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COVID-19 Online Church Summit

April 1, 2020

“We are walking through a dark valley right now because of all the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Colin Watson, acting executive director of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, at a COVID-19 Online Church Summit held March 26-27.

“But we know we won’t always be in the valley. We know God is always with us. We walk through the valley with God’s help,” said Watson, one of several church leaders who spoke at the online event.

“No matter what we go through, we are in God’s hands. That is my comfort, and I hope it extends to others,” said Watson.

The National Association of Evangelicals partnered with Wheaton College’s Humanitarian Disaster Institution to present the summit, which was sponsored by more than a dozen other groups.

The online summit gathered Christian leaders to provide a way for them to discuss how we can think creatively and collectively about what it means — and what we can learn from — being the church in this time of crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus.

Besides Watson, also speaking at the summit were Eugene Cho, president-elect of Bread for the World; Scott Ridout, president of Converge; Ed Stetzer, Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College; and Philip Yancey, bestselling author of several books including Where Is God When it Hurts?

Jerome M. Adams, Surgeon General of the United States, also spoke. During his session, Adams encouraged members of the faith community to practice social distancing by staying at least six feet away from one another, and he asked churches to connect with their local health departments so that they can stay up to date on the latest information about the virus.

“You must do what works to keep our citizens free from harm,” said Adams. “Avoid gatherings of over 10 people. That can be hard to do, but it can mean the difference between life and death.”

Author Philip Yancey led the online gathering in a time of devotions on Thursday, March 16, quoting from 2 Corinthians 1:3: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. . . .”

Yancey commented: “We know that God is on the side of the sufferer. If we had the chance to follow Jesus around, we would see how he always responded with love and compassion, comfort and healing.”

In his work as a writer, Yancey has visited many sites of disasters — the school shootings at Sandy Hook, Ct., the aftermath of storms, and the wreckage of the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. These experiences always bring up hard questions of why God didn’t stop the shooters, or quell the storm before it raged, or disrupt the plans of terrorists.

“What does the church say to such things?” asked Yancey. “Where is the church when things hurt? I think the best answer comes when people see us reaching out to those in need.”

As for pastors, he added, “We don’t want to feed any kind of hysteria and fear and anxiety. People are going to be looking to you as leaders in knowing how to find that balance.”

Eugene Cho, president-elect of Bread for the World, said now is time for Christians to rely on their faith; it is a time to test the limits of our faith.  “Do we believe God is in charge and will bring us through?” he asked rhetorically..

“We live in a dangerous time. . . . But there is room in the midst of this for faith.” Many of us are anxious and fearful right now, said Cho. But we can remember that now is the time to have courage and allow “our faith to meet the real challenges of our lives.”

Scott Ridout, president of the leadership organization Converge, said this time of fear and uncertainty might prove to bring people back to the church. “We might see an awakening and God drawing more people to himself.”

For one thing, he said, people may emerge from this period of isolation and quarantine with a willingness to do church in different ways, especially by continuing to embrace social media and digital tools. People are currently flocking to the internet to view services or to pray together.

“We don’t have much to depend on, but we can depend on God,” said Ridout.

Ed Stetzer, Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College, said that “it is ‘all hands on deck’” right now for pastors.

“How are we going to face this as it really gets bad?” asked Stetzer. “We need to get really serious. Given the way things are headed, it is likely that someone you know will die.”

Pastors need to be thinking long-term on how they are going to care for their people as well as “others outside of our communities.”

Recovery will come, but we do not know what form it will take — so pastors and other leaders need to be able to shift and adapt in finding fresh ways to share the gospel, said Stetzer. “This is our moment in God’s providence. This is no time to hunker down in fear,” he said.

Watson added that the pandemic is not going to be over soon — and churches will need to continue to find creative ways to maintain connections with their members.

“This really is a long-term situation we’re dealing with,” he said. “Things are not going to be fixed anytime soon — and even after that, it’s hard to see things going back to where they were.”

As disruptive and painful as it may be, churches are finding it necessary to develop nontraditional ways to offer worship. And this can be good. When the pandemic is over, it’s likely that churches will have learned new habits and taken on new practices.

“Just in the past week, many churches have turned to using social media to get out the gospel,” said Watson. “The idea that we need to establish some practices and rhythms for the long term is very, very, important,” he said.

Above all, he added, this is a crucial time to pray. There is no shortage of things to pray for, but right at the top, he said, “is that a pandemic of hope will sweep our nation.”

Eugene Cho said this is the time for Christians to extend themselves and be good neighbors. “We should be seeking the peace of the city. . . . Certainly we shouldn’t forget to wash our hands, but let’s not forget about washing one another’s feet.”