Gathered vs. Virtual Worship
Our current provincial health order continues to prohibit in-person religious gatherings and worship services, at least until February 5. This newest order extends the shutdown of religious services that began on November 19. While some churches have decided to defy health authorities and continue holding in-person worship services each Sunday, we as a church have chosen to joyfully submit to our governing authorities on this, believing the order does not ask us to do anything against Scripture. I believe that we are doing the right thing, and I am so very thankful for our strong provincial leadership regarding the handling of Covid-19.
At the same time, I think it’s important to acknowledge that this is a complex situation and Christians will have different views on how the church should respond. Even for those of us who accept the reality and severity of the pandemic, we may still have serious concerns about the apparent arbitrary nature of the health order and how various activities are ranked in terms of public safety and benefit to society. The shutdown of religious worship in particular has brought a collision of rights and jurisdictions, and it has placed Christians in a true dilemma. As one pastor I know helpfully points out, “We now have to work out the moral calculus between the duty to worship, the duty to protect life, the duty not to steal (and so pursue the economic well-being of our neighbours), and the duty to submit to authorities.” So while I believe that the government is acting in the best interests of public health, they have taken certain actions which threaten Christian morals and conscience and raise important questions about how we ought to live as Christians in this Covid-time.
The first question that I believe is worthwhile to consider is about what constitutes public worship. Is public worship actually shut down, or has it just been moved online? The current health order states that “Religious in-person gatherings and worship services are suspended under the order” and encourages that “Religious services can continue using remote or virtual attendance options.” Dr. Bonnie Henry has also suggested in public health briefings that the government has not “shut down” churches but rather only moved them online. But Christians don’t believe that virtual services are the same as public services. The CRC’s Church Order gives a guiding statement in Article 51-a where it says, “The congregation shall assemble for worship…” The Christian understanding of public worship entails physical presence.
“Virtual worship” has been good in many ways. It encourages us to stay in God’s Word and we are able to maintain, to some degree, a sense of the corporate nature of the Church. But our technology will never replace the gathered assembly of God’s people. In fact, our reliance on our technology alone for fellowship is a loss to our embodied humanity. We experience this loss spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
The Apostle John expresses the same sentiment as he closes his epistle. “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete” (2 John 12). Though pen and ink were the latest technology for communication, John acknowledged the limitations and longed for face-to-face interaction. The reason for his longing? “That our joy may be complete.”
So while I am grateful for technology that allows us to have a “virtual service,” it is far from ideal and should not be viewed as equivalent to the free exercise of religion. Virtual worship approaches worship, but I trust that we have learned it is not the same. What this means is that we should not say that we are simply taking our public worship service virtual, as if nothing else has occurred. We should acknowledge that we are temporarily suspending our public worship services because of the pandemic in submission to the civil government, and that we are offering a livestream option to assist our people in their own worship at home until we can resume public worship.