Why Being #BetterTogether Is Crucial Now—Even With Social Distancing

I know things are crazy and information is coming at you fast! But I think this will provide you with some helpful information, links, and ways that we can connect the church together for God’s glory during this difficult time. Many people are scared. Many others are confused, wondering what all the fuss is about. But believers in Jesus Christ are called to love God and love our neighbors, and especially in these times, people are looking for us to show and share the gospel without fear and panic. 

What follows is:

  • Should churches suspend live services?

  • How can we decide what size groups should meet together?

  • Tips for being the church, together

  • Resource links for churches

Should Churches Suspend Live Services?

Thursday night, I was one of many faith community leaders from across the city on a conference call with Dr. Peter Pisters, president of MD Anderson Cancer Center; Dr. David Callender, president of Memorial Hermann; and Dr. Umair Shah, president of Harris County Public Health, hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership. The purpose of the call was to urge churches across the city–especially those larger than 250–to suspend live gatherings for the next two weeks—March 15 and 22. 

I agree with their recommendation.  

Several churches in Houston—Houston’s First Baptist Church, Champion Forest Baptist Church, West University Baptist Church, and others—have already made the decision to use online options this week and next. Roger Patterson (@rogerpatterson), pastor of West University, put it well when he said, "We, the faith community, were great at recovering from Harvey, but if we could have prevented Harvey, we would have. This is a way that we can try to prevent the next big storm that’s about to hit our city."

The Case for Social Distancing

https://www.businessinsider.sg/what-does-social-distancing-mean-how-you-can-practice-it-2020-3

https://www.businessinsider.sg/what-does-social-distancing-mean-how-you-can-practice-it-2020-3

“Social distancing” is a public-health strategy used to describe broad measures like school, festival, and public transportation closures in an effort to help slow, track, and eventually curb the spread of airborne diseases like the flu and tuberculosis, according to Santa Clara County’s public health department. As the diagram illustrates, the goal is to “flatten the curve” and allow the healthcare system to meet the heavy demands now placed on it. 

However, time is of the essence. Simply put, because a pandemic cannot be stopped and healthcare professionals do not have warnings before a pandemic starts, social distancing is one step that buys crucial time to keep the healthcare system from being overwhelmed. Should the healthcare system become overwhelmed, not everyone can get the care that they need, the number of cases goes up, and more lives are lost. Time–while frustrating–is necessary for testing to be disseminated, treatments to be developed, and resources to be distributed. 

How Can We Decide When to Gather? 

This is not the time to quote Hebrews 10:24-25, because this is not about neglecting to meet together or developing bad habits. In fact, there will be some in your sphere of influence, especially those in the most vulnerable populations, that should be encouraged not to attend public gatherings of people where they might pose a risk to themselves or others. 

This is the time to consider strategies for being a good neighbor. Churches are disproportionately skewed toward an older population–a population more susceptible to getting sick. Those same people are likely to sit next to children in your church services who are prone to wiping their nose or face while sneezing without covering. How do we decide to best care for our people while using the prudent intelligence God gave us, and stay true to the missional call God has laid before us without a spirit of fear? 

I have spoken to many who made proper adjustments to their previous week’s Sunday morning habits ranging from elbow-bumping instead of handshakes during greeting times to packaged communion wafer/grape juice cups instead of passing communion plates. But then there are the doors being used by every person instead of the same person opening them, offering plates being passed down the aisles, and check-in stations for children being used by each family. And then there is the inevitable close proximity of large groups of people. 

How many precautions can every church make in order to protect their flock while still meeting together, and be good neighbors to the larger community they love and serve? Doctors say, “not enough.” 

“Dr. Darria Long Gillespie, clinical assistant professor at University of Tennessee Erlanger and national spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians, suggested people make decisions about their work lives and social calendars by asking three questions: How many people will be there? How close will you be to all of those people? How well ventilated is the space or how much people can move around?” (source: BusinessInsider) 

How Can We Be #BetterTogether?

We must remember that when a system is in peril, it touches all parts of the system. When schools close their doors, kids who depend on those meals go hungry, hourly employees miss paychecks, parents have to arrange for childcare or miss work. Arranging for childcare may mean relying on grandparents (the vulnerable population) or missing work because childcare options don’t exist means missed income that pays for food. Food pantries around Houston are bracing for demand as grocery stores are picked clean due to irregular buying habits and as normal income streams are disrupted. 

The church must be the church in this hour, and we can only do that together.

Matthew 25: 34-40: 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” 40 And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.”

The best resource I have seen for churches to think through their presence in the community, but also prepare for how to do their own operations differently comes from a partnership between Saddleback Church, the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton (Ed Stetzer) and the Humanitarian Disaster Institute: https://coronavirusandthechurch.com/

Helpful tips for believers to put into action:

  1. Be generous and give online. If churches are going to be lights in their communities, churches must continue to receive the support of their members. Gospel-oriented churches are not solely focused on keeping the lights on and maintaining staff, though those are important things, but also on being present in their communities with benevolence, food, childcare, volunteers, etc. It takes funds to make that happen, and most churches collect the majority of their funds through the Sunday morning gatherings. If those are suspended, please consider giving through online options. 

  2. Reach out. It doesn’t take being quarantined to feel isolated, and people in California are already beginning to report feelings of isolation because of COVID-19. Houston is accustomed to dealing with disasters, so we all know what it’s like to be under stress for prolonged periods of time. Pandemics are stressful, and if you’re a person who just wants to be around people for comfort, this will be especially hard. Call, text, email, but especially use technology that allows someone to see your face as you talk. 

  3. Volunteer. Small groups using proper precautions can make a big difference. Contact a church or school near your home and ask if they need help disinfecting (there are tips for doing this on https://coronavirusandthechurch.com/. Take food to a local food pantry. Volunteer to watch someone’s children. There will be plenty of needs in the coming weeks, and some people who cannot fend for themselves. Throughout history, this is when the church typically shines.    

Houston needs Jesus, and it needs the church to represent him well. Let’s be wise as we run toward the call. Let’s be #BetterTogether, but maybe #BetterTogetherFrom6FeetAway. 

Resource Links for Churches