(The Christian Post) A coalition of leading Christian groups announced a new initiative to help small churches throughout the U.S. churches are at risk of closing due to the coronavirus pandemic. This group is answering Jesus’ call to care for the “least of these.”
Launched this week, the Churches Helping Churches Challenge seeks to assist urban congregations in low-income communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 economic shutdown.
NFL player Benjamin Watson, national spokesman for the initiative, cited statistics from a recent Barna Group survey revealing that six to nine percent of pastors are unsure or not confident that their church will survive the coronavirus pandemic.
Forty-two percent of pastors said giving was “significantly” down and 28 percent said it was “slightly” down. Only around a quarter said it stayed the same.