Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

The ‘tie that binds’: fellowship is disrupted and distanced, but not destroyed

OpinionDavid Emmanuel Goatley  |  April 22, 2020

David GoatleyMy old-school pastor was also my father. He taught his protégés how to serve by accompanying him. It did not matter what texts you could exegete or what theologies you could explicate, he was determined to show you how to “do ministry.” For him, leading was about serving.

He taught us how to do pastoral care by visiting and listening to people in the spaces they lived or occupied. He believed in pastoral visits – whether hospital rooms, assisted living facilities or people’s homes. He asserted that pastors should get to know people by visiting them – and that you could not know people only through gathering for worship, study or meetings.

“To be human is to be embodied. Embodied people touch other people.”

We would hop in the car – him in the passenger’s seat and me in the driver’s seat – and he would tell me who we were to visit that day. People found joy in seeing the pastor, and his mentee, park in front of the house or pull into the driveway. When the weather was nice, people would often sit on the front porch (air conditioners were scarce in those days), ice tea or ice water nearby, and welcome us to join them. “Can I get you something?” was both courtesy and hospitality. You don’t see that much anymore.

Today, COVID-19 is a big, ugly, dangerous thing that is changing the way we work, play, worship, learn and live – and for far too many, the way we die. This is likely the case for the foreseeable future.

Changing behaviors is tough. Among the behaviors we are trying to reshape in this coronavirus context is the tendency to hug, handshake and high-five. We have learned a new phrase – social distancing. Maintaining six feet of physical distance is intended to reduce the likelihood of exposure to the virus through coughing, sneezing and touching. While we normally try to avoid people coughing and sneezing around us, embracing this no-touching aspect is new.

To be human is to be embodied. The Bible teaches us that a living being resulted when the Lord God breathed into a body made from the dust of earth (Genesis 2:7). Bodies are beautiful creations of God. This is true whether short, tall, small, large, dark, light and every other variation.

Embodied people touch other people.

Physical contact is one way we encounter and engage each other. (My focus here is on healthy encounters and “good touch.” I am well aware, however, that pervasive demonic expressions of physical and sexual abuse abound in our culture.) People often find themselves talking and touching innocently, playfully, jokingly, empathetically. Someone tells a joke, and the other one laughs and taps a leg. She gets your attention by touching your arm. He walks past a friend and says hello along with a light pat on the back. They share distressing news and lean on another’s shoulder who then embraces with a hug.

Friendly, lovingly and encouragingly touching is frequent and familiar to many of us.

Beyond our individual physicality, Christian people value the physical presence found in community. The 17th-century hymn, often sung during Thanksgiving time, reminds us: “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.” The 21st-century gospel song asserts: “I need you, you need me. We’re all a part of God’s body. Stand with me, agree with me. We’re all a part of God’s body.”

Churches gather for worship, study, service and fellowship. We assemble in times of joy, sadness and uncertainty. Weddings, baptisms and funerals have a way of attracting people who infrequently participate in church experiences. Some people rarely “darken the door” of a church but still value its presence in their community. Do you remember the many who found themselves in houses of worship in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks? When trouble comes, people have a way of finding themselves near the cross, or with the gathered community in the church building on which the cross stands.

The coronavirus crisis is threatening the physical and financial health of hundreds of thousands of people. It will certainly affect many more. COVID-19 will be fatal for some and catastrophic for others. Some people, businesses, schools, non-profits and churches will not survive while others will be adversely impacted for years. This is the kind of communal calamity that would call people together for prayer, worship, encouragement and support. Social distancing, however, is necessary radical change required in this disastrous situation.

“I rejoice to see people working to change their behaviors for the sake of the Gospel.”

Changing behavior is arduous but not impossible. We are not old dogs, so we can learn new tricks. Although we cannot be physically present with sisters and brothers in the Lord through gatherings of the church, we can find ways to connect. The apostle wrote to the church in Rome: “For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Romans 1:11-12, NRSV). Physical fellowship was not possible, but an alternative approach was used to express personal care, concern and community.

Churches (and families, schools and businesses) are working to find alternatives to the physically gathered community for prayer, worship, service and fellowship. Telephone calls, electronic communications, video conferencing and the like are being adopted in a hurry. Some old-school pastors and other congregational leaders who never saw the need for much more technology than a telephone are rapidly embracing alternatives for connecting. Prayer teleconference calls are increasing. Visitation by telecommunication is growing.

It is good to see people working to bridge social distancing in the life of the church. While some seem to be using nervous energy to show up on social media more often than they are prepared, I rejoice to see people working to change their behaviors for the sake of the Gospel.

There was a day when you could walk down the road to sit on a neighbor’s porch and drink a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of tea to connect. There was a day when groups of people met in each other’s houses for Bible study and worship. There was a day when congregations gathered in buildings. Social distancing has disrupted our habits of work and worship. We can adapt, whether adeptly or awkwardly.

