As I see what is going on in our nation today, it saddens me deeply! I see so many who have lost their lives due to this virus. Those who have lost their jobs, businesses, and retirements are being greatly affected! I truly believe that our nation will recover from this, even though our lives will be changed forever!
As a preacher, pastor, and as a Christian, my main concern is for the Spiritual health of our nation! Sunday schools are not meeting and the preaching at nursing homes, jails, and other places have not been able to gather. Discipleship for the most part has not taken place. Furthermore, knocking on doors and personal soul winning have also been put on hold.
It has been good for the church to be able to live stream through social media platforms. I am also very thankful that we do have these platforms to stay connected!
Another way churches have been able to continue is through the use of DRIVE-IN Church!
How this happens is a church sets up their PA system outside, hooks up a transmitter while people can sit in their car and simply listen to their preacher preach on the radio. They never even have to get out of the car or roll down their windows! This way of having church is 100 % safe, and 100 times safer than going to any grocery store or hospital.
Let me give you a few reasons why this way of church is Constitutional and safe-
- It is unconstitutional for the government to tell the church that they cannot meet!
We the people can meet any time we want for church or religious gatherings; and according to our Constitution, the government cannot do anything about it. Although, as a pastor we love our people so we are trying to come up with ways that are safe for our people to be able to meet and have church.
United States Constitution – Religion and Expression
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
- The services are streamed through the radio.
- When people drive on the property, they tune their radio to the station that the church will be using and never get out of the car. They sit in the car with their family. This way, they never come in touch with others. Additionally, they are able to see people they love as well as their Spiritual leaders. Having services this way strengthens and encourages the people.
I am not advocating at this time for churches to meet back inside the buildings, but I do believe that we will be able to soon, prayerfully, by May. The government cannot keep this nation shut down for too much longer! As a law-abiding citizen, I try to uphold and abide by the laws of the land. On the other hand, there will come a time that those laws will go against the Bible, and I will stand with the Bible! For this reason, when a Governor, Sheriff or whoever tells me we cannot meet this way, I will stand with the Bible, and we will meet!
Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”
I will go back to what I stated earlier in this article- As a Pastor I want my people to be healthy while protecting those who attend my church from getting this virus. By the same token, this is why I am for the Drive-In Church because it is safe from the threat of the virus.
1 Comment
Pastor James Bussard
April 11, 2020 at 2:42 pmSound Reasons Against Drive-In Services:
1.) Many drive-in services do not have a radio transmitter, but set up a PA system. This, in turn blares the service to the whole neighborhood, which is an inconsiderate disruption.
2.) Bathrooms and other logistics.
3.) Some communities have banned drive-in services. If they are banned, the churches ought not rebel against the authorities.
4.) The Bible trumps the Constitution. The Constitution is a manmade document that gives us certain Man-give freedoms. Any of these could disappear at anytime. We are called to follow the Bible and obey the government (Rom 14; I Pet 2), not demand our constitutional rights (see the examples of Christ, Paul, & the early church).
5.) Many drive-in services encourage the honking of horns for amens. Not only is it also inconsiderate noise pollution, but turns the whole “service” into a circus.
6.) Note-taking and controlling your family, to focus on the preaching of the Word of God is a whole lot easier, when you are sitting at home, not behind a steering wheel, in cramped conditions.
Conclusion: Just stream your services, and stop trying to get around the government orders. It is a far better testimony to comply with them than to have an arrogant, rebellious heart (which is what this article promotes). We all need to humble ourselves by faith and do our parts. This will be over soon enough.