Sick and Tired: COVID Restrictions Didn’t Hurt U.S. Churches, Just the Staff

Remember going to church and being confronted with the new mandatory COVID restrictions?

Everyone was wearing masks with church logos or some bedazzled cross across their nose. Hand sanitizer stations were on every corner (and none of them had Purell inside). Pastors had to check themselves every time they wanted to say, “Touch your neighbor and say…uh, well, scratch that.”

The global pandemic was frightening with no end in sight. The glaring reminders of 75% open parking lots and ghost town churches were everywhere. Once national recovery was in effect, those COVID restrictions at church appeared to have a negative effect. They were in place to protect everyone in the church, but they reinforced how the local church–and every other building in the country–transformed into the “New Normal.”

How does it feel today? Does everything seem back to the usual normal on Sundays?

There may be a reason for that. Christianity Today and Arbor Research Group released a comprehensive study on the long-term effects of the pandemic. Among the most startling of the metrics were the state-regulated COVID restrictions. It turns out they had “no measurable, lasting impact on American churches.”

That is until you looked at the full-time employees keeping God’s place open.

COVID Restrictions: Hybrid Churches, Hypersensitive Personnel

While the congregations are returning back to the House of the Lord in droves (and thank God for that), it’s the employees that are being difficult. COVID restrictions were harrowing but necessary for the safety of everyone — visitors and staff. Although the pandemic was one of the scariest times in modern history, the slim, silver lining was how it forced executives to rethink how they served their audiences and rediscover how employees could do business.

The most renowned among those discoveries was the remote workforce, many of whom from the church are still “remote.”

Although 15% of churches nationwide were forced to lay off staff or place them on furlough, the remaining 85% are making it difficult for the executive pastor who is looking to get back to “business as usual.” They are forced to look at a beleaguered staff of associate ministers, youth and discipleship pastors, worship leaders, and administrative assistants who figure they can fulfill the Great Commission from the privacy of their couch sitting on their blessed assurance.

“You would think that the restrictions made things tougher for churches. They didn’t meet as much, and so you’d be able to see the impact that had a few years later,” Eric Shieh, a research consultant for Arbor Research, told Christianity Today. “There should be something there. But based on the data—and we have a lot of data—that’s not what happened. Actually, there’s no real correlation.”

Many church employees have grown accustomed to working from home. Others appreciate the flexibility a remote setting provides their families. Whether it’s saving gas, time, or money, it is time to start spending our way back to the office.

Even if you use the sensibility of “God can use me wherever,” you need to realize that your boss (otherwise known as “the pastor”) needs to use you at church (otherwise known as “the office”).

“Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 1:3 NKJV)

The Bible says “return.” The Church is back to normal, you should be as well if you work there. This study should be refreshing for you — those COVID restrictions at your business did not impact how God does His business. It’s time to regroup, recharge, and restore the power of God’s Word in the world.