How Churches Are Responding

Dear Pastors

How Churches Are Responding

So here we are at the start of Day One of a brand new Covid Management system. It is called The Covid – 19 Protection Framework or Traffic Light System.

Yesterday I convened a 90 minute briefing event and invited the two Hamilton Labour MP’s (one who is a former GP, Dr Gaurav Sharma) and a local GP to speak. The MP’s spoke to the 11 page Guidelines for places of worship document that I’m sure all of you have a copy of by now and the Doc spoke about re-infection and the troubling issue of the ‘waning’ of the vaccine. She reminded us how churches are potentially super spreader places because of what we do and how we typically interact and she reminded us how the risk of infection goes up enormously as we get older. Therefore all the more reason for Christian Churches to take a precautionary approach.

Jamie Strange, Labour MP for Hamilton East, a former pastor and committed Christian reassured us all that:

1. The Government has made ALL it’s decisions around Covid-19 since February last year based on the best available science AND best practice from overseas.
2. That these measures are in place for a season while we are in the midst of a Global Pandemic. Perhaps 2-3 years.
3. That there is NO conspiracy to become some kind of tyrannical, communistic or North Korea type State, none whatsoever. Needless to say I agree with him because I for one cannot see a thread of evidence of such dark intentions.

So with that said then how are churches responding to the new framework. What follows is an initial and quite short overview. I am grateful to David Collins for doing some research around this and allowing me to share it here.

• Every Pastor we have spoken with is trying to figure out how to comply with the new rules and at the same time not to divide the church. For some people to go on and on about pastors ‘dividing the church’ is unfair at best, disingenuous at worst. No Pastor we have talked to wants that. Pastors are absolutely committed to biblical unity.
• More and more Pastors are seeing this for what it is – A Public Health Response in the midst of a Global Pandemic.
• Most Pastors are now clear that the majority by far (85%-90%) of their people are vaccinated and many of these folks are calling for a ‘My Vaccine Pass’ worship environment. The reasoning goes something like this. “We have done the right thing by getting vaccinated so now Pastor you do the right thing”.
• Most all churches we have looked at or are re-visiting and re-invigorating small groups as a critical piece of the new way forward irrespective of going with My Vaccine Pass or not. I have read one document written by Mike Connell, a Pentecostal leader, who strongly advocates for small groups and a new emphasis on the training of small group leaders.
• From our initial research many smaller, even mid-size churches are starting without ‘My Vaccine Pass’. Given that in the Orange setting you can meet with 50 other people in one space. By the way that includes children. My prediction is that while we are in summer that might work but in Winter it will be a whole lot more challenging because outside gatherings are unlikely. The other challenge of course is that in the Red setting you can only meet inside with 25 people including children.
  A) Te Aroha Baptist will run with up to 50 People with a separate overflow space if required.
  B) City Life Church in New Plymouth are offering two services up to 50 persons and three services up to 50 persons on alternate Sundays.
  C) Life Church in Tauranga have created ‘Home Hubs’ and have asked people to ‘book’ themselves in with the host ahead of time.
• It appears that many if not most larger churches are going with ‘My Vaccine Pass’ for their main Sunday morning service and a ‘Without My Vaccine Pass’ option as a second Sunday morning or Sunday Afternoon service. For three helpful examples see Gateway Church in Hamilton, Hope Presbyterian in Christchurch and Curate Church in Mt Maunganui. Hope Presbyterian and Curate have satellite congregations as well.

Finally, come February/March next year we will have a few rungs on the board, learnt a few things and as a result we will see some new innovations. It is highly likely more churches will move into the Vaccine Pass system.

If you would like a copy of the ‘source documents’ mentioned above please feel free to email me at alan.vink@leadershipworx.org.nz

Blessings
Alan