Editor’s note: The following memo was written by an elder of a mid-Atlantic church to his fellow elders. The author, formerly a law clerk for a Supreme Court justice, presently works as an attorney and has graciously agreed to let us reprint it here.

* * * * *

To:         The Elders

Re:         Framework for Compliance with New COVID-19 Orders

OVERVIEW

Last weekend, the Governor announced during a press conference that he would be imposing new restrictions on gatherings in our State to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Initially, he did not clearly specify whether or how these restrictions would apply to churches, prompting many people to wonder how our church would respond. Praise God, the text of the order (once released) made clear that religious services could continue meeting without numerical limitations for the time being, as long as we continue implementing our existing safety protocols. But the initial uncertainty was a good reminder that we are not out of the woods yet on COVID-19—or on new COVID-19 restrictions.

Given that the Governor or the City may attempt to adopt additional restrictions in the future, it seems wise to consider in advance how we will decide whether


To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.