You may have to tune into your religious services online or on the radio if your church follows the recommendation from a state group. The Wisconsin Council of Churches is recommending its 2,000+ member congregations suspend in-person services for the next four to six weeks to help stem the rising number of COVID-19 infections in the state. The organization estimates 80 percent of mainline Protestant churches in Wisconsin have offered worship opportunities both in-person and online over the last year and 94 percent of Christian churches have instituted one or more COVID-19 mitigation strategies to protect their members from infection. 

The recommendation by the Wisconsin Council of Churches is not a mandate, so individual congregations can make the best decision for their members. The Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church is one of the 20 members of the Wisconsin Council of Churches. Jodi Parins, the lead of the COVID Taskforce at Algoma United Methodist Church, says they will still offer live services for the time being. The congregation has a 96 percent vaccination rate and has required face coverings for worship, meetings, and other ministries since late summer. Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church in Ellison Bay is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, East Central Synod, which is also a part of the Wisconsin Council of Churches. Pastor Jim Honig says they monitor the situation on a daily basis and plan on sharing their in-person services online as well as a low-powered radio signal in their parking lot.  

The Diocese of Green Bay, which has parishes in Door and Kewaunee counties and is an official observer of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, has not made a statement as of Thursday morning. It reinstated its Sunday obligation to attend mass in July.

Picture from Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church when it did outdoor drive-in worship in 2020. Pastor Honig says four to five cars each week still choose to participate from their cars.