The Church and Covid-19: The Challenges, Opportunities, and Controversy

            In over 20 years of ministry, I thought I saw everything. I was a young preacher when 911 happened. I have been a minister through war, recessions, presidential controversies, and church crisis. However, no amount of training, education, and experience really prepared me for the current Covid-19 crisis. It is the most unique experience of my ministerial career. I believe that if most ministers were honest they would say the same thing. I know that we are not truly past this yet, but I wanted to share some thoughts on the challenges ministers have faced, the opportunities that God has given us, and some controversy that came from some government action.

            First, the challenges. Like many others today, preachers were not prepared for the challenges that would come during this crisis. Let me explain why. Ministers are trained to be personable. We are taught to preach and teach to a physical audience, we are trained how to talk to people in the home, and how to minister face to face. If you look at the current statistics, churches are mostly medium size to small. That is the average church is going to be between 250-50 or less people, with the majority being under 100 people. The average minister is also older (a challenge in Christian, if not an outright crisis). This means that before Covid-19, most preachers did not have a true online presence and the average church was not set up with the equipment to do so. Overnight, preachers had to learn how to use Facebook Live, YouTube, Zoom and other social media/online outlets to do their job. They had to blog, use podcasts or make videos for the first time. Some had no one to really train them which meant that it was an on the job training for the entire world to see. A significant portion has no staff, so it is on them alone. Lots of pressure.

            To add to this challenge, many minister in areas where high speed internet is not available at their church. Again, statistically speaking, church members tend to be older which meant that even if the church posted online, certain segments of the church did not have a social media presence or know how to effectively use the internet (if available to them). Some ministers knew that some members of their congregation would not be able to see what they were doing to begin with. This was why drive-in churches were essential to many congregations, even though again, some churches did not have the equipment to do this.

            A further complication is the struggle that most churches have. Many outside the church look at large churches and assume that all congregations have money. This is not true. Each year, hundreds of congregations are closing due to small attendance and small offerings. For many congregations, they can only afford a part-time or weekend minister to fill their pulpits. A couple of years ago a study was done that showed that ministers were in the bottom percentage of paid professionals (teachers were the other). Considering that most churches can barely pay a salary, most ministers have to pay for their own insurance and retirement (which is why many still work in their 70's), not to mention their education, which can range into tens of thousands of dollars. While many do not want to open the building just for the offering, most have to be concerned if they will have a position after the crisis. After all, if the church has to cut something in the budget, the preacher and the building are the two biggest budget items. One is a lot easier to replace than the other.

            Add to this that Easter services are canceled. Every minister knows that the two greatest outreach opportunities are Christmas and Easter. Every Easter plan that was made had to be changed in an instant. This was a devastating blow.

            Because of the added stress of editing their sermons, most ministers I talked to are actually working longer hours during the epidemic and they are not able to do what they were trained to do: physical personal ministry. Put this all together, the average minster is under a lot of stress.

            However, with great challenges come even greater opportunities. I do not believe that the virus is good but I do believe some good came out of it. As I said, the average minister had no online presence. From the first Sunday to Easter Sunday, every church that could, posted online sermons through Facebook, YouTube, and other outlets. Considering that all sports were canceled, travel is hindered, and there was little else on TV, God gave the church a solid month of ministerial opportunity without the distraction of entertainment and, in some cases, work. We had a captivated audience that needed the message and the technology to promote it in away that was never possible before. Also, the evangelistic efforts were never easier. All the church had to do was share the message on their site (dear Christian I HOPE you took advantage of that, if not do it NOW, people will watch). The truth is that the church may never have this form of a digital outreach ever again.

            At the same time, radio and television time was given to churches to help them spread the word. Many new ministries will begin out of this and new opportunities. The more I talk to ministers, the more they realize what tools have been available to them for several years that they did not take advantage of before. We may be seeing a new digital revival that would never have been possible before! It is possible a new Great Awakening is possible. Especially when you consider that the age group the church is trying to reach, mainly the Millennials, are now online for everything (education, entertainment, fellowship). This could be the moment we have been waiting for.

            One of my students even made a different observation. For years, we have been talking about the fellowship of the church. However, people have gone to church and left the fellowship at the building. He noted that the church is using technology to have fellowship outside of the building. His thought was that fellowship is actually improving. The more I thought about his point, the more I realize that the church is learning the importance of fellowship. Sometimes we do not realize what we have until we do not have it.

