Stopping to Think

  So next time you hear someone say, "The church is a people, not a place," you might respond: "Sort of. The people become a people by regularly assembling in a place. You can't call the team a team if they never play together." Jonathan Leeman, One Assembly, pg 64

  "Change a church's structure and you change the moral shape of the church." Jonathan Leeman, One Assembly, pg 21

  "Church leader, are you as interested in promoting the kingdom of Christ as you are your own church's program? Getting catholic and working with other churches means making sacrifices and losing control." Jonathan Leeman, One Assembly, pg 107

 The first thing to say in this post is that I am profoundly thankful to live in Iowa these days. While there has certainly been COVID in our area (including among some members of our church), it hasn't reached the levels of other parts of the county. Additionally, our government, both local and state, have been very restrained as to what they restrain.  As to the question I headed this post with, should churches remain open?, I don't propose to have an actual answer. Our church decided to begin meeting in person again the 1st Sunday in June, about a month after  the legal ban on group gatherings lifted here. To be honest, it is a decision that I do feel was correct and prudent, but it is also one that I have lingering doubts toward. The balance between obeying Christ's command to gather, coupled with vital role of gathering in the Christian life seems to me to outweigh the potential risks to life and health--especially in a place where bars and restaurants remain open. W...