On May 22nd, President Donald Trump labeled churches and other houses of worship as “essential” and called on governors nationwide to let them reopen and threatened to “override” governors who defy him.
Many Governors across the country took note. Church pastors in my state were ecstatic to hear the Governor announce that churches were permitted to reopen on May 31st, albeit for gatherings of no more than 100. The Governor’s announcement was met with a sigh of relief by many. Before the Governor’s announcement, many church members including myself were wrestling with what to do. Should we defy the Governor’s order, heed our pastors’ call to “fear not, have faith,” and pack the pews in fellowship and worship to the Lord? Or, should we obey the Governor’s stay at home order, do our part to help bend the curve and reduce our chance of becoming infected?
Pastors were becoming impatient, and the momentum toward restarting in-person worship increased among church pastors and grew louder despite new reports of COVID 19 cases escalating, and CDC reports of high COVID 19 attack rates among church attendees. A group of local pastors banned together and threatened to defy the Governor’s order and open the church to all its congregants immediately. Many pointed to Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Louisiana who defied stay-at-home orders to hold Sunday services. “Proclaiming the commandment of God is to spread the Gospel,” and that he…
