I find myself in awe of the clergy and laity offering frontline care of souls in response to COVID-19, lovingly creating ministry alternatives, even from a distance. While these acts of selflessness are themselves a dramatic sign of spiritual renewal, sobering trends confront America’s churches.
I have a few choice words for people protesting public health directives. Then I hear that still, small voice.
As disciples of Jesus, we do not have the luxury of hating people, writing people off, dehumanizing them or wishing them ill, even when they are acting in the worst ways possible.
Churches are compelled to support practices to combat pandemic
“Through their actions, they’re not just harming people in our community, they’re harming and putting members of their own congregation at risk.”
Ahmaud Arbery and a pandemic of injustice
The novel coronavirus crisis has ushered in a pandemic of injustice. A central theme in this story is that the most vulnerable among us have been the most deeply impacted by a sickness that does not discriminate.
Churches (cautiously) prepare to reopen as states lift COVID-19 restrictions
Many churches are taking a slow, methodical approach to returning to in-person worship even as some states reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Churches: Take the PPP money and walk
I think a decision not to participate in the PPP program would be a mistake. If your church does take the money, see it as an invitation to do more good in your community.
Amid this pandemic, can we say with Julian of Norwich, ‘All shall be well’?
More than six centuries later, Julian of Norwich still speaks to modern Christians caught, like her, in the clutches of another “Great Pestilence.”
It’s time for innovative partnerships between churches and for-profit businesses
The 21st-century, post-pandemic church should not eschew participation in the American economy because of who it might leave out. Instead, it should embrace a new role as a transformative social and cultural guide for doing business in a way that is ethical, sustainable and missional.
Religious groups offer resources for churches preparing to reopen amid coronavirus pandemic
National and regional Baptist denominations and networks are among religious organizations to provide online resources and expertise to congregational leaders during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.