We all wish it wasn’t so. We wish there wasn’t anything disrupting our comfortable lives and forcing us to make tough decisions about socializing, shopping, dining and worship services. We’d rather carry on as usual with the freedom to gather. But that has all changed with COVID-19. We now face some of the most challenging decisions of our lifetime. For church leaders, they have become painfully challenging. To gather or not to gather, that is the question. Answers don’t come easy.
For churches over 250, well, the decision was already made for them. It’s not unlikely this decision will be made for smaller congregations as well. In the meantime, church leaders grapple with what serves in the best interest of their fellowship and their community. It is also certain that, either choice is bound to bring criticism. Those who cancel services will be charged for lacking faith or buckling under pressure, while those who keep doors open will be accused of not being neighborly or not taking the virus seriously.
In all honesty, deciding whether to gather or not has been a major struggle for me. Keeping our doors open at Calvary Austin last Sunday was not some decision made on a whim. I needed to hear from other pastors in the community. All but one felt strongly continuing with their regular service times, and all for good reasons. I also met with fellow Calvary Chapel pastors the other Tuesday. They also felt keeping doors open was the right thing to do. I share this to let you know that church leaders are not making rash decisions, at least not the ones I know. We are all struggling to do the right thing. We want to be responsible and, at the same time, walk in faith. Knowing how isn’t as simple as at seems. We need prayer in these times of uncertainty, not criticism.
Adding to this difficulty, the coronavirus has touched my family on a deep and personal level. My youngest daughter and her husband, who work in food service, are now both out of work. They are also expecting their first child. As a dad, this leaves me quite worried. I also have an older sister who is a cancer patient. Her husband suffers from Alzheimer’s. The retirement community she lives in, in Palm Springs, has cancelled all activities. Her church also cancelled services. She is basically shut in, with no help and no place to go.
These are things that not everyone thinks about as church leaders labor over what is the right thing to do. Or, for that matter, the wrong thing to do. So, I ask that you be patient with those who are left to make these difficult calls. Try to understand the struggle involved. These are not easy times, nor do decisions come easy.
Thanks for your prayers.
Stay well and stay calm.
P. Terry
