Opening Churches in Pandemic

So here is another thing that I will put in my blog but not post to social media until we see how this plays out. So I've got it out of my head onto paper in hopes of letting it go.

So President Trump has called for all houses of worship (including churches) to reopen this weekend as providers of essential services. Apparently without getting into the CDC guidelines for reopening churches, that they were holding until they thought appropriate but he insisted they be published, his language seems to throw the doors wide open. He apparently said that if the governors of the states don’t abide by his request, he would override them. I really don’t know the legal ins and outs of the balance of state and federal authority in such situations. Ironically, the Republicans have traditionally been the advocates of states’ rights.

One piece of that is what opening means. If the CDC guidelines call for certain measures (limited capacity, masks, no eating or drinking [communion?], social distancing, no group singing) would those guidelines be inforce? Would governors have the right to specific guidelines for their states?

So if the governors comply or the President requires states to allow churches to open for worship, does that become a mandate that ecclesiastical bodies (church boards, sessions, vestries, presbyteries, synods, dioceses, etc.) or church leaders (pastors, bishops, superintendents, etc.) are required to follow? So if some churches open and others don’t, some with no restrictions and others with cautious procedures, do we have a deepening of the schism that already seems to be infecting the Church in the US?

At a very pragmatic level, to make an announcement on Friday that is expected to be followed on Sunday would be a logistical nightmare. I hate to be so cynical, but to me it suggests total unfamiliarity with what goes into having public worship in even the most optimal times.

I don’t have an answer, only a question about the theological implications of insisting that gathering for worship in a building is intrinsic to church or religious freedom. I do believe in the gathering of the community of faith. But I’m not sure that implies the institutional trappings that have become so culturally expected. Many congregations have found creative ways to use today’s media to provide their people with essential services. Some of that may and should persist as the new normal emerges ahead of us. That is not so say that these are equivalent to the person to person engagement of authentic community life. Sadly, a lot of what happens in church buildings is as isolating (if not more) that what has happened in recent weeks.

I expect that many people will avoid the large gatherings for some time and that churches will do well to accommodate them with modern media (if that’s the right word). Especially those in high risk groups (like me) should not be shamed for being reluctant to increase the likelihood of exposure to coronavirus.

One more, very cynical thought, that I am including just because it came to mind, not because I have any reason to think it is real. But, what if all of this push to open up is a sinister plot to shrink the population of church people (and the most vigorous Trump supporters) by encouraging them to get together and spread the virus?