- Church leaders are having to re-think

ministries with the country grappling

with the Coronavirus pandemic

and a multitude of restrictions.

Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center,

Humanitarian Disaster Institute

and Saddleback Church's Peace Plan

have collaborated to offer a website

full of resources.

It's called Coronavirus and the Church.

Ed Stetzer, with WheatonCollege joins me now for more.

So Ed, what is it like for church leaders

unable to meet freely with people

because of all these health concerns?

- Yeah, it is unprecedented, George.

We haven't seen anything like this.

Even in the 1918/1919Spanish Flue pandemic

we didn't see things like this

and I think, I mean,with good health reasons

we understand, but it'scausing church leaders,

they paused right now and they're creating

new systems and new structures.

Then, the next phase Ithink, has gotta prepare

'cause you gotta remember the, we're not,

we're at the beginning of this crisis,

not the end of this crisis.

Then, we're gonna haveto engage the crisis

as followers of Jesushave done for 2000 years

and then we'll re-emerge from that crisis

as has happened on multiple occasions

as the church has walkedthrough pandemics before.

- Yeah, what are churchleaders encouraging

people in ministry to do?

What are you encouraging folks to do?

- Well, we launchedCoronavirusandtheChurch.com

with you mentioned,Saddleback's Peace Plan,

the Humanitarian Disaster Institute

and the Billy Graham Center.

So, CoronavirusandtheChurch.comis kind of a hub,

a one stop shop for resources, manuals,

what to do now, how to respond,

how to move your church online,

what are best practices and more

and we've also launched a podcast,

Leadership in the Coronavirus Crisis

that's available rightthere on that site as well.

And we've already, in the last few days

we've recorded 14 episodes from, you know,

from a house church expert,explaining to churches

how to go to small groups.

We think this size 10 ismaybe a couple of weeks.

And then, we might go back to 25 or 30.

So, what does it look like for all of us

to be in a differentkind of church community?

We've asked the constitutionalscholar, a law expert

about how do we respond tobans on meeting and more.

So, we're trying toprovide immediate, helpful,

thoughtful and quality, not,there's so much information

goin' on on Facebook and Twitter.

Please, please, pleasego to reputable sources.

This is an important serious time.

We need to have important serious sources

to help us make the right decisions.

- Yeah, are these, Ed, in your mind,

some of the creativeways that you're seeing

churches respond to theneeds of parishioners?

- Yeah, I think phase onecreative way is the online

and of course then, sometimesmeeting in smaller groups.

So, I had four pastorson the podcast who talked

about, one of 'em talked about 20 by 20.

They had 400 people intheir church, so now

they have 20 groups of less than 20.

Well, since that timeit's been down to 10.

So now, they're going,they gotta have a new plan

where it's you and another family

and that probably again,probably we're not

gonna be a 10 President Trumpsaid for two weeks, 15 days.

So, we have to see whatgoes on from there.

So, innovation is rightnow going on in churches

that maybe never thoughtof innovation before,

that pastor of that, that solo pastor

or bi-vocational pastor who's sittin'

with a laptop doin' a Facebook Live

wearing a shirt and maybe pajama pants

because all of a suddenwe can't gather together.

There's gonna be moreof that, but remember

this crisis now is justa crisis of meeting.

We're about to have a crisis of mortality

and we're gonna see, youknow, the CDC estimates

between 200,000 and 1.7 millionAmericans lose their lives.

So, we've got about two to three weeks,

maybe more if we flatten the curve,

to prepare ourselves.

So let's, we're pausing, we're innovating,

but let's start preparing so we can engage

that crisis as Christianshave done for 2000 years

showing and sharing the love of Jesus.

- Real quickly, last few seconds,

in the midst of all thispicture that you have mentioned,

there is fear anduncertainty about the future.

What is your hope forthe church at this time?

- Well, I've read the endof the book. Jesus wins.

I have an article coming out in USA Today

talking about the masks are coming down.

Christians, who a lotof people may not have

understood well ormisunderstood the last few years

are about to gather together,the church to rise up

to show and share the love of Jesus

in the midst of this pandemicso that when this is through,

just like Eusebius said aboutthe 4th century plagues,

the praise of the God of the Christians

was on everyone's lips.

Here we are, Lord, send us.

- Okay, terrific.

Good word.

Ed, always good to haveyou back on the show.

Appreciate, Ed Stetzer with Wheaton.