We do not, however, have to let social distancing disrupt or destroy “the tie that binds / Our hearts in Christian love; / The fellowship of kindred minds / is like that to that above.”

Read more BNG news and opinion on this topic:
#intimeslikethese


OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:TheologyChurch Leadershipfellowshippandemicembodiment#intimeslikethese
More by
David Emmanuel Goatley
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • BNG dinner will bring together Anthea Butler and Beth Allison Barr for a conversation on race and gender

    Two of the most prominent voices speaking to the American church about race and gender will appear together at the Baptist News Global dinner during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General Assembly in Dallas this June. Get your tickets now!

  • Featured

    • Intolerable cruelty is killing us

      Opinion

    • Another racist mass shooting and our failure to tend Jesus’ sheep

      Opinion

    • Baptists in Ukraine continue their humanitarian work amid devastation

      News

    • Sadly, I agree that a complementarian seminary shouldn’t offer women degrees in pastoral theology

      Opinion


    Curated

    • Welsh First Minister ‘regrets’ that Franklin Graham is coming to Wales

      Welsh First Minister ‘regrets’ that Franklin Graham is coming to Wales

      May 20, 2022
    • Willow Creek announces major layoffs amid post-COVID struggle

      Willow Creek announces major layoffs amid post-COVID struggle

      May 20, 2022
    • Ohio House passes bill requiring colleges give students 3 days of absences for religious observation

      Ohio House passes bill requiring colleges give students 3 days of absences for religious observation

      May 20, 2022
    • ‘Conversion therapy’ ban falls short in Minnesota Senate

      ‘Conversion therapy’ ban falls short in Minnesota Senate

      May 20, 2022
    Read Next:

    ‘It’s still the economy, stupid’

    NewsMark Wingfield

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Former foster youth need to know they are not abandoned

      OpinionAlbert L. Reyes

    • What’s next for recommendations and reforms in SBC sexual abuse study?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Guidepost report documents pattern of ignoring, denying and deflecting on sexual abuse claims in SBC

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Author considers how to mourn what’s lost when the faithful leave church

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • What I learned about Polish hospitality toward Ukrainians: There but for the grace of God

      OpinionPatrick Wilson

    • As joblessness rocks South Africa, fake pastor diplomas are in demand

      NewsRay Mwareya and Nyasha Bhobo

    • Why breaking up is so hard to do for United Methodists: Connectionalism

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Stop using Jesus to disguise your predatory patriarchy

      OpinionJessica Abell and Stephany Rose Spaulding

    • Becoming UNSTOPPABLE Christians

      Paid Promoted Content

    • Oklahoma legislators say life begins at ‘fertilization’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Sadly, I agree that a complementarian seminary shouldn’t offer women degrees in pastoral theology

      OpinionAnna Sieges

    • Baptists in Ukraine continue their humanitarian work amid devastation

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Intolerable cruelty is killing us

      OpinionKris Aaron

    • Louisville police training quoted Bible verse to say officers are God’s agents of wrath

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Another racist mass shooting and our failure to tend Jesus’ sheep

      OpinionEmily Holladay

    • Transitions for the week of 5-20-22

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Learning about change from Henry Ford

      OpinionBob Newell

    • ‘It’s still the economy, stupid’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Hymn stories: ‘Christ is alive! Let Christians sing’

      OpinionBeverly A. Howard

    • Pennsylvania Baptist church licenses transgender man for ministry

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Gifts of hospitality in the midst of grief

      OpinionSara Robb-Scott

    • Bubba-Doo’s gets a new sign

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • Buffalo massacre is more evidence of white Christian nationalism, sociologists say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Why American democracy is threatened in Ukraine

      AnalysisRodney Kennedy

    • Displaced by the war in Ukraine, some African students battle to continue their education in Germany

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • What’s next for recommendations and reforms in SBC sexual abuse study?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Guidepost report documents pattern of ignoring, denying and deflecting on sexual abuse claims in SBC

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Author considers how to mourn what’s lost when the faithful leave church

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • As joblessness rocks South Africa, fake pastor diplomas are in demand

      NewsRay Mwareya and Nyasha Bhobo

    • Why breaking up is so hard to do for United Methodists: Connectionalism

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Oklahoma legislators say life begins at ‘fertilization’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Baptists in Ukraine continue their humanitarian work amid devastation

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Louisville police training quoted Bible verse to say officers are God’s agents of wrath

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 5-20-22

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • ‘It’s still the economy, stupid’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Pennsylvania Baptist church licenses transgender man for ministry

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Buffalo massacre is more evidence of white Christian nationalism, sociologists say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Displaced by the war in Ukraine, some African students battle to continue their education in Germany

