COVID-19 News Digest 4/2
CARES Act Payroll Protection Program Loans
New guidelines have been issued for the CARES Act Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans, and this page offers the latest webinar detailing the changes, along with a copy of the application.
Important Questions for Churches
Several churches have wrestled with the question of taking federal funds for their church and whether or not it violates the separation of church and state? Russell Moore from the ERLC addresses that question here.
New York City’s mayor became frustrated with a few churches refusing to comply with the stay at home orders and made comments about possibly shutting them down, which then led to larger questions of the government’s jurisdiction over churches. Bruce Ashford, Provost of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, answers the question: “Can the Government Permanently Shut Down Churches?”
Scott Hildreth, director of the Center for Great Commission Studies and Assistant Professor of Global Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, answers the question: How can we leverage this Easter for evangelism?
Technology-Specific
The MET Church and Westbury Baptist have both offered their campuses for other churches to shoot their sermons. For Westbury, churches would need to bring someone to operate the tech (1 person) in addition to the preacher and should email Brandon directly to schedule an appointment.
Lifeway is offering their CCLI license to churches for use in their streaming. This allows churches to stream over 300,000 worship songs without having to worry about copyright infringement.
What is the overarching narrative that runs through your church or ministry right now? At the risk of being too simplistic, it is probably one of two extremes. One is a story of woe and discouragement. The other is curiosity and anticipation. The themes and stories that you emphasize in your communication will set the tone for your church or ministry.
Las estadísticas son horribles y las historias desgarradoras. Si algo no cambia, la iglesia en los Estados Unidos enfrentará desafíos sin precedentes el próximo año y muchas congregaciones locales no sobrevivirán. ¿Cuál es la tragedia? La creciente realización de que un porcentaje significativo de pastores están considerando dejar sus iglesias.
Anxiety is at an all-time high, and church leaders and pastors are not immune. If you were honest and expressed the fears going through your mind during COVID-19 and the economic shutdown, what would it sound like? How should leaders respond in the midst of this swirling internal storm of anxiety?
Most of what we experienced this year echos a sense of loss—the fading music and the constant erosion of things we took for granted. I know I'm not alone in feeling the strain. Fortunately for me, however, God's grace in 2020 has reminded me of the things that are most important—and all the things that are not.
As churches begin to reopen in the coming weeks, we support leaders making decisions to remain online as well as those reopening their church buildings—assuming necessary precautions are being taken. Our churches are represented in each of these camps. But now our attention turns to how a church can prepare for a true celebration with all its people.
It seems the emotional divide between churches that choose to reopen and those that are waiting is growing wider. This division within the larger body of Christ will only serve to distract us from our mission and tarnish our witness if we cannot choose to compassionately and gracefully disagree with one another’s tactical choices right now. Right now, it concerns me that what threatens the extension of grace between believers may come down to a face mask.
When the truth of the gospel binds us together, our different perspectives and approaches can help us innovate well. But how different is too different? Does unity in the church have to come at the cost of good decision-making or orthodoxy?
No debemos resistirnos al cambio, debemos fluir con él, guiados por los principios incambiables de la Biblia y con la mirada puesta en Cristo. Aprovechemos para reordenar nuestras vidas de adentro hacia afuera. Es una oportunidad que Dios nos está dando para estar en comunión con El, para reordenar nuestras vidas.
I was recently interviewed as part of a panel for re-opening the church in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is really not an expert on this topic, but we have a Good Shepherd. As we are all thinking through the tactical issues of reopening the doors of the church, I wanted to reveal three lessons I learned through Hurricane Harvey that will apply to our leadership during and after COVID-19.
Death is part of life, particularly the life of a pastor. What does it look like to walk with your congregation as they grieve a loved one, face a terminal diagnosis, or even transition into eternity?