The COVID-19 pandemic presented profound challenges for pastors who found themselves navigating complex medical, ethical, political, theological, and practical pastoral issues. As under-shepherds of God’s flock, pastors must be equipped to guide their congregations through such crises with wisdom, compassion, and truth.
The pandemic also exposed broader underlying cultural issues: the rise of individualism and narcissism where personal preferences and freedoms were elevated above communal well-being, the false belief in the democratization of expertise, and the dangers of mixing political ideologies into the individual- and public-health decision-making process.
I’m a teaching elder in the PCA who’s also a practicing physician with a career specializing in internal medicine and vaccinology. I’ve advised the White House, Department of Defense, state and federal committees, and pharmaceutical manufacturers on matters of vaccine development, epidemiology, and public health policy. I’ve taken vows to protect the peace, purity, and unity of the church while I’ve also sworn to uphold the Hippocratic Oath.
While many pastors and churches made heart-rending efforts to protect and preserve the health of their members and those outside the church, my own observation is that in many ways the Western church failed in regard to Scriptural imperatives for biblical cultural engagement.
How did it fail? By adopting unbiblical cultural and anthropocentric practices during the pandemic such as devaluing public health recommendations and disregarding means of common grace such as vaccines, antivirals, and masks. Absent revision, these failures will leave the church unprepared for the next epidemic or pandemic.
Christians need to see that an evidence-based approach to truth is a biblical call, not just a scientific call. By God’s grace, we discover how his creation operates, and from that discover medicines and vaccines. The scientific method, conducted properly, does not stand in opposition to biblical truth. Scripture itself declares that “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1), and his invisible attributes are “clearly perceived” in creation (Romans 1:20). To reject the scientific method is to deny the ordered, knowable nature of God’s world which is the basis for scientific discovery, and which he called “very good” (Genesis 1:31) and entrusted to human stewardship (Genesis 1:28).
The New Testament echoes this: Christ “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3), ensuring its ordered consistency. Thus, science, practiced properly, honors the Creator by probing the “manifold wisdom of God” (Ephesians 3:10) embedded in his created works. For Christians to reject science outright risks rejecting the very truth Scripture celebrates: a created order governed by his sovereign, unchanging Word and laws, and discoverable by humans – this is the basis used to develop medicines and vaccines for the common good of all.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first surfaced, we were dealing with a novel viral pathogen (and its subsequent variants) whose full effects were entirely unknown. With ample evidence that the virus was deadly and could cause severe illness and complications, it was appropriate at the time to do everything reasonable to mitigate the risk of infection, hospitalization, death, and overwhelming the medical system until more information could be collected and analyzed.
What wasn’t clear then is how long some measures should have been imposed and continued (school and church closings, distancing, etc.) once vaccines and antivirals became available.
With the privilege of hindsight, here are seven lessons we have learned and should employ when the next epidemic or pandemic occurs.
1. The Importance of Gathering: Biblical and Practical Perspectives
Hebrews 10:24-25 exhorts believers not to forsake assembling together, highlighting the value of community, mutual encouragement, and the preaching of the Word. Yet, this command must be understood within the broader context of loving our neighbors (Matthew 22:39), protecting the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8–9), and the keeping of the sixth commandment.
The pandemic exposed the temptation to prioritize personal desires over communal responsibility. Biblical community challenges this self-centered approach. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:26, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” A church’s health depends on cultivating a spirit of mutual concern over individual entitlement.
Appropriately, during the pandemic many churches adapted to virtual gatherings to balance the command to meet with the imperative to safeguard health. Virtual services, while not ideal, nonetheless provided meaningful spiritual engagement and reduced the spread of infection during the initial onslaught of the pandemic and subsequent peaks.
To prepare for the future, churches should consider developing robust virtual platforms, establishing clear protocols for transitioning from in-person to virtual and back to in-person meetings during outbreaks based on current epidemiology, and educating congregants on the spiritual and practical reasons for such measures. In our own church, we observed that pandemic adjustments to broadcast the gospel led to many hearing the gospel preached across the globe.
2. Masking: A Simple Act of Love and Prevention
Research prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic consistently demonstrated that proper masks worn properly (note the two provisos) significantly reduced the transmission of respiratory viruses, especially in enclosed spaces. Masking is a critical part of the layers of protection we attempt to build to protect individuals, particularly high-risk individuals.
Philippians 2:3-4 calls believers to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,” but to “consider others above themselves.” Wearing a mask, even if personally inconvenient, aligns with this Christian ethic of sacrificial love and care for the vulnerable during times of elevated risk.
What might pastors do? Suggestions include normalizing mask-wearing during outbreaks by framing it as a tangible act of love, providing masks at church entrances, educating congregants on their proper use, and sharing evidence-based resources to counter misinformation. These are practical ways that pastors and churches can protect congregants and participate in protecting the public health of their communities.
3. Physical Distancing: Protecting the Vulnerable
COVID-19 transmission occurs by both droplets and aerosols. Preventing aerosol-based transmission requires properly-fitted N95 masks. While physical distancing is helpful, by itself its value is variable and highly dependent upon air flow, HVAC parameters (such as number of air exchanges per hour), and a variety of physical environmental factors. While distancing posed challenges for communal worship, it proved helpful during high-transmission periods.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that there is a time for everything, including adapting practices for the health of the community. Physical distancing, though difficult, should be seen as a temporary and partially effective measure to protect life, which is sacred (Genesis 9:6).
Practical ways to implement distancing include reorganizing seating arrangements and worship practices to allow for safe distancing when necessary, encouraging smaller group gatherings to maintain fellowship while minimizing risk, ensuring ample air exchanges through HVAC systems, using air purifiers, meeting outdoors, opening doors and windows, and clearly communicating the temporary nature and purpose of these measures.