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Does the Johnson Amendment have any teeth left?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Brian Dawkins says he’s blessed

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • Bailey and Perrin named Vestal Scholars

      NewsBNG staff

    • Professor writes book to explain his journey from inerrantist to historicist

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • SBC presidential candidate wants ERLC leader fired for joining 75 other pro-life leaders in urging compassion for women who have abortions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • $100 million gift to Samford is state’s largest to higher education

      NewsBNG staff

    • No formal name change proposed for SBC, and entities report back on use of NDAs in annual Book of Reports

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Accountability to God increases sense of well-being, study finds

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Campbellsville University custodian receives degree after stopping education in the 1990s

      NewsLinda Waggener

    • Progressives need to stop letting Christian nationalists set the agenda, author asserts

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • In reelection year, Texas governor proposes statewide voucher program for private schools

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Former foster youth need to know they are not abandoned

      OpinionAlbert L. Reyes

    • What I learned about Polish hospitality toward Ukrainians: There but for the grace of God

      OpinionPatrick Wilson

    • Stop using Jesus to disguise your predatory patriarchy

      OpinionJessica Abell and Stephany Rose Spaulding

    • Sadly, I agree that a complementarian seminary shouldn’t offer women degrees in pastoral theology

      OpinionAnna Sieges

    • Intolerable cruelty is killing us

      OpinionKris Aaron

    • Another racist mass shooting and our failure to tend Jesus’ sheep

      OpinionEmily Holladay

    • Learning about change from Henry Ford

      OpinionBob Newell

    • Hymn stories: ‘Christ is alive! Let Christians sing’

      OpinionBeverly A. Howard

    • Gifts of hospitality in the midst of grief

      OpinionSara Robb-Scott

    • Bubba-Doo’s gets a new sign

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • Conservative or liberal? Jesus widens our political landscape

      OpinionRussell Waldrop

    • Letter to the Editor: A response to Laura Ellis on abortion and Christian Realism

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • The Beloved Community and the heresy of white replacement: How ‘Beyoncé Mass’ gave me hope after the Buffalo massacre

      OpinionRobert P. Jones

    • The Holy Spirit: An advocate, comforter and encourager for times like these

      OpinionBarry Howard

    • The air of gathered worship: A 12-Sunday challenge

      OpinionPaul R. Gilliam III

    • Choose Life: Putin reminds us how bad theology can turn nuclear

      OpinionJillian Mason Shannon

    • I’m disappointed with the world but still wanting to hope

      OpinionRuss Dean

    • Racism from the perspective of a white man

      OpinionTerry Austin

    • ‘The Religion of the Lost Cause’ is back, and it may be winning

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • What is a Baptist?

      OpinionH. Stephen Shoemaker

    • Assessing the damage Twitter has done to American Christianity

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • In our dystopian world, I’m leaning into the Korean concept of han

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Letter to the Editor: Wingfield is wrong on ‘performative Christianity’

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • Do or donut; there is no try

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • Will we be silent as stones or voices of light?

      OpinionPhawnda Moore

    • Welsh First Minister ‘regrets’ that Franklin Graham is coming to Wales

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Willow Creek announces major layoffs amid post-COVID struggle

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Ohio House passes bill requiring colleges give students 3 days of absences for religious observation

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • ‘Conversion therapy’ ban falls short in Minnesota Senate

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Don’t buy Alito’s assurances: here’s what happens next after Roe falls

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Leading Psychologist Bridges Trauma Healing and the Black Church

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • For some people, religious leaders might be most effective at communicating the importance of COVID-19 vaccination

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Former pastor in 2 states pleads guilty to child sex charges

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A rabbi who ‘speaks to Christians’ condemned them on Twitter. It cost him his job.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Deadly explosion damages historic church, Baptist offices in Cuba

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Faith on the ground in Buffalo: Voice Buffalo executive director Denise Walden

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What Is Antisemitism? Evangelicals Favor Different Definitions

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Russian Religious Communities Opposed To Ukraine War Face Pressure And Censorship

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope’s recipe to heal his painful knee? A shot of tequila

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Why Not All Pro-Lifers are Celebrating

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Montana pastor J.D. Hall, Pulpit&Pen founder, charged with DUI, carrying weapon

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Grove City board accepts full CRT report, says college promoted CRT

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What you need to know about the antisemitic ideology behind the Buffalo shooting

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What is ‘personhood’? The ethics question that needs a closer look in abortion debates

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Interfaith group asks Starbucks to drop vegan milk surcharge

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Cuba hotel explosion badly damaged major Baptist church

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Op-Ed: Conservative Christians will regret overturning Roe. They’re sacrificing religious liberty to do it

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • The Global COVID-19 Summit left children off its agenda. The church should not.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Deconstructing? There’s a coach for that.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • No more murder charge for women in Louisiana abortion bill

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2022 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS