Thoughts on worshipping after the Lockdown
Church Planting Minister of Berlin Presbyterian Church
The German government allowed churches to gather for worship again in May. After almost two months of services now, I thought it might be helpful to write down some observations regarding the new situation. I have tried to keep them as general as possible, as our situations will be different. Nonetheless, I hope they are helpful for you all.
1. Not everybody will come. Some people might be afraid of catching the virus. Some members might be part of the risk group. Some people are not willing to travel in the current circumstances, especially on public transportation. There are also those people who prefer staying at home to watch a livestream. As Elderships we have to deal with all of these people.
2. It will feel weird. Coming together after the lockdown is not the same. You have to keep distances, you are not allowed to shake hands or hug each other. You will gather for worship, but it will be different.
3. The outer distance might lead to an inner distance (I do not know how to describe this better in English words). As you have to keep distance between households, this can lead to strange relationships. Many members will have different opinions on the whole situation. This will add to the alienation of people. We have to pray for our congregations and members - that they will continue to love each other.
4. Your services might look different. I do not know the regulations for your specific countries, but in Germany we are not allowed to pass objects between people (no offering plate or similar). We have to have a distance of min. 1.5 m. We do not use church Bibles or hymnals. Everything is printed in the bulletin. We were allowed to sing hymns, but the Government banned it after some churches were the cause for the spread of Covid-19. We decided to recite Psalms and hymns (in the spirit of the early church and Zwingli). For the Lord’s Supper I was wearing a face mask and gloves. I did the same for a baptism last Sunday. The services will not be as they used to be or as we wish them to be. Nonetheless, we are thankful to gather in one place. The New Testament tells us what we ought to do, not how it has to be done in every detail. We have the freedom to worship God with 1.5 m distance between households.
5. You have to be wise about what you do after the service. This is the time for socializing. You still need to keep your distance. We decided to not have refreshments, as our place of worship would not allow for it to happen in a safe way. The weather was good over the last weeks and the visitors and members were able to stand together and talk outside. You may need to find other ways to socialize (private homes, a park…).
6. Be clear on your communications with the church. Let them know what is required and what you recommend. Write clear emails and if needed send the same email every week. Have a clear plan with everything on it that visitors of the service have to follow. Print it out and pin it at the entrance door. Let the people know of it before the service and, as people come late, also after the service.
7. Expect the virus to spread. The government is reopening a lot of places at the same time. The numbers of Covid-19 cases will go up and we should expect that. You have to be prepared that the virus will spread in some churches. We are thankful that we have not had any cases in our church. Nonetheless, media and society will use the situation to blame churches. Be prepared for that. We have to pray for God’s protection, and we have to be ready to help and pray for those churches who might not be in our denomination or might not be Reformed. We are the body of Christ and we have to help each other.
