When everything began shutting down back in March, Steve Wiens thought he would be leading church via Zoom for two, maybe four, weeks.
Members of his church, Genesis Covenant in Robbinsdale, Minn., rose to the challenge. They celebrated the Eucharist from their kitchens, with coffee and doughnuts, Capri Sun and Oreos. They divided themselves into small groups across town to keep tabs of who needed groceries or supplies.
“We’ve somehow maintained a real intimacy and sweetness because we leaned into the values that always held us,” Mr. Wiens said.
But as the weeks have turned into months, and Zoom fatigue is settling in, many church leaders are contemplating how — and when exactly — to reopen. This week, Mr. Wiens mapped out a four-stage plan of what a return to safe in-person worship might look like. Maybe by July they could worship in socially distant groups of 50, he guessed, and maybe they could lift all limits in the fall.
“That may be optimistic,” he said. “What we are doing right now will change how faith is expressed in worship, whether we like it or not.”
After Weeks on Zoom, Churches Consider Plans to Reopen https://t.co/D3gOQZX8gk
— Herb Scribner (@HerbScribner) May 7, 2020