Looking Forward: COVID Guidance for CBAC Churches
Introduction
We are here to walk with you as you do ministry during COVID and we’ve created this page to equip you with resources and guidance for recovering and restarting in-person gatherings.
We recognize how difficult this has been for our churches and leaders. Since early March 2020, we’ve all felt like we’re in uncharted territory. As the CBAC, we share that sentiment, and we want to have a posture of helping you decide what’s best for your ministry. We cannot mandate what you do as a church—this page is simply a set of recommendations based on the best knowledge we have.
Permitted and wise—both of these conditions need to be met for you to enter the process of gathering together again.
In the conversation around “closing” churches and then re-opening our in-person gatherings, there has been some concern about government overreach. We do not feel this is the case, and we strongly echo the voices from the worldwide Church: we never closed. We simply had to change the way we did things because of the health and safety of the people in our congregations and wider neighbourhoods.
Please consider the following four principles for your re-opening process:
- Slower is better. Hurry is risky. While people are longing for community, they generally are wary and fearful of large gatherings. Much of that fear will continue for some time, perhaps even until vaccine is found.
- Stay one step behind the government and our neighbourhoods. We want to be fully honouring and respectful of authority—but this doesn’t mean we must re-open before we’re ready. Please do not act hastily and become the centre of a new outbreak. Consider waiting a period of time after it becomes permitted to gather in person again. Consider setting even tighter restrictions on physical distancing and hygiene.
- Use protocols to foster a deep sense of safety. In light of what retail businesses and other public places have done to increase sanitation and safety, churches need to invest time and resources in this as well.
- Senior adults and immunocompromised people will (and should) be slow to return to larger gatherings. What will it mean to minister to them in the midst of the re-opening process? Do you need to continue practices from the fully-remote ministry you have been doing?
Table of Contents
- The Big Picture
- Provincial government restrictions and re-opening guidelines
- Your written operational plan for re-opening
- Practical Questions and our recommendations
- Resources
The Big Picture
Keep scrolling and you’ll detailed, technical information about re-opening your church. But we don’t want you to miss something that’s crucial for our future: this is a moment of opportunity for our CBAC churches.
This is an opportunity to reshape. This is an opportunity to join God in our neighbourhoods in a new way. This is an opportunity for working together with your team, other churches, your association, and your denomination. Don’t miss it!
Big questions you should be asking along the way:
- What is the best plan for our church, when we’re still in the phase with strong restrictions on distancing and public health measures (no gatherings or up to 15)?
- What are the opportunities for doing church in an entirely new way?
- What unique opportunities for neighbouring are we seeing right now?
- If we move from “house church” to in-person services, how will our congregation feel?
- Is it wise or risky to gather in-person in our church facility?
- How will our services be welcoming to our neighbourhood?
- How should childcare, children’s ministry, and youth ministry change?
- How will we grow and maintain community and fellowship as we head toward COVID-19 recovery?
- How is our wider neighbourhood doing? Are we responding to their needs?
- What practices from pre-COVID should we stop doing? What have we started that we can’t stop doing?
- What would be the impact of doing multiple services to limit gathering size?
- Will multiple gatherings become part of our congregation’s DNA moving forward?
- Could “home churches” or other expressions of church be legitimate church gatherings, tethered to our larger congregation?
- What does online ministry look like for our church now? Was it a tool to “fill the gap” during COVID? Or is it a tool to embrace going forward?
- What have we learned about online and automated giving that can serve us well from now on?
Provincial government restrictions and re-opening guidelines
Note: All restrictions and information listed in this section include the requirement for physical distancing of 6 feet or more.
- The foremost priority regardless of your current restrictions is to have a COVID-19 Operational Plan (click to access PDF guide) (gnb.ca)
- Formal gatherings are limited to 50% of venue capacity.
- A choir (or worship team) must be a minimum of 4 metres from the congregation.
- Masks are mandatory. We have been in contact with the NB Department of Health (as of October 9th, 2020) and clarified that masks are to be worn at all times in the service, unless you are medically exempt, or unless you are actively preaching or leading from the platform in some way (reading, singing, etc). All other guidelines apply for those on the platform. After performing those duties, you must put your mask back on immediately.
- Those who are preaching, singing, or other activities on the platform who are not wearing masks should be four metres apart, as per the government guidelines.
- FAQ Document on Mandatory Masks (PDF) (gnb.ca)
- “Q&A: Religious Services” (PDF) (gnb.ca)
- Indoor religious services are now allowed, but you must have all attendees sign in with names and contact information when they are in your facility, so Public Health can follow up with contact tracing, should there be a COVID-19 exposure.
- Hand washing or hand sanitizing stations should be provided to all members upon entry to the service, while avoiding bottlenecks.
- “NB’s Recovery Plan” (gnb.ca)
- WorkSafeNB has released workplace guidelines that apply for churches.
- Children and youth ministries: As per provincial guidelines, all public buildings require the wearing of masks. While schools and daycares may have exceptions that allow students to not always wear a mask, churches do not fall into those categories.
- WorkSafeNB:
- (800) 999-9775
- prevention@ws-ts.nb.ca
- Newfoundland & Labrador is at Alert Level 2
- Formal gatherings are limited to 100 with physical distancing.
- For informal gatherings (which we interpret to be home-based gatherings), the limit is your own “Steady 20” contacts.
