Why We Don’t See Church as ‘Essential’
by Brett McCracken, The Gospel Coalition:
Ever since the world went on COVID-19 lockdown and stay-at-home orders were issued, the terms “essential” and “non-essential” have loomed large in our discourse. Businesses and services deemed “essential” were kept open: supermarkets, hardware stores, gas stations, pet stores, laundromats, and so forth. Many others, deemed “non-essential,” were ordered closed until further notice: gyms, movie theaters, casinos, retail stores, sports stadiums, and concert venues. Churches fell in this latter category.
The vast majority of churches obliged and canceled their services, understanding the logic of large in-person gatherings posing high risks for virus transmission. Most have waited to get the government’s green light to begin gathering again, which is happening more and more across the United States.
Though the reasoning for church closure makes sense (for various reasons church gatherings do pose heightened risk for virus transmission), what do we make of the fact that few people contested the labeling of church gatherings as “non-essential”? I’m not talking strictly about the wisdom of COVID-19 containment strategies here, but more broadly about the perceived value of local churches in society. Even as we respect government guidelines and think prudently about reopening our churches, it’s worth considering how the casually applied term “non-essential” diminishes the stature of the church’s place in the world.
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