COVID-19 Resources for Pastors and Church Leaders

The July 15th Gathering Capacity Limit Order Does Not Apply to Churches

Further Guidance and Suggestions on Face Coverings Order

Revised: Guidance for In-Person Church Gatherings in Pennsylvania

Important Takeaways for Churches from Governor’s Latest Reopening Guidelines – May 1, 2020

May 14, 2020 Webinar – To Open or Not to Open: Considerations for Churches

Resources from the May 14 webinar:

  • Doing a Soft Opening In-Person Meeting: Pastor Eric Miller, Bloomsburg Christian Church, who was a panelist on the webinar created a very helpful video to guide his church as they get ready to do in-person meetings. Click here to watch it.
     
  • Holding off on doing In-Person Meetings: Pastor Derek Sanford, Grace Church, in Erie PA, who was also a panelist on the webinar created a helpful video for his congregation as they consider the next few months. Click here to watch it. 

On May 5, 2020, we held another Q&A call with the Secretary of Health and church leaders across the state. Download this summary of that call — May 5, Q&A with the Secretary of Health for Church Leaders.

On March 24, 2020, we held a call with church leaders all over Pennsylvania and the COVID-19 Executive Team here in PA – The PA Secretary of Health, Governor’s Chief of Staff, and the Incident Commander and Deputy of Health Protection and Community Preparedness. Download this summary of that call – Q&A – Church Leader Call with Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 Executive Team

Listen to that call here: https://pacast.com/m?p=17910

On March 31, 2020, we held a call with church leaders all over Pennsylvania and other pastors to discuss how they are navigating their churches to reach their communities and congregation during this crisis. Listen to a recording of that call here.

Download our “Taking Your Church Online” resource page.

Download a guide for how you can systematically work on caring for your church during this crisis. From the Worship Center in Leola, Pa.

We had the wonderful privilege of speaking Dave Runyon, author of The Art of Neighboring, and some incredible ministry leaders through a webinar on Tuesday, April 14. View that call below.

COVID-19 Neighboring Toolkit: Click here to download.

Webinar Recording: Religious Liberty in the era of COVID-19 and Beyond: Hear Kelly Shackelford, Constitutional Attorney with First Liberty, Randy Wenger and Jeremy Samek, Constitutional Attorneys with Independence Law Center, Michael Geer, President of Pennsylvania Family Institute, and myself, Kurt Weaver, Director of the Church Ambassador Network, talk about the state of Religious Liberty around our country.

Resources on COVID-19 from First Liberty: https://firstliberty.org/covid-19/

Independence Law Center Contact and Website: We are here to help churches, ministries, and citizens at no charge. Please feel free to reach out to us with questions you might have in regards to religious liberty during the coronavirus and beyond.  Click here to contact Randy Wenger and or Jeremy Samek with the Independence Law Center.

Food Distribution: Blessings of Hope based in Lancaster County is helping churches distribute food to needy families in their communities in a safe and healthy way. Please consider using them as you look for ways to care for the needy in your congregation and in your local communities during the COVID-19 crisis; Click here for more information

Community Blood Drives: You can work with the Red Cross in doing blood drives. Please consider this turn-key health event at your church. Click here to learn more about the Red Cross in PA

CARES Act Information

1. COVID-19 CHURCH AID: Our sister organization in Florida has put together a wonderful website with lots of resources on the CARES Act along with an excellent interview with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. You can access that website by clicking on this link. 

2. How the Coronavirus Relief Bills Benefit Churches and Nonprofits: Our good friend Travis Weber at Family Research Council has written an excellent article about how current relief bills can possibly help your organization or church. You can access that article by clicking on this link. 

3. The ECFA (The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) on the CARES Act: One of the most trusted evangelical organizations has also weighed in on the CARES Act. This is a wonderful resource as you consider your options. You can access that article by clicking on this link. 

4. Should Churches and Religious Organizations take Federal Aid? John Stemberger, our colleague at Florida Family Council, has written a thoughtful piece about the wisdom in receiving aid from the government. Are there biblical, moral, or ethical reasons for refusing or accepting such aid? You can access that article by clicking on this link.

5. CARES Act Programs and Application Process: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA.gov) has all the programs, processes, and guidance that you need to consider and how to apply for the CARES Act aid. You can access that information by clicking on this link.

6. Helpful information from The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention: Article 1. Article 2. Article 3. Article 4.

7. Faith-Based Organizations and COVID-19 from Cong. GT Thompson. Click here to download.