Guest commentary by Susan Presley
In many parts of the United States, life is returning to some semblance of normalcy. The CDC changed their recommendations and explained that we have reached a threshold where only non-vaccinated people need to wear masks. People are gathering again. These are exciting times after the last year. A danger exists, though, when we try to rush people back into our church buildings.
On social media and elsewhere, pastors, more than any other leaders, seem to be firmly – and sometimes forcefully – encouraging parishioners to return to their buildings for worship. Church leaders who worshipped online for a year are suddenly delivering sentiments like these:
- “Watching online isn’t community – it’s convenient.”
- “Virtual church isn’t church.”
- “If you don’t meet together, you’re saying Jesus isn’t worth it.”
While I’m confident the ministers sharing these thoughts mean well and are trying to be encouraging, three problems with this type of sentiment come to mind.
First, it seems suspicious that for the past year churchgoers were encouraged to worship online, but now they’re being told it’s a bad idea. Did our worship during the pandemic not count? Wasn’t God glorified then? Weren’t those prayers real? If it was valid then, why wouldn’t it still be?
Second, some individuals have very legitimate reasons to stay home. In the church I pastor, a faithful church leader went into anaphylaxis with her first vaccination. She nearly died, but survived with the help of emergency workers and an ambulance trip to the hospital. When she reads messages like the above, they break her heart. It will take time before she (and others) can join us in person on Sunday, but she’s with us online. She sings and prays and passes the peace, and she’s not the only one in a compromised state.
Needing to join online services goes beyond the virus, with myriad reasons people may choose this option. Older parishioners at risk of falling should not come out in the winter when ice covers every outdoor service. People who have illnesses other than COVID-19 are sometimes well enough to glorify our Lord remotely. Church members also join online from out of town, or can view a service at a later time if they had to work on Sunday morning. To suddenly tell them this form of worship is invalid seems disingenuous.
Third, when pastors demand people come back into the building, they simply look desperate. To outsiders, it sounds much like, “Hurry up and get back here before I become irrelevant.” These sentiments that hint (or outright claim) that Christians are less devout for not yet coming into our buildings make us look like we’re simply searching for more people in our pews. Are we more interested in attendance numbers or in spreading the message of the gospel of Christ by any means?
Jesus ministered to people by going to where they were and by taking care of the most vulnerable. He didn’t demand they show up somewhere to hear him talk. I’ve searched and scoured and can not find a place in Scripture where Jesus told his followers to meet in a building. “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together” are the words of the Apostle Paul, and even he didn’t say it had to be in a brick-and-mortar structure. “Assembling together” can happen in a lot of ways.
Let’s keep online worship and encourage its use rather than chastise people for logging on. It’s a convenient and appropriate way for a hesitant visitor to check out your church, and it helps those who are unable to attend for any reason. It gives church members opportunities to go to the homes of shut-ins and help those who are less tech-savvy install Zoom or Facebook Live or whatever the church is using. Let’s congratulate people who find a way to attend virtually when their only other option is no worship at all.
Life will likely never be exactly like it was before COVID-19 wreaked havoc around the world. Let’s remember to recognize the positive changes and keep online worship as an option.
Press on with it, pastors, and do it well, to the honor and glory of God!
SUSAN PRESLEY is a PC(USA) pastor in Mendota, Illinois. Her background is in investigative journalism, and her future includes finishing her doctor in ministry in December 2021.
