Gathering vs. Distancing

As the weeks and months of the Coronavirus outbreak pass, Christians everywhere are grappling with the implications for church gatherings.  And it’s a complicated situation—no simple solutions.

On the one hand, government authorities have issued stay-at-home orders and are discouraging (and in some cases prohibiting) gatherings of more than ten people for “non-life-sustaining” purposes, including church services.  And they are doing this in order to “flatten the curve”—that is, to slow the spread of Covid-19 so that hospitals are not overwhelmed by too many acute cases at one time.  We take the state mandates seriously because God’s Word instructs us to “be subject to the governing authorities.”  Civil government has been instituted by God (Romans 13:1; cf. 1 Peter 2:13-17).

On the other hand, it is at the very heart of Christian life to gather as the church family for worship and teaching and fellowship.  Believers are urged not to neglect “meeting together” (Hebrews 10:24-25).  With the Lord’s Supper we share a spiritual meal when we “come together” (1 Corinthians 11:17, 18, 20, 33, 34; 14:26).  Physical proximity to one another is vital in the life of the church.

Before the Coronavirus outbreak, a lot of people already worked from home, and many providers of religious content had been promoting a customized spirituality mediated to people via digital platforms—a consumer-oriented faith experience in your own space and on your own terms, without the encumbrances of relational engagement in church gatherings.  But this kind of deliberate abandonment of in-person Christian worship assemblies was seriously mistaken.

So what are we to do?  Should we appeal to Acts 5:29, defy stay-at-home orders, and say, “We must obey God rather than men”—and then go ahead and meet for services in our church buildings?  Would that be a responsible way of interpreting the relevant Scriptures?

Answer:  No—this would not be a legitimate use of God’s Word.  Here’s why.  In Acts 4-5, Peter and John are arrested for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the authorities order them to stop proclaiming this message.  So it is a case of targeted religious persecution in which Christians are commanded to stop spreading their message because those in power deem that message to be objectionable.  However, in our Coronavirus context, the reason our governing authorities are calling for social distancing and even asking (or telling) churches not to hold gatherings is to protect the health of church-goers and the people with whom they have contact.  In other words, the motive is the pursuit of the common good—and civil government “is God’s servant for your good” (Romans 13:4).  To put it differently, the public health mandates are not a violation of religious liberty (on this issue, see further Russell Moore’s helpful article).

Now one may argue whether the stay-at-home strategy is the best way to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak, or whether distancing should be phased out at a slow pace or a fast pace (how slow, how fast?), or whether certain fields of work really are (or are not) “non-life-sustaining,” or just how helpful masks are, or if six feet is enough…  Understood—there are a lot of angles and variables in all of this.  And what’s more, one may argue that stay-at-home policies pushed too far will cause suffering of a different kind due to loss of jobs and economic hardship—again, understood (check out J. D. Greear’s recent podcast on the need to balance attention to suffering from the virus with suffering due to the shut-down).  But regardless of these questions of method and timing, the basic action of government to call for the suspension of large gatherings is a legitimate expression of authority, and Christians should be prepared to abide by such mandates.

Today’s media is buzzing with politicized accusations and suspicions of all kinds—not to mention fears that are fanned into the flames of conspiracy theories.  And the incessant spin and hype fuel anxiety, even panic.  But Christian citizens must refuse to play by those rules:  instead we need to exalt Christ in how we shine the light of the gospel in this dark world and give him our allegiance.

I am glad our church is able to honor governing authorities today and still find many avenues for “gathering,” even though we’re not meeting in person.  Surely we can realize many of the benefits of gathering together by taking advantage of communication technologies such as the telephone, email, texting, social media, video conferencing, livestream and recorded Christian content, and the like.  And surely the Lord would want us to be flexible in how we apply the biblical charge not to neglect meeting together so that we can also follow his instruction to be subject to governing authorities (see further Brett McCracken's excellent article, and note the emphasis on nuance and humility).

As we go forward, let’s make sure that PRAYER is at the center of our approach—both individually and corporately.  Pray for our Elders and staff—for wisdom and courage as they lead.  Pray for unity and harmony in our church family in the months ahead.  Pray for God’s guidance to help us major on the majors (and remember, the gospel is always the biggest issue of the day).  Pray for calm hearts as we trust in God.  Pray for patience as we listen to others.  Pray that God would give us a great compassion toward all who are lonely or in distress.  Pray for discernment to identify and resist eccentric or unbalanced interpretations of the whole situation.  Pray for comfort for those who are hurting.  And pray that many hearts would be open to Jesus in this trying time.