            When I compare the two, I believe the opportunities far outweigh the challenges. Many ministers are venting and I do understand that. With increased pressure comes increased stress. Unfortunately, without being able to physically talk to one another, sometimes we do it online. Sadly, I have even seen ministers vent at each other that disagree about how to conduct services during this time. Please stop. We all face different challenges and we have to deal with it in our own way. Just because another minister disagrees with you does not mean he needs to be corrected.

            While this is going on, churches had to process current government regulations that we have never had to face before. God established the government to punish evil and protect the innocent. Right now, the government does have the role of protecting people from the illness. We are in new territory. The government will do things we agree and disagree with. If they are staying in their God ordained role, the job of the church is to support them. Support is not blind; it is ok to ask questions and to keep the government accountable. Blind allegiance is dangerous and we should never blindly follow anyone. It is not ok to rebel for rebellion sake.

            When the government first put on bans, the church in America had to think through this. Is this a safety issue? Is this a First Amendment issue? Is this a Romans 13 issue? Unfortunately, we had to make decisions so quickly; we did not have a chance to really give every thought an equal amount of consideration. Also, most ministers have been taught "separation of church and state." We are told we cannot speak on the government but now the government is now speaking about us. Honestly, it has been a lot to process during a time we have not been able to take time to think about it.

            Here are some quick thoughts on it. The public bans are placed to protect the innocent; it has not been about silencing the message or doctrinal issues. We also have the technology to do services in another fashion. Since this is temporary, yes I believe we should follow the ban. This should not feel good to say. We should feel pressure to protect the innocent and fulfill the biblical mandate to meet together. I believe all good Christians and ministers SHOULD struggle with this. The struggle shows that we have a duel concern without good answers.

            Once again, I caution about getting upset with people who disagree with you on this. Please remember the above-mentioned challenges. Depending on your budget, available manpower, location of your congregation, and the average age of your congregation, someone may be taking a different stance because of circumstances and not convictions. There is not a one-size fit all answer to these challenges.

            What about our reaction to the government fines and punishments? My personal opinion is that it is an overreach and I do not like it. However, at the same time, I do not believe rebelling is the answer right now for the following reasons. 1. Most congregations will still put their congregations at risk. Very few can do this in a reasonably healthy way. It is not worth risking the health of your congregation. 2. The purpose of worship is to worship God and not a show of any kind. Rebellion right now will confuse the purpose there and may not result in an appropriate worship. 3. At this point, it is not about your message but about your format. If this becomes about messaging, this is a different discussion. Format is a safety issue, which is still the purpose of government. 4. The federal government is looking into this. Allow the federal government to do its job. If it finds wrong and corrects it, we have justice. If it finds wrong and does nothing, then we have a complaint. Do not jump the gun on this, you may cause a lot more damage than good. 5. We have other options that allow us to speak our peace and follows guidelines of safety. Do that first.

            Also, do not forget the biblical mandate to pray for our leaders. I had a friend of mine remind me of this recently. Both Paul and Peter wrote about this even though the government would murder them. It is our duty as Christians to pray, so please pray.

            Finally, also be careful of our speech. The same friend challenged me (in a good, positive and biblical way) about my speech. Do not use hateful language and do be clear about the issue. In my view, my ONLY issue in Kentucky is not the ban itself but the use of police in the parking lots. That is it. I believe that it is unfair to target churches like this, it is dangerous from a Constitution standpoint (both First Amendment and due process), and it can lead to other dangerous precedents. If the governor changes direction, so will I. Some may not agree with my assessment. I still consider you my brother/sister in Christ and can have fellowship with you. Please do the same with me. This is not a matter to divide on.

            As I write this, we are about a month into the ban and about 6 weeks into the Covid-19 crisis in my state. Things could change even a day after I publish it. We do know that the challenges and controversies will come. Please be more positive about the opportunities than the challenges. We that our God can make some good come from bad events. Allow God's good to come as we work through bad moments. God bless.

(Note: these are my personal thoughts and do not reflect any church, college, or ministry I represent. I do not speak for any of them, just myself.)
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