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Guidelines for Church Reopening
The nature of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be understated. Here, in Queens and New York City, the extreme impact in the number of lives lost and lives disrupted has been catastrophic. Churches, along with every other element of society and social life, have been told to suspend regular operation for the sake of the public health.
Locally Available Masks Disposable face masks are available at a special price for churches |
As restrictions are being relaxed, in stages, we are exceedingly anxious to resume regular worship services. We are mindful that the nature of Christianity – and indeed, most world religions – is the support derived from congregational affirmation of faith in God. We have been forced to cope with online video worship and other “virtual” gatherings. Interestingly, some congregations have actually reported an increase in online attendance and offerings as compared with pre-shutdown numbers!
In our desire to reopen, we must be guided by a central principle of ministry which is to love one another as we love ourselves. That requires that we take great care to avoid allowing the virus to spread through out ministries. Do no harm! Under the circumstances, you may wish to have a broad consensus of your Board and members before opening.
Some have argued that there is a religious liberty “right” to reopen in contravention of government health regulations. That is a misapplication of our Constitutional protection. We have been insulted by the labeling of many business enterprises as “essential” and, by implication, that religious worship is not essential. That rhetorical slight should not stampede us to act imprudently.
As a matter of Constitutional law, no right is absolute and must yield to, what the Court has termed, a “compelling State interest,” such as health and safely. No one can cry “fire” in a crowded theater with impunity. The comparison of church worship gatherings to limited, short-term shopping in a supermarket is nonsensical. In the former, people gather for a much longer period of time and, through speaking and singing, are more likely to be innocent spreaders of the virus than in very brief encounters at business which involve much less speaking and, likely, no singing which can propel the virus much further into the air. The health-related danger of spreading the virus is much greater in the one than in the other.
Churches have, correctly, been included with other assembly settings such as lectures, concerts, theaters, etc. On May 29, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an application for emergency Injunctive Relief sought by a Pentecostal congregation in Chula Vista, California, making these same points.
Further, if your congregation does begin public worship services in violation of state orders or guidelines, you may be exposing your church to greater liability should a virus spread originate from your services.
When the time comes to begin resuming face-to-face worship, we all should be exceedingly careful to do it in a safe and responsible way. These guidelines are provided with that objective in mind.
It will not be an easy undertaking to reopen your church for worship and other activities. It will take much planning and preparation that will extend for weeks before you are adequately prepared.
We encourage you to form your Protocol Planning/Reopening Team immediately. There is much to think about and much more to do. Throughout you must remember that this is not a time to cut corners, look for loopholes, or avoid necessary precautions. To only perform some of these functions eliminates the effectiveness of any measure taken.
In summary there are critical areas of emphasis that must be cared for in this process:
• Attention to and care for vulnerable individuals.
• Creation and maintenance of social distancing measures.
• Restricting physical contact.
• High levels of sanitation and cleaning.
• Maintenance of a high level of online activity by offering an online worship presence and ZOOM internet meetings.
• Cancellation of certain activities (VBS, mission trips, fellowship meals, fund- raising dinners, nurseries during worship, etc.) for the foreseeable future.
While these guidelines are precautionary by design, please always defer to your local and State Department of Health officials as the Covid-19 shows ongoing signs of mutation.