With fear mounting as coronavirus moves closer and closer to home, church planters are faced with a question: Do we keep meeting no matter what or suspend gatherings until the threat has passed?

Director of Digital Church Planting, Jeff Reed, doesn’t think the answer has to be strictly one or the other. He says,

“Whether coronavirus turns out to be a true pandemic in the United States or not, let today be the day where your church develops a strategy to guide you in situations like these. Whether virus, hurricane, tornado, blizzard, or earthquake, in 2020 there are plenty of reasons why your church may not be able to gather. THECHURCH.DIGITAL has blogged about easy ways to broadcast church services, done podcasts about why in emergencies you should do groups online and keep people on mission virtually, and I myself would love to talk with you specifically on a coaching call. There is literally no reason why you can’t have a plan in place for coronavirus, or any other emergency, your church may face.”

All church planters know that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” However, we can make sure the plans we lay out are indeed the best ones, and online church must become a part of a physical church’s multiplication strategy so that even when disaster strikes, the good work of the church on the ground can be moved into the digital space.