About the time you will be reading this, the congregation I serve will be reopening our sanctuary for in-person worship. We closed the physical doors to the church on March 8, 2020, right as Seattle was the first city in the USA to raise major concern over the coronavirus illness. Since then, our congregation, like most of yours, has been worshipping online. The pastors pivoted to pre-record worship (truly an excellent decision for my mental health) from our homes. We began to use Zoom for everything: prayer meeting, Bible study, Happy Hour, Coffee Hour, dance parties, holiday suppers, storytime, game nights, Godly Play programs for children’s Sunday school, youth group and trivia nights. As the pastor working closely with children, youth and young adults, I tried to be as creative as possible in engaging people over the Zoom medium—and beyond, as I sent postcards and packets specific to each liturgical season to the kiddos to check in.

Beloveds, I am tired. After 16 months of doing church online, of preaching to screens and worrying about Zoom-bombing and not having that human-bodies-in-a-space feedback that is so valuable to ministers, I am ready to go back in person. I am anxious about hybrid worship that everyone is talking about, and how to keep people joining online as engaged as people sitting in the pews. But as churches reopen for in-person worship, I find myself anxious even more about the people who are in danger of being left behind—the children.

“Now that everyone’s vaccinated…” “Why do we have to wear masks/stay distanced/stay online if everyone is vaccinated…” “What are we waiting for? I want things to go back to normal!”

I hear these sentiments a lot, and I have even (thoughtlessly) said one or two of these statements. As Christians committed to inclusion and advocacy for the vulnerable, we should all be paying attention to how these kinds of statements erase the presence of children in our congregations. Though many adults have gained access to the COVID-19 vaccines over the past six or so months, children under 12 are still not cleared to receive them. So no, Impatient Congregant, not “everyone” is vaccinated. The most vulnerable among our congregations are children and immunocompromised people who do not have access to the vaccines. Even in our eagerness to resume something-like-normal church life, we must continue to provide for the wellbeing of children and their families.

So what does that mean for reopening plans?

·  Ask families with children about their comfort level with different forms of worship—listen and work with them!

·  Continue encouraging masks and social distancing. Explain to (frustrated) adults that children are important members of the community and that they will notice if adults around them are adopting risky behaviors.

·  Make at-home spirituality resources available to families with children who may not be comfortable worshipping in person yet.

·  Plan for child- and youth-focused events to be online or outside until vaccines are approved for children. Realize this could be well into the fall or winter.

·  Check in with children and families who decide not to resume in-person worship—keep them up to date on church happenings so they don’t feel left out.

·  Manage children’s expectations. It is likely that some of the ministries available pre-COVID will be different now, and children need help understanding that.

·  Engage young people in leading worship. Many churches have seen a lot of adults online, with children less engaged since they have been on screens for school and extracurriculars and friend time. Be intentional and invitational for children and youth to lead.

·  Listen to their experiences of the pandemic, which are surely different from most adults. Experiencing a global pandemic is a trauma that will continue to inform children’s lives as they grow. 

Every church will have to figure out what works for the families you are in ministry with. So make sure to listen! And, reach out to other clergy colleagues and share best practices as we re-enter our sanctuaries. Don’t fall into the “everyone is vaccinated” trap; instead, practice reminding disgruntled people that Jesus called the children to come to him and did not want anyone to be a hindrance. The children are not only the future of our faith, but they are the right-now, and as such, we must do what we can to encourage their health and safety.