Every pastor knows the old adage—you can’t please everyone. That’s certainly true when it comes to deciding when to begin meeting again for corporate worship in the midst of a global pandemic.
If you’ll permit me to generalize, I think it is likely that 80 percent of the members in your church understand that there is no clear-cut answer to this question. They know there are good arguments on both sides, and are willing to submit to whatever you and your fellow elders prayerfully decide is best for the church.
But among the rest, 10 percent don’t believe you should have stopped gathering for worship in the first place, and 10 percent can’t believe you’re even thinking about resuming corporate worship anytime soon. Here is my counsel for shepherding the vocal minority:
Model listening first, speaking second. The Apostle James teaches us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger (Jas. 1:19). Unfortunately, our sinful hearts have been provoked by modern social norms that have replaced respectful dialogue with yelling at or “owning” those who disagree with us. As pastors, we can set the tone for our members by patiently listening both to dismissive members
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