteers and staff. Another pastor said that his leaders had decided to not even consider meeting until at least two weeks after they’re allowed.
I have friends on all sides of the debate: those who say we’ve overreacted and should have practiced civil disobedience long ago, and those who are cautious. We need Romans 14 like never before: to refuse to quarrel about opinions, to make room for those who disagree with us, and to live in harmony despite strong, divergent opinions.
Some Are Overwhelmed
When churches in South Korea began to meet again in late April, after almost two months of being closed, I asked a friend who pastors there what they were doing to prepare. “We need to leave our name and phone number on a list that the church will keep. We’ll have our temperature checked as we enter the church building. We’re to sanitize our hands and keep our masks on. We’re to keep a 2m distance when we’re seated.”
Also, from what I’ve heard, no touching: no handshakes, no hugs.
Some are scrambling right now to figure out how to adapt their facilities, how to care for those who are older or immunocompromised, and how to adapt their children’s ministries as we start to gather again. They are revisiting practices like passing the offering plate and serving communion. Some churches are scrambling moving to multiple services to accommodate the new requirements.
Some Can’t Meet
Some churches can’t meet. Many churches used to meet in schools, but it looks like it will be a long time before they’re allowed back in. The church I pastor gave up its space when the pandemic began. We were about to lose it anyway, and it didn’t seem to make sense to pay for a space we couldn’t use and were about to lose. Even if we could regather, it wouldn’t be big enough.
I can’t imagine finding a space in our urban setting that could accommodate even our small congregation. We’re homeless until we find a new space, and we’re not alone.
Please pray for these churches!
Some Can’t Wait
I listened to a couple of pastors preach, in person, to their congregations last week, and it was hard to miss their joy. I sense the same as I read comments by my fellow pastors who are about to meet again.
We’re in a bittersweet moment. It will be sweet to meet again, but it will be sad to not have everyone together, and to not be able to do some of the things we took for granted. We need God’s grace
“Gathered worship in this life is a grace, not a given,” wrote my pastor-friend on Instagram. I’ve never been more grateful for that grace as I anticipate regathering. Let’s pray for each other as we try to figure this out.
