Megachurch promises to change after Missouri official slams ‘irresponsible’ services

A Missouri megachurch is receiving criticism — including from a local health director — after photos show packed crowds of worshipers during recent services.

James River Church held six Christmas services last weekend across their four locations in Ozark, Springfield and Joplin, the Springfield News-Leader reported. Pictures shared on social media from some of those services showed many people not wearing masks and not practicing social distancing.

Clay Goddard, Director of Health for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said he was “shocked and deeply saddened” when he saw the photos.

The health department wrote on Facebook it contacted the church before the events to ask that they require mask wearing among attendees. The department said officials will monitor virus data and hope the services “will not become a super spreader-type.”

Jeanne Mann posted one of the widely-shared photos, which has been retweeted more than 6,000 times.

“This is not a measure of faith. It’s a measure of arrogance,” she wrote.

A screengrab posted by the Ozarks Independent shows the lower auditorium at one of the events full of churchgoers.

Goddard said he can’t see the photos without thinking of images from local hospitals that have been battling difficult circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hosting a giant event without distancing or masking is irresponsible and insulting to the people on the front lines of this crisis, most especially the health care workers who are overwhelmed,” he said. “An event of this magnitude, indoors and in such close proximity, combined with case numbers where they are and our hospitals full, could be devastating.”

The church said it played an announcement during and before their events informing patrons about safety protocols, according to KY3. The message asked attendees to wear a mask while in the building.

In a statement to the Ozarks Independent, James River Church said it has taken temperatures at the door, sanitized its children’s areas and common areas multiple times per day, provided masks for attendees and fog-sanitized its stadiums.

Still, the church admitted it can do more to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“For the Christmas services, additional services were added to further provide for social distancing,” it said in a statement to the Ozarks Independent. “Going forward, we are committed to doing a better job of encouraging and maintaining the procedures necessary to keep people safe and secure.”

At least 15,000 people attend James River Church weekly, according to the News-Leader.

One woman who attended one of the services confirmed on Facebook the church made announcements about protocols, but she said they were not followed by fellow worshipers.

“I myself took mine off for a quick picture and then put it back on,” Lisa Clegg wrote. “I wear my mask in public, I wash my hands, I social distance but I CAN be even more careful and proactive at trying to slow the spread of Covid.”

Springfield’s coronavirus cases began increasing in late October. The city has recorded more than 16,700 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

Steve Edwards, president and CEO of Springfield’s Cox Hospital, said Springfield is in for a “rough ride” the next few months, according to the News-Leader.

He did not mention James River Church directly but said “the disease doesn’t care about our religion,” according to KY 3.

“If you’ve got gatherings that are enclosed, indoors, not masked, that’s a superspreader event,” Edwards said. “It’s, very frankly, a superspreader event. We’ve seen those in the country. We want to avoid those. There’s ways to congregate and go to church safely.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Megachurch promises to change after Missouri official slams ‘irresponsible’ services."