Pandemic Faith Leaders

There is a particular danger for faith leaders during this time, and though many may already be aware of this, in some ways it has flown under the radar. Faith Leaders are not front-line workers in the way that health professionals are. It is not necessary for most of us to put ourselves at risk in the way a health professional does. We are sort-of considered essential workers and sort-of not. We don't necessarily have to interact in person with people every day, and in that sense we are not in the same type of jeopardy of contracting the virus as someone who works as a grocery store.

I say this up front, because I want to be clear that I am not comparing our risks, or setting Faith leaders up to be the type of heroes that work at hospitals, care facilities, or who interact with an unknown public every day at stores and other necessary businesses. I do consider those people heroes, because they are at serious risk of becoming sick every day.

But there is something faith leaders are experiencing, and for me it is more than any other time in my ministry. It is worry about so many things. I don't even know what to consider excessive worry, because these are things we have seldom if ever had to worry about. Here are just a few:

How are the members of my congregation doing? Do they want to hear more from me, or are they tired of me calling? Are the leaders of my congregation following up on the people they are supposed to be shepherding? If not, is someone angry because they haven't heard enough from the church?

How in the world do I continue to do ministry when I have no training in video production? And who is it OK to ask for help, since I am still receiving a salary and the congregation is paying me to keep working? Do the people in the congregation know how much I am working during this time, or do they think this is just a long, paid vacation?

When should I consider encouraging the church leadership to re-open? What if I suggest we re-open and someone comes with the virus and gets members of the church sick? Who will come if we open? Will it be the people most at risk, who also often are the most faithful attenders of the services? If I say it's safe to re-open, and they trust me about that, what if one of them gets this virus? What if ten of them get this virus?

What will the church be like after this is over? What type of permanent changes will there be in the church? Will we continue to worship together and online? Can I sustain that type of work schedule?

Did people like that last message? We can't do everything that we normally do together, are there people who are angry about that? If we were together and there was a question, maybe I could answer an issue before someone gets upset, but what if they take offense to something said in the service at home and I never know? How can I respond to that?

This is only a small sample of the things that go through my mind daily and quite literally keep me awake at night.

And then, maybe the most important part of all this is that many faith leaders like to be around people. We are unique because with all the other leadership that people have during this time, we are the ones who are encouraged to love our communities. And we do, passionately. We love the individuals and we love the community, and the thought of doing something that might harm the community in a health related way, or in any other way is painful to us. Other professionals care about the community, no doubt, but the type of love faith leaders have for their communities is different. That love makes all of these things much, much more profound.

This is only one faith leader's point of view, but I imagine many feel the same. I don't intend for this to be a pity party, I just wanted to be transparent about my own feelings during this time. Maybe that will help some others cope. That is my prayer.

May God bless you.

The Blues

Yesterday I saw a meme shared by my mother-in-law (thanks, Judy) with a four panel view of what quarantine is like. It featured the Mona Lisa. The first panel shows the classic Mona Lisa as painted by DaVinci. The second shows Mona Lisa in a mask taking a selfie. The third shows Mona Lisa with disheveled hair and frumpled clothes. The fourth shows a considerably larger Mona Lisa looking angry and defiant, with a stack of toilet paper behind her.

I wonder how many of us were at least a little excited when we were forced to stay at home. I wasn't sure how we would do without having restaurants as an option, but I was glad I would get some time to spend with the family. It has been hard continuing to work from home, but we have had a lot of time together.

I think at first the idea was just novel, but as time has worn on, people have done all their puzzles and baked until they couldn't bake anymore, and the safe time to go back to "normal" is still undefined. For many of us, especially people who love to be around people, this has caused a pretty substantial case of the blues.

This is just a guess, of course, but I know I have been missing the people I spend time with more and more. I miss being able to be in worship with my friends. I miss being able to talk face to face. I miss so many things that I certainly took for granted before.

My message to you today is, if you are feeling a little blue, you are not alone. Many of us are feeling the same way. Whatever our feelings, they are a natural part of what it means to be human. If you are lonely, reach out to a friend. If you are bored, take time to read that book you have been meaning to read, or even binge watch that show you have been meaning to watch. (If you've run out of shows to binge watch, please go for the book!)

Whatever you do, try to remember your connections to others. Try to remember the shared humanity of all citizens of the world. We are all in this together. We are all unsure how to get through this in the best way.

For me, remembering that I am a part of a loving family, a loving community, and that we are all together in this thing helps me to forge ahead. Sometimes I am still a little blue, and that's OK.

That's the view today,
Chris