Framework for churches' response to pandemics : based on a case study on impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on Christians in Zvishavane, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Following the sudden lockdown measures taken by governments all over the world due to COVID-19, churches, as well as other institutions, were caught unprepared to deal with the pandemic. This study was conducted when Zimbabwe was under Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown to investigate its impact on Christians and propose a framework for responding to future pandemics. Using SurveyMonkey, twenty-one Christian residents of Ward 5, Zvishavane, Zimbabwe voluntarily participated in the study through WhatsApp. Results showed that during the lockdown, most participants accessed church services online, mainly via WhatsApp. Participants mostly missed physical praise-and-worship-related activities and pastoral visitations. Participants failed to access physical support from the church, especially when their family members died or fell ill. Most participants preferred a church building to other church settings. The results indicated that participants experienced spiritual, emotional/psychological, and social challenges due to the physical gap created by the lockdowns; thus, physical church attendance plays an important role in the well-being of Christians. Based on these findings, we propose a framework for use by churches in response to future pandemics. This study is significant as it provides a framework for churches to respond to future pandemics.