Coronavirus: What Will Church Services Look Like in the 'New Normal'?

Dromore High Cross and Cathedral

It is the announcement churchgoers in Northern Ireland have been waiting months for.

Covid-19 emergency legislation led to the closure of churches in March, with private prayer only allowed again in May.

Last Friday, the executive confirmed services can resume from Monday 29 June, but it may take a little longer for communal liturgy and worship to actually take place.

That is because the guidelines for safe worship now have to be implemented.

Those guidelines have been developed through ongoing discussions between faith leaders, the Stormont Executive, its scientific advisers, and the chief medical officer.

But what will our local churches look like? And will services be any different? Read More

Also See:
Northern Ireland Executive's Guidelines for Safe Worship
Changing Church: Responding to the Coronavirus Crisis

I am posting links to this article, the Guidelines for Safe Worship, and the Changing Church report because they offer a glimpse into how churches in the United Kingdom and Ireland have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and how Northern Ireland is handling the reopening of church buildings for in-person services and gatherings. My posting of links to these articles is not in any way an endorsement of the precautionary measures recommended in the Guidelines for Safe Worship. I do, however, find their approach to church music far more commendable to that taken by the White House which suppressed the CDC's recommendations against singing and loud talking. They recognize that singing and loud talking can play a role in the transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Over the next thirty days we will see if the recommended measures are effective.