Derwin Gray's Do's & Don'ts of Preaching during the Coronavirus Pandemic

As pastors, who are called to shepherd God’s flock, and who are also called to bless the culture we inhabit, how do we respond to this crisis from the pulpit?

2020 has been anything but normal. The new year has brought new uncertainty, new pain, and a new virus that has thrown the world into a cyclone of fear and chaos.

Stock markets around the world have lost trillions of dollars in value and entire cities are being quarantined. The coronavirus virus (COVID-19) originated in Wuhan, China, and has now rapidly spread to over 100 countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. More than 100,000 people have been infected, resulting in several thousand deaths of older people with underlying health problems.

Children seem to be less affected. However, COVID-19 is no respecter of persons. Government officials have been tested positive for the virus. Hollywood celebrities like Tom Hanks and his wife have tested positive for the virus. And so has Utah Jazz basketball star players Rudy Globert and Donovan Mitchell. The NBA has taken the unprecedented step of suspending the NBA season until further notice.

In my lifetime, I have never witnessed anything of this magnitude.

Uncertainty, fear, and worry are also going viral. As pastors, who are called to shepherd God’s flock, and who are also called to bless the culture we inhabit, how do we respond to this crisis from the pulpit?

Here are 10 Do’s and Don’ts of preaching during the coronavirus pandemic.

First, we do the best thing we can do—we pray.

I’m asking Transformation Church, where I serve as founding and lead elder-pastor, to pray for the families around the world who have had loved ones die as a result of being infected by COVID-19.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). We are too mourn the loss of life. We are mourning with those who are ...