Returning To Church

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Update June 20, 2023

With the end of most COVID data tracking, we are unable to provide accurate assessments of COVID risk in Wisconsin. We are working to develop a new advisory system.

We continue to urge you to follow any guidelines established by your wider church body. Our most recent recommendations are always posted below. (We are currently on Returning to Church 5.0/ Regreso a la Iglésia 5.0, which are geared to a data-less situation.)

Update March 13, 2023

Key points to be aware of:

  1. The COVID pandemic is not over. Safer protocols can be adjusted, but should not be discarded altogether.
  2. Individual members of communities will be at different levels of willingness to drop risk mitigations. Consider the needs of all, without neglecting those of disabled or vulnerable members.
  3. There are likely to be more COVID waves. Plans for risk mitigations should be adaptable to circumstance on short notice.
  4. Communities outside of the church are likely to loosen or drop safer protocols. Seek creative, both-and solutions rooted in joy, thanksgiving and love for those we serve, and a sense of the Holy Spirit’s continued presence.
  5. The COVID pandemic has long-term implications for the church. Now is the time to prepare for future needs.

Variants from Omicron on have been much more transmissible than the original strains of COVID. It is important to keep in mind that while hospitalization rates have decreased with these newer forms, COVID remains very dangerous, especially for adults over the age of 65.

As well, there are possible long-term implications from COVID infections that can be quite serious, and are not fully understood at this point. There is still a large reservoir of people in Wisconsin who are not vaccinated, are only partially vaccinated, or for whom vaccines offer less protection. In the current phase of the pandemic, these neighbors are still experiencing significant risk and illness.

Encouraging people to get vaccinated and boosted is the single most effective way to reduce the risks from COVID. Layered with other protections, such as wearing masks, physical distancing, and hand-washing, vaccines and boosters are among the best tools we have to keep communities healthy. Be sure to update your COVID safety plans and continue to encourage members of your community to receive the full course of vaccination appropriate to them.

RETURNING TO CHURCH

Ministry during the COVID-19 outbreak

The Wisconsin Council of Churches has released Returning to Church Guidance and updates throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. The previous updates are archived here. Please consult our latest guidance listed above for up-to-date recommendations.

Returning to Church Archive