Tuesday's Catch: Navaho Nation in Serious Need of COVID-19 Relief and More

Tears on Red Soil: Navajo Evangelical Leader Hears Her Homeland ‘Crying Out’

World Renew’s Carol Bremer-Bennett rallies coronavirus relief to the close-knit, under-resourced reservation. Read More

The Bible Is Not a Prop. Its Teachings, Though—about the Gospel and Justice—Are What We Need Right Now

A Bible in a photo opp was not the Bible we needed. Read More

The Chocolate Hummus of Ministries Got Left Behind

Scarcity brings clarity. What will your church leave behind? Read More

Five Ways Your Church Facility Is a Tool for Ministry [Podcast]

You may have heard it a time or two; the church is the people, not the building. But today, we are talking about the building and five ways your church facility is a tool for ministry. Read More

The building of the church to which I have been ministering over the past few years sits empty except for roughly two hours on Sunday mornings. For those two hours a small group of people, rarely more than 10 people and often less than 10, gathers to sing a few hymns, read a service from the Prayer Book, hear two Scripture readings and a sermon or homily, and twice a month to celebrate Holy Communion. After the service they crowd into the kitchen; eat cake, donuts, and other sweets and drink coffee. They then go home until the next Sunday. The church has little involvement with the community. Only two members of the congregation live in the community; the rest live elsewhere. The building is gradually falling into a state of disrepair. The building could be used in a number of ways to serve the community but the congregation is not interested in doing that. As I was quite bluntly told, the congregation is not interested in community engagement. Its members want to quietly worship together, socialize afterwards, and then go their separate ways.

A Four-Step Action Plan for Churches and Non-Profits to Restore Finances Following the Pandemic

Here are some important steps for churches and other non-profits to consider as they deal with the pandemic. Read More

3 Thoughts for Church Leaders on the Increasing Struggles with Mental Health

While we were rightly concerned about surges in Covid-19 cases, we should also be concerned about the surges in struggles with anxiety and depression. How should we be responding to the increasing mental health challenges in the midst of this pandemic? Here are three thoughts.... Read More

What Families Need Most in Your Church as You Regather

Two areas that need our attention prior to and following gathering again at church are our environments and our policies and procedures. Read More

Face masks should also be worn during the service, not just before and after the service. There is evidence that singing and loud talking such as in responsive readings or congregational prayers is a significant emitter of air-borne COVID-19 virus particles. In its recommendations for churches the State of California does not recommend singing or loud talking. The CDC Interim Guidelines for Faith Communities also did not recommend singing and loud talking until the White House removed the recommendation for political reasons. In an earlier CDC document which the White House did not release, it was also recommended that churches , when they do begin to regather, hold their gatherings outdoors or in a large, open room with its doors and windows opened to the exterior of the building and ventilated by electric fans. These recommendations were consistent with the findings of how the COVID-19 virus was transmitted in hospitals and other settings. This document further recommended that households should be seated at least six feet apart from each other with an empty pew of row of chairs in front of them and behind them. Face masks were recommended for everybody except children two years of age or under and those who had difficulty breathing when wearing a face mask. It was also recommended that children should sit with their parents or caregivers.

While such preventive measures as regathering out-of-doors or in a large, open room with the doors and windows open to the outside and ventilated by electric fans, social distancing, and wearing face masks will not individually by themselves prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, they will significantly reduce its spread when used in combination in accordance with the principle of layers of intervention, or protection. While we cannot make the attendees of our gatherings totally safe, we can take steps to substantially reduce the risk to them.