In God’s providence, I was not pastoring a church during the pandemic. I am a churchman at heart, though, so when executive orders came out, I followed several ministries to see how things were handled.
Regrettably, I read accounts from disheartened pastors who lamented the fracturing of their churches. Social media posts popped up accusing pastors and ministries of compromising by submitting to government mandates or being unreasonably rebellious and neglectful by not taking appropriate precautions.
Disagreements with how to handle government mandates and in-person gatherings caused many pastors to contemplate leaving their churches or the ministry altogether. I know of several churches where families left because of leadership decisions—some thought their church leadership was not doing enough to protect attendees, while others thought their church leadership was being too cautious. Often these opposite perspectives emerged in the same church responding to the same leadership decisions!
Some churches fared well, while others suffered from self-inflicted wounds. Pastors broke fellowship with one another. It was a stressful time to be a pastor or a church member.
The difficulty of the pandemic battles rested in part at the intersection of doctrine, morality, ecclesiology, and culture. Just over a year has passed since the pandemic officially ended in the United States, but the need to think Biblically, intentionally, and critically about this intersection remains.
- You have reached the end of this article preview. This article was published in the Summer 2024 Baptist Bulletin. Subscribe to the Baptist Bulletin or purchase a gift subscription. If you already subscribe to the print edition, sign up for free digital access.
Matt Olmstead is director of Regular Baptist Press.
