| Washington state is about to place a ban on gatherings of 250 people or more. There is no indication that this ban will not include religious services. Italy has allowed religious services to continue if gatherings allow congregants to remain at least 1 meter from each other, but it has banned all weddings, baptisms, and other special religious events that would attract a larger-than-normal crowd. The one-meter rule is likely to change as new evidence shows that COVID-19 travels up to 4.5 meters (15 feet).As I have said in other posts, it is not time to panic, but it is time to prepare. It is better to have a plan that is not needed than to need a plan and not have one.Many churches have regular Sunday morning attendance of 250 or more. Will you organize services so that your church does not violate a ban on gatherings of a certain size? If so, how will you ensure the services do not violate the ban?The church I attend has a regular Sunday attendance of 400, which is distributed over three services. The 11:00 AM service is disproportionately full, and while I haven't counted the attendance at this service, I would estimate that it attracts more than 250 people in that single service.Based on how the virus has been shown to exponentially propagate, you may need to be ready to pull the trigger on your plan in the next week. What is your plan? How will you notify and organize your congregation? How will you ensure compliance with the authorities that God has placed over you (1 Pet 2:13-15) |