- “Guidance for Faith-Based Organizations” (gov.nl.ca)
- Churches may host services of no more than 100 people, provided physical distancing can be achieved. This limit is including officiants, staff, and volunteers.
- Masks are required while inside places of worship, except when seated.
- Drive-in services are allowed, and are considered a safer alternative to meeting in person.
- Churches are requested to ask attendees to voluntarily provide their name and contact information, so that contact tracing can happen more efficiently if there is a potential exposure. Attendance lists would only be requested from churches if a potential exposure occurs.
- Children and youth ministries: As per provincial guidelines, all public buildings require the wearing of masks. While schools and daycares may have exceptions that allow students to not always wear a mask, churches do not fall into those categories.
- Department of Health and Community Services:
- healthinfo@gov.nl.ca
- Nova Scotia is currently in Phase 4 of reopening. Click here to see what that means for gatherings.
- Faith gatherings that are run by a business or organization – 50% of the venue’s capacity up to 150 people indoors and up to 250 people outdoors with social distancing and masks.
- Informal social gatherings with household members and close social contacts – up to 25 people indoors and up to 50 people outdoors without social distancing and masks.
- Singing is currently permitted as long as masks are worn and participants are seated. Worship teams can sing but must keep 4 metres (~12 feet) of distance.
- Congregations should avoid passing of objects (collection plates, communion plates, hymnals, etc.). For anything that people in your service would have to touch, do this in such a way that few or no other people have to touch the same item that day.
- COVID-19 Guidance for Faith-Based Gatherings (PDF) (novascotia.ca)
- COVID-19 Guidance for Musicians (Vocalists and Instrumentalists) (PDF) (novascotia.ca)
- COVID-19 Prevention Guide for event organizers, theatres, and performance venues (PDF) (novascotia.ca)
- Churches must develop a Prevention Plan for re-opening
- According to Dr. Robert Strang, NS Chief Medical Officer, churches should include the following areas in their prevention plan:
- Clearly telling attendees and staff not come if they feel unwell
- Facilitating hand washing on-site, especially as soon as people enter the facility
- Managing the movement of people as they enter, exit, and use the washrooms, so that physical distancing can be maintained
- Enhanced cleaning of common or high-touch surfaces
- Increased ventilation with fresh air
- Mask use should be the expectation or norm for faith gatherings.
- Plan to practice shared activities (such as communion or offering) in a hands-free way so that few or no people have to touch a common implement or element.
- “Workplace COVID-19 Prevention Plans” (novascotia.ca)
- “Workplace COVID-19 Prevention Plan Checklist” (PDF) (novascotia.ca)
- We encourage churches to read documents like these and replace “customers” with “congregation members.” The principles and guidances are the same.
- Children and youth ministries: Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Strang has advised that churches follow the guidelines for Before and After School Programs.
- Occupational Health and Safety:
- (800) 952-2687
- laesafetybranch@novascotia.ca
- Prince Edward Island is in Steps 3 and 4 of their reopening plan.
- Organized gatherings can have up to 100 people indoors, with physical distancing between households/groups of close contacts.
- Multiple gatherings are permitted with a pre-approved operational plan, organized in cohorts of 100 (indoors).
- Weddings and funerals can take place with the same physical distancing requirements up to a max. of 200 (two cohorts of 100).
- Personal gatherings of 50 people are permitted.
- Singing is currently permitted as long as masks are worn and participants are seated. Worship teams can sing but must keep 4 metres (~12 feet) of distance.
- An operational plan is required (see below links).
- If an operational plan is completed and approved, and with further approval, the limit may be increased to 100 people if restrictions are followed.
- “Core measures for all worship services” (princeedwardisland.ca)
- “COVID-19 Operational Plan Template” (princeedwardisland.ca)
- “Renew PEI Together: A Phased Approach to Relaxing COVID-19 Public Health Restrictions” (PDF) (princeedwardisland.ca)
- Department of Health and Wellness:
- (902) 368-6414
- DeptHW@gov.pe.ca
Your written operational plan for re-opening
Your church needs a written operational plan (in Nova Scotia this is called the Prevention Plan), which must be ready before you restart in-person gatherings. This document should detail your measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19. This isn’t a “big picture” kind of document. This is a detailed, technical plan for your re-opening and what you’re doing to address public health protocols.
Your church should follow the specific requirements of your province for what needs to be in your operational plan. For churches in Newfoundland and Labrador, you should still develop one. Consider basing it on the templates provided by other provinces, so that you will be prepared for when such a plan is required in your province.
Links to provincial government guidelines for operational plans:
Examples of operational plans:
Note: Do not copy from other operational plans when writing your own. Take the time to draft a plan that is specific to your congregation, facilities, and gatherings.
Practical Questions and Our Recommendations
Facilities
Worship Services
Childcare, Children’s Ministry, and Youth Ministry
In NB, NFLD, and NS, do participants in our children & youth ministries need to wear masks?
As per provincial guidelines, all public buildings require the wearing of masks. While schools and daycares may have exceptions that allow students to not always wear a mask, churches do not fall into those categories.
Remember: these recommendations are our best understanding and not to be taken as legal advice.
Resources
Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada: “Re-Opening Church Wisely and Re-Imagining Forward” (PDF)
Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec: “Preparing Your Church for the Next Phase” (PDF)
Plan to Protect: Readiness Assessment
Government of Alberta: “COVID-19 information: guidance for places of worship”
Government of Saskatchewan: “Drive-In or Remote Worship Guidelines”