As we try to respond to this cultural moment, much is changing by the hour and we are still unsure where it will all end. Society is shutting down. Each day the government suggests more prohibitive measures to contain the spread of the virus and “flatten the curve.”
During this time, we as leaders find ourselves facing difficult questions and unprecedented decisions. It is not an easy time. As a small way to help you, I am assembling some resources here on this webpage as people suggest them to me. Feel free to send suggestions my way. Proverbs 15:22 reminds us that many advisors can help bring success.
Key Documents
- Denominational Regathering Directives
- Reopening Children’s Ministry
- Province of Ontario Stage 3 Framework
- Marriage Licenses During COVID-19
Insurance Guidance
Government Guidance
Public Health Guidance
- Ministry of Health Ontario Advice for Religious Services
- WHO Risk Assessment Tool
- WHO Decision Tree for Religious Leaders
- Information for Places of Worship (Grey Bruce)
- Guidance for Places of Worship (Toronto)
Pastoral Resources
- The Praxis Journal, Love in the Time of Coronavirus
- Outreach, Coronavirus Church Guide
- Guidance from Canadian Council of Christian Charities
- Christianity Today, Lessons from Singapore churches
- Web page for The Meeting House congregation
- ABC Religion, Faith Communities are Key Partners
- Faith and Leadership, The 20 Second Gift of Washing Your Hands
- Faith and Leadership, How To Lead Calmly in an Outbreak
- Sojourners, First Rule of Pastoring During An Outbreak
- Wheaton, Preparing Your Church for Coronavirus
- Religion News Service, Faith Leaders Embrace the Digital
- The Praxis Journal, Leading Beyond The Blizzard: Why Every Organization Is Now A Startup
- Christianity Today, Twenty Prayers for a Pandemic
- Baptist Press, How To Preach To An Empty Room
- Sojourners, Using The Love Commandment to Talk with Kids
- New York Times, Where Is God In a Pandemic
- unSeminary webinar, Your Church and COVID-19
- Religion News Service, Churches Go Back To The Future with Drive-In Services
- Christianity Today, Will COVID-19 Lead to a Long-Term Shift in Church Attendance
- Pentecostal Assemblies, How Your Church Can Survive Financially
- Sojourners, Coping With Anxiety In A Pandemic
- CanadaHelps, Seven Creative Fundraising Events To Replace Your Cancelled Event
- Religion News Service, Christian Clergy Debate Online Communion
- Time, Christianity Offers No Answers About The Coronavirus, It’s Not Supposed To
- Religion News Service, Higher Attendance, Lower Giving
- Faith & Leadership, Easter Is Not Cancelled If We Do Not Gather
- Faith & Leadership, Resources for Christian Leaders During the Pandemic
- Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Resources for Churches Adapting to Social Isolation
- United Methodist News, Pandemic Presents Challenge to Church Giving
- The Washington Post, Minister to the Sick and the Dying via FaceTime and Zoom
- Alabama.Com, What Clergy Said When Influenza Closed Churches in 1918
- The New Yorker, Honk Twice for Hallelujah
- National Catholic Reporter, How Social Distancing May Change The Way We Do Church
- The Atlantic, Can We Mourn Properly Over Zoom
- Sojourners, We Have An Inadequate Theology of Illness
- Faith & Leadership, Will The Church Financially Survive The Pandemic
- Washington Post, Church Donations Have Plunged Because of the Coronavirus
- The Guardian, Germany To Set Rules for Religious Services Including Singing Ban
- New York Times, How Coronavirus Made Our Church Stronger
- DW, Germans Go Back To Church … But No Singing Allowed
- HuffPost, Zoom Funerals Are Now The Normal
- The Christian Century, On The Spirituality of Quarantine
- Church Fuel, The Senior Pastor’s Guide to Reopening
- The Guardian, Two Thirds of US Believers See COVID-19 As Message From God
- The Gospel Coalition, Church, Don’t Let The Coronavirus Divide You
- Religion News Service, Thoughts of Worship Without Singing
- VOX, One German Service Resulted In More than 100 Coronavirus Infections
- Associated Press, Communion Unchanged in Greek Orthodox Church Despite the Virus
- EFC, Tips For Small Churches During the Pandemic
- Religion News Service, When Church Reopens, Don’t Sing or Shake Hands, Do Make Sermons Shorter, Says New Guide
- CCCC, Church Donations: Quick and Easy Offering Plate Alternatives
- The Conversation, Are Religious Communities Reviving The Revival
- ChurchLeadership.com, Why Reopening A Church Is Different
- Carey Nieuwhof, 7 Trends In Lieu Of COVID-19
- Waybase Research, Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian Christian Charities
- HuffPost, I Officiated A Zoom Funeral. Here’s What I Didn’t Expect.
- Religion & Politics, The Coming Religious Recession
- Faith and Leadership, How A Scriptural Imagination Can Help Christians Face Fear
- New York Times, Churches Were Eager to Reopen, Now They Are a Major Source of Coronavirus Cases
- The Christian Century, What Is COVID-19 Changes Nothing
- Religion News Service, Funeral Directors and Clergy Continue to Innovate Death Care
- ABC News, 40 Infected with Coronavirus After Church Event
- Christianity Today, The Coronavirus Should Make us Humble and Relentlessly Practical
- Deseret News, Some Congregations Are In Conflict About The Coronavirus Pandemic
Webinars
- Reopening Churches: Sharing Ideas, Advice and Experience, EFC – June 3, 2020
Employment Resources
- Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Government of Canada
- Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), Government of Canada
General Resources
- Coronavirus Disease, Government of Canada
- Resource Page, World Heath Organization
- The Dos and Don’ts of Social Distancing, The Atlantic
- The Time To Stock Up, The CBC
- Here’s Who Should Be Avoiding Crowds Right Now, Atlantic
- Religious Gathering Led Malaysia to a Lockdown, Bloomberg
- Church Apps for the Quarantined, CNET
- The Doctor Who Helped to Defeat Smallpox Explains What’s Coming, WIRED
- OBS Studio, Free broadcasting software
- How To Talk To The Camera, Vickie Comedy
- Zoom Tutorial, Brian Hunt (New Life Church)
- Nine Tips For Working from Home, Readdle
- What Are The Dying Worth, New York Times
- The Coronavirus Pandemic is Exposing the Myth of Self-Reliance, The Christian Century
- There’s An App for That, Religion News Service
- Is This An Apocalypse? We Certainly Hope So, ABC Religion and Ethics
- Easter Was The Bible App’s Biggest Day Ever, Christianity Today
- The Loneliness Pandemic, Religion News Service
- A Theory of Zoom Fatigue, The Convivial Society
- Switching To Online Church Busted My Theology, Dallas Morning News
- British Public Turn To Prayer As One In Four Tune In To Religious Services, The Guardian
- Why There Are Coronavirus Protests In US But Not Canada, The Conversation
- One Choir Singer Infected 52 Others, HuffPost
- Pope Joins Interreligious Prayer Begging God To End Pandemic, Crux
- The Politics of Pandemics: Why Some Countries Respond Better Than Others, Wharton University of Pennsylvania
Heartwarming
- My friend Doug Braun has a wonderful Facebook post about people helping others
- National Post, Acts of Kindness During a Pandemic
- MacLeans, The Caremongers Getting Essentials to the Vulnerable
- Catholic News Agency, German Cardinal Opens Seminary to Feed Homeless
Somewhat Silly
- The Spread of the Coronavirus Emoji