How to Think About Shutting Down Churches During Coronavirus

Public gatherings throughout the U.S. continue to be shut down in anticipation of the new coronavirus COVID-19. Churches, too, are widely canceling their weekly services.

Last Wednesday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear urged churches to cancel weekly services. Some questioned whether his advice targeted churches too specifically (he didn’t mention similar events), especially considering that Kentucky had relatively few confirmed cases.

On Monday, the White House recommended that Americans “Avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people” for the next fifteen days. As state instructions to cancel gatherings become more common, urgent, and mandatory, how should churches respond?

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

First, regular gatherings are not an optional part of the Christian life. Christians are commanded to “meet together” in Hebrews 10:25. Many New Testament commands on how Christians are to treat one another are difficult, if not impossible, to obey unless Christians are regularly gathering together. The New Testament describes the church as Christ’s body (Colossians 1:24); bodies cannot long exist while separated. Therefore, Christians should not abandon our typical church gatherings on a whim.

The legal question of whether government may restrict religious gatherings is relatively straightforward. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act codified a specific legal test, under which the federal government may only substantially burden sincere religious belief when it has a compelling interest in doing so, and does so in the narrowest way possible.