I am sure many of you watched Governor Greg Abbott’s press conference during which he announced phase 1 of Opening Texas on May 1. As expected, his subjects included the the resumption of public worship gatherings.
Soon after the press conference closed, Attorney General Ken Paxton released a revised version of “Guidance for Houses of Worship During the COVID-19 Crisis” interpreting the Governor’s order. If you do not have this April 27th revision, you may download it here.
Since then, people have asked, “Does this mean we can go back to church?” And the answer is yes… no… maybe… it’s complicated.
I drafted a statement last night based on my reading of the “Guidelines…” document, the Governor’s Executive Order GA-18, the Opening Texas report , as well as relevant CDC guidelines when these documents point to them. Please download my complete statement here.
The bottom line, given the Governor’s request that we continue doing all we can remotely, the complexity of sanitation, the spacing required for worship centers, and our spiritual responsibilities to “honor the king”, love our neighbors, and love our Lord, I recommend that most congregations continue providing ministry as they are, remotely or through drive-in, and wait at least until we reach Phase 2 before resuming public worship services. Assuming the statistics continue to run in the right direction, that would have us on pace to resume May 17th.
If your church resumes in person worship services sooner, please go beyond the minimum steps for social distancing, sanitation, and screening of staff, volunteers, and attendees. We owe our Lord, our members, and our neighbors the absolute best effort.
You may download the Governor’s Executive Order GA-18 here. Download the Opening Texas report here. For CDC guidance on childcare, click here.
I know this is disappointing for many, but the good news is that God continues working through His church, and we definitely see light at the end of this tunnel.
Blessings!
Jim
Dr. Jim Turnbo
Executive Director
Golden Triangle Baptist Network