Ready to go back to church? 10 things to consider before heading to worship
By Adelle M. Banks
From Religion News Service
June 12, 2020
Media credit: AP Photo
(RNS) — An evangelical research center focused on disaster response has detailed key steps churchgoers might take as they contemplate attending reopened churches.
Wheaton College’s Humanitarian Disaster Institute in Illinois released a series of documents this week to augment the guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The institute previously created a website with coronavirus-related resources with the National Association of Evangelicals.
“Many churches including their pastors and church members are struggling to sort through misinformation and divisive voices because of the lack of detailed COVID-19 guidance for faith communities being provided at the federal level needed to navigate reopening churches safely," says Jamie Aten, executive director of the institute.
The newly released resources include a 22-page guide by a consultation of mainline Protestant and Catholic experts — that notes the need to be committed to humility, love, persistence and wisdom — and shorter checklists for members and leaders deciding whether to reapproach the doors of their churches.
