Gathering Safely for In-Person Worship

The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship is offering a recorded conversation with leaders from the Ecumenical Protocols for In-Person Worship project and the Humanitarian and Disaster Institute on gathering safely for worship during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In this conversation on guidance for resuming in-person worship amid the pandemic, John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, speaks with Edward Phillips, co-convener of the consultation on Ecumenical Protocols for Worship, Fellowship, and Sacrament during a Pandemic, and with Jamie D. Aten and Kent Annan from the Humanitarian and Disaster Institute based at Wheaton College.

The conversation, recorded in October 2020, offers suggestions as congregations — and the organizations who support them — continue to adjust to changing local circumstances in light of medically sound and theologically informed guidance related to COVID-19 concerns.

As recent increases of COVID-19 cases force worshiping communities to implement "shelter-in-place" worship and practice social isolation, the institute also offers these resources to help you plan and cope in ways that encourage and support your community.

These resources were initially created from events and in response to various situations and can be adapted for worship that encourages prayer and Christian community during this time of social distancing necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.