Challenges of return to places of worship

Who is back to church service? Last Sunday some people were glad to enter the chapels with thanksgiving in their hearts as they joined in corporate worship. Others were hesitant.

In general, despite the lifting of restrictions on gathering for church services, after three months lockdown, the majority of churches held back from resuming to re-gather for church services on June 7, 2020.

 In fact, within the church councils and the ecumenical church platforms, the response to re-gather have been varied. A dominant factor determining when to return to chapel for church services relates to the church denominational guidelines drawn by the churches.

There are different emphasis in the guidelines for return to church services provided by church members who are Health Experts and Research Scientists and who sit on the Health Committees of Church Denominations; together with the theological and practical considerations.

These different church policy guidelines will result in different timelines for return to chapel services in the denominations. In fact, the church leaders in recent weeks have had so much feedback from members who are health workers and front-line workers in the fight against COVID-19.

The next thing high in the conversations and concerns is how the churches right from the city mega churches to the rural small communities of worshippers can go by and afford the implementation of the directives from the Ministry of Chieftaincy And Religious Affairs.

Can the little rural community churches or even some worship places in urban centres afford the costs for disinfection exercises, temperature guns, and hygiene and sanitation utilities and others? Other churches are struggling with 100 in attendance ceiling and the one-hour church service duration limit.

Is this selective regulation for church attendance and not market attendance and for other social gatheri