Covid-19 and the New Spiritual Landscape

March 15, 2020

How is the Novel Coronavirus affecting the landscape of the church in my community, country, and the world?

I’ve noticed a change in the spiritual landscape of the church for several years. I’ve observed and participated in viral movements of Christ's gospel in places where it’s illegal to have gatherings of believers, yet the message of Christ and the church continues to prevail mightily, but its form is very different than what we value and celebrate here in the US. I’ve observed that most people value size and quality programming in American churches. I’m not against large churches and I’m not against quality. I just think it’s far more important to us than it is to Jesus. Here’s what I think Jesus values…the mission of God's kingdom (Matthew 6:33). This means sending capacity over seating capacity. This means significance is not about size. This looks like people receiving Christ and following His example of loving God and others. Here’s the challenge: our flesh desires consolidation and agreement. We want large gatherings of like-minded friends led by spiritual heroes. We want to just meet…but the Spirit also wants us to MOVE. People want to be led and fed, but the Spirit of God wants people to be launched to serve. This looks like people showing the love of Christ by serving others and being equipped to share Christ as opportunities arise. Church must be mobile and missional.

Well…opportunity has arisen.

Did the Covid-19 pandemic take God by surprise? Obviously not. How is the pandemic affecting the church in America? Big churches are having to think small, mobile, sustainable, and reproducible. Smaller churches are having to think innovatively, using technology in new ways to reach, not just members, but multitudes through online platforms. This WILL multiply gospel impact in our world and for that I am grateful. Christ and His good news is my life and mission. It is the source of my hope and perseverance. And it is FOR everyone who will believe and receive it (1 Peter 3:18, John 1:12)

Folks in our ministry network have asked what I think about the Novel Coronavirus and the reactions and responses locally and globally. I will attempt to respond, not as medical expert, but as a person who knows how to do empirical research, as a husband of a scientist with a background in virology, as a father who raised a severely immunocompromised child for fourteen years, and as a missionary who cares about people. Here’s what I know about the virus, primarily from CDC and WHO reports.

1. It’s new. That’s what the word novel means. New means people don’t have an existing immunity to hinder the spread of the disease. Therefore, it spreads far more easily than other viruses.

2. It’s deadly. It’s at least ten times more deadly than the flu, particularly for people who have certain existing conditions or are elderly (heart issues, pulmonary issues, diabetes, high blood pressure).

3. It can be slowed down drastically through social distancing and hand-washing before touching your own eyes, nose, or mouth.

4. Many healthy people who get the virus, may present little or no symptoms, but infect many others during the incubation period. About 1 in 25 people are immunocompromised. Otherwise healthy people, infected with Covid-19, will pass the virus on to people for whom it will be fatal.

Another question I’ve gotten is what does the Bible say about all of this?

Interestingly enough, perhaps the oldest writing dealing with social distancing due to infectious disease is the Old Testament book of Leviticus, specifically chapters 13 and 14. God gives Moses revelation to instruct priests about distancing from people (quarantining) who have certain diseases and cleansing the living spaces of those infected. So, there is ancient, biblical precedent for keeping our physical distance from one another and practicing hygiene when dealing with infectious disease.

Another biblical consideration is compassion towards people who are at risk (Matthew 7:12). The health of at-risk people who are part of this ministry and frankly, just people in general, is more important than any of our programming or meetings. When any crisis happens, I try to approach it by asking three things, “How can we show the love and wisdom of Christ in this situation?” “How can we honor God with faith during this situation?” More personally. “Father, in Jesus’ name, show me my part in making your love and message known during this crisis?”

God is doing a NEW thing with His church on a global scale, and it has accelerated, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I am a missionary with the North American Mission Board. I lead a ministry network. Part of our ministry was launching Cowboy Church in an Outpost setting. The brand for this ministry is C4, which stands for Cross Country Cowboy Church. C4 Outposts are intentionally smaller but reproducing groups. These groups have led over 1300 people to Christ in our area since 2016. We have been working to create even smaller groups that equip each believer to grow as a disciple and be deployed to show the love of Christ though serving the community and sharing the gospel of Christ everywhere there’s an opportunity. Opportunities are abounding in this current crisis.

For our folks participating in C4 Cowboy Church, some of the steps we will take immediately are:

1. Practicing social distancing for at least two weeks (then re-evaluate). That means our Outpost messages will be online. We will be using Facebook Live and platforms like Youtube to broadcast messages.

2. In addition, I’m going to be asking leaders to share daily devotions from our 345 Plan, one leader each day for additional biblical and spiritual support.

3. We are going to be checking in on people by phone, sending encouragement cards, and assisting our ministry family in any way we can in the days ahead.

4. Honoring God with what He provides. Melissa and I start with the tithe (10%) of every dollar God provides us. You can give online to C4 through our secure giving website *here* 
or clicking a giving link on the website www.c4cowboychurch.com, or by mail to:
Cross Country Cowboy Church
P.O. Box 2609
Mount Vernon, WA 98273.

Personal Suggestions
Spend time with the Lord. Use 345. Embrace God’s promises and precepts.
Get out and enjoy nature.
Love and care for people. Meet needs and check on people, but no hugs or handshakes for a while.
Wash hands more frequently.
Pray for spiritual leaders to be sensitive to God's truth and the Spirit’s guidance

Blessings now and always in Christ,
Timothy
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Timothy Moore
C4 Network Director
www.c4cowboychurch.com
c4cowboychurch@gmail.com