On Sunday I posted the following question on Facebook:
When did you last attend an in person worship service?
Responses
I was surprised this post received nearly 250 comments.
116 people sharing when they last attended an in person worship service:
- Last attended in February or March: 61
- Last attended in August or September: 55
10 of the 55 (18%) of those who have attended a service during August or September noted that the service occurred outside. Since I did not explicitly ask anyone about worship occurring indoors, it is likely that additional respondents who have recently attended worship have only done so in outdoor environments. Alternatively, it is safe to say that 71% or more of the respondents have not attended an indoor worship service since March.
So What?
Whether or not to offer in person worship continues to be a widely debated and highly relevant topic of conversation. I’ve addressed this topic on multiple occasions here at So What Faith, including
Personally, I’ve not been to an in person worship service in over six months (see 6 Months (and Counting) Without In Person Worship).
I recognize that context matters. And, I hope and pray that those congregations who have already resumed in person worship or are considering resuming in the near future have added numerous new safety precautions, including the ability to engage in contact tracing. I also hope and pray that when resuming in person offerings congregations continue virtual worship and present both as equally viable alternatives to their parishioners.