4. Vaccines: Common Grace and a Gift of Health
Because of previous coronavirus threats, there was already much preparatory research (over approximately 30 years) in developing mRNA-based coronavirus vaccines. Vaccines emerged as a critical tool in reducing severe illness and death from COVID-19 – especially in the face of a novel pathogen to which the population had absolutely no immunity.
Robust research underscored the general safety and efficacy of vaccines developed through rigorous scientific and regulatory processes. Vaccines should be viewed as a God-given means of common grace promoting health and fulfilling the mandate to care for others (Exodus 23:25) and ourselves.
The above rests on the foundational presupposition that science is the best way of knowing scientific truth. But it can say nothing of moral or theological truth, and that is where pastors and theologians must speak. Some biblically motivational truths in the practice of medicine were important at least to some of us as believing physicians, including the avoidance of harms (self and others), equity, and protecting the vulnerable.
Science as a way of knowing has a long history of methodologic rigor, peer review, and demonstrated generalizability, repeatability, efficacy, and coherence. Those who reject science must demonstrate an approach that is more rigorous than the approach they reject. Simply rejecting science cannot provide a supportable, reasoned, sustained, or a philosophically coherent basis for public health decisions.
Nonetheless, many Christians expressed legitimate concerns about vaccine safety and ethical considerations (myself included). Pastors can address these issues by sharing credible information from trusted sources, highlighting the scientific and ethical rigor behind vaccine development, and providing Scriptural encouragement to prioritize one’s neighbor and communal well-being (1 Corinthians 10:24).
From my own childhood, I have clear memories of a car driving with a loudspeaker on the roof through our community announcing “Sabin Sundays” where families could receive their polio vaccine at their local church on the Lord’s Day. Respected pastors spoke of the importance of the vaccine from the pulpit, or invited respected physicians from the congregation or community to address congregants’ questions and concerns.
5. Avoiding the Dangerous Mix of Political Ideology and Misinformation
One of the most troubling revelations during the pandemic was the extent to which political ideologies influenced churches, congregants, and decisions about vaccines and protective measures. This resulted in a dangerous mix of what some have called “Christian nationalism” and anti-science views.
Instead of relying on reputable science-based sources, some embraced conspiracy theories and disinformation promulgated for political and other reasons that fostered distrust and fear. Jesus calls his followers to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). The wisdom that Jesus refers to is not rooted in political allegiance or national identity, but rather in truth and discernment.
Practical advice for pastors in addressing these issues includes avoiding equating faith or science with political ideology, since the gospel and truth transcend political boundaries. Preaching or decision-making that conflates a particular political stance with Scriptural truth is unbiblical and undermines its witness.
We should also stand ready to reject conspiracy theories for which there is no credible data. Spreading unverified claims and fears about vaccines, masks, and public health undermines trust in both medicine and the church’s leadership. Pastors should model discernment by consulting legitimate medical and scientific sources. They can also invite credible and respected physicians to speak or answer questions.
As pastors, we want to teach the biblical view of truth. Scripture calls us to seek truth (Proverbs 18:15) and avoid falsehood (Exodus 20:16). Pastors should address the harm caused by believing or sharing misinformation. Finally, pastors should challenge nationalistic rhetoric, as it distorts the call to global discipleship (Matthew 28:19–20) and elevates earthly nations and political ideology above the kingdom of God (Philippians 3:20). We must remind congregants that our ultimate citizenship is in heaven, not in political or national identity.
6. Antiviral Treatments and Emerging Therapies
Antiviral medications and monoclonal antibodies played a significant role in preventing and reducing COVID-19 severity and death. Nonetheless, many in the church rejected these life-saving interventions, while often accepting unproven or dangerous alternatives with the result that many died or were hospitalized. Proverbs 15:22 states, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.” Collaborating with advisors like healthcare providers to promote awareness of treatments aligns with biblical wisdom.
Recommendations for pastors include partnering with local health services to ensure access to credible education, antiviral medications, and vaccine guidelines, and encouraging a balanced perspective that integrates the common grace provided to us in medicines, vaccines, and medical interventions (James 5:14–15).
7. Cultivating a Culture of Mutual Care Over Self-Centered Individualism
The early church exemplified radical care and generosity (Acts 2:44–45). This ethos of mutual care stands in stark contrast to the Western cultural message that personal autonomy should take precedence over collective responsibility and care. Instead, we saw a paradigm shift in the U.S. resulting in Christians using the culture’s language of individual choice and freedom rather than the language of Scripture, communal responsibility and the second greatest commandment.
Pastors can help by teaching the importance of humility and mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21), creating ministry initiatives that model sacrificial service, and even encouraging testimonies of congregants who prioritize communal care over individual preference.
Conclusion: Leading with Faith, Hope, Love, and Truth
The COVID-19 pandemic taught us invaluable, yet hard, lessons about public health and pastoral ministry. As pastors, we are called to lead with faith that God is sovereign (Psalm 46:1), our certainty that he works through all circumstances (Romans 8:28), and model a love that reflects Christ’s sacrificial care for others (John 13:34-35).
By embracing the fruit of common grace and rejecting misinformation and conflating political ideology and nationalism, we can shepherd our congregations through future challenges with confidence and grace. Our call is to care for the flock by glorifying God through truth and love, living out the gospel before them, and modeling that discernment and love in our communities.
Rev. Dr. Gregory Poland is a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary and a PCA teaching elder. He also serves as the Mary Lowell Leary emeritus professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and director of the clinic’s Vaccine Research Group.