One of the most important things for Christians during the Corona virus pandemic is to make sure that we are thinking and speaking clearly- and biblically. Unfortunately, however, it seems that in moments like this, things are ripe for Christians to make all sorts of statements that sort of sound good- but aren’t really biblically sound. One of those statements sounds something like this:
“The government can’t tell us we can’t go to church! We should obey God rather than men!”
At first glance, that seems true- because it is absolutely true that we should obey God rather than people. However, it does beg the question of whether the current situation warrants churches continuing to gather in defiance of the governments bans on mass gatherings of, in North Carolina, over 100 people, and the CDC’s recommendation of no gatherings of more than 50 people. Would doing so be obedience to God, even in the face of civil penalties? Does the situation even warrant that kind of decision?
Before I go further, I will say this: I totally get the frustration surrounding the ban and the recommendation. It is very frustrating, especially when you place a high value on gathering as the church (which we should!), or if you place a high value on Sunday mornings being an opportunity for lost people to hear the Gospel (which we should!). It’s entirely fine to feel that sense of frustration. I know I certainly have.
However: we have to make sure that, in our frustration, we are not saying things that don’t actually line up with Scripture- and, perhaps worse, can come across as tone-deaf and callous to people who are concerned and scared right now. Whether one may feel feel that concern is genuine or hysteria is irrelevant; I can’t think of a worse outcome for the church in a crisis than to respond in a way that alienates people far from God because we don’t rightly understand that nature of the circumstances at hand and thus respond incorrectly.
With that in mind, there are three thoughts that I think will be helpful for understanding what the church should do when it comes to gathering in the current situation:
#1- This is NOT a matter of choosing to obey the government or God.
Beyond that, due to the technology available today, Christians can still actually “go to church” during the current crisis through a virtual platform. Small groups can gather through Google Hangout or even Face Time. Christians can still share the Gospel in one-on-one conversations with neighbors, online, or by simply sharing content from their church. It’s not illegal to do so.
Simply put, the government hasn’t commanded the church to stop being the church. Christianity has not become illegal.
What’s more, the recommendations are not targeted at the church. I could understand the rationale of civil disobedience if churches were singled out (and admittedly, the governor of Kentucky seemed to do this about a week ago and deservedly received pushback for his remarks). However, outside of that incidence, the North Carolina government and the United States’ government has not singled out churches and have applied the recommendations broadly.
In other words, the government hasn’t targeted churches. The recommendation applies broadly- and Christians can still legally be Christians and can still meet together (even if the form is different) legally.
put us in a position where we have to choose between following Jesus and obeying the civil authorities. That rationale, in my opinion, is flawed and creates a false equivalency between the current situation and government persecution (which is what “We should obey God rather than people” is actually relating to in context).
The fact is we can still be Christians and still be the church and even gather- even if it looks different. This is not a case of choosing between obeying the government or God.
#2- Christians should seek the GOOD of the community.
One of the things we say among our volunteers at LifeSpring is that “Everything’s a message.” Every single thing we do communicates something to those who are looking on.
What does it communicate to a world that is scared right when we insist on gathering in spite of health officials insisting that distancing is best for the health of everyone?
Not to be to blunt, but it kind of screams that we don’t give a rip about the health of people as long as we can still get together in our Christian bubble, and if others get infected as a result of our gathering, at least we obeyed God.
Now, we’d never put it that way- but doesn’t it sort of give off that sort of feeling?
Please note that I’m not saying that each community is the same. In some communities, smaller gatherings of 50 and under are fine if they follow CDC guidelines. In other communities, gatherings of any size are probably just not wise. Each local church should consider the unique nature of the community it exists in- and act in a way that promotes the GOOD of the community.
The question, then, is whether our insisting on gathering is more about the good of the community- or keeping up with “We’ve always done it this way”?
This goes beyond just being kind and considerate. I firmly believe that when we act in love towards our neighbors, THAT is what gives us a platform to share the Gospel in a way that people will listen.
Why would people listen to us if they aren’t convinced we’ve got their best in mind?
#3- The Church is NOT a location- it’s people.
I’ll be the first to admit that, if we decide we won’t gather in person for two months, that is going to suck. Full transparency, I absolutely hate the idea. I hate the idea of not being able to be with the church family I belong to or seeing the people that I love and care about and whom God has allowed me to lead.
At the same time- we are not defined by a building or by our ability/ inability to come together in a single location.
The church is not a building- it’s a family. The church is PEOPLE. In other words, the church still exists even if we aren’t gathering as we normally would! Even if our gatherings become limited to virtual interactions, the fact is that we STILL exist! We are STILL the church- and that doesn’t change!
This is hard, I think, for many of us in the American Church to accept, because we are frankly used to thinking of church as a larger gathering. However, in other nations- especially where Christianity is illegal, “going to church” means gathering with anywhere from 5-25 people. That’s it.
We don’t have to be a big gathering to be the church. We can gather in smaller groups. We can gather online.
It’s not about “how” we gather- but whether we gather to begin with. It’s not so much about “how” we connect with other believers- but that we connect in the first place.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean that, once things go back to “normal” that we should embrace online over in person. Absolutely not. When the option is there between gathering in person or gathering online, in person wins every time.
However, in the current circumstances, let’s embrace the fact that we, the Church, are NOT defined by location or by a building, but by the PEOPLE- and we can continue to strengthen those connections and relationships even in the absence of our large gatherings.
In fact, I think we actually have an opportunity to strengthen our relationships in this time since all the other things have been stripped away. This doesn’t have to be an obstacle- it can’t be an opportunity!
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The bottom line is this: while each community and the circumstances will be different, should a church choose to not gather in person, it is not following the government instead of God. That church may just be seeking the good of the community- though such a church should seek to use every available means in our online world to continue creating connection points for her people.
And who knows? Maybe over the next two months that online platform could actually connect people to the church that never would have dreamed of coming through the doors of a location- but who are more than willing to test-drive an online platform?
Either way, we KNOW that Jesus will build His Church- and the gates of hell, and certainly no virus- will stand against it!