First, let’s talk about the image. I asked Ideogram (an AI art platform) for a cartoon illustration of a car slipping on ice. This is what I got. The car I own is nothing like the one in the picture :-). Anyway, I want to gripe a little about weather.
As a pastor, I wish weather never interfered with church services, meetings, or events. But, alas…
Fallen world. All of that. Yes, I think wintry weather is a result of the Fall of Man. 🙂 Kidding, I’m sure God wanted His creation to experience the different seasons, but – in the “new heaven and new earth” – I’ll be requesting a consistently warm climate. Thank you very much.
Where was I? Oh yeah, the point of this blog post is to talk about one of the more annoying administrative decisions we pastors sometimes have to make: when and whether to cancel church services or events due to inclement weather.
Yes, I said annoying. I know, before you say anything, that Philippians 2:14 reminds us to “do all things without murmurings and disputing.” So, I shouldn’t be venting and complaining on my blog, right? Well, I’m not really murmuring or disputing. I’m certainly not spreading any discord in the body of Christ. Indeed, I’m not aware of any discord over this issue in the church I’m privileged to serve. This blog post is simply written from a pastor’s perspective on inclement weather.
Deciding whether to cancel a church service, meeting, or event due to weather can be one of the difficult administrative challenges of pastoring.
When bad weather has already arrived, the decision is easy. If the roads are slick, the parking lot is icy or buried in snow, and/or travel is clearly unsafe, it’s a simple decision. But when the forecast says bad weather is coming… and the timing is uncertain… that’s when things get tricky.
Take a recent Sunday, for example. The forecast called for snow to start right as our service was scheduled to begin. So, playing it safe, we shifted to online church. Turns out, the snow didn’t actually start until later that afternoon. We could have had the service.
Sigh.
And then there’s tonight. At the time I write this, they’re predicting sleet and freezing rain for the Olney area, but it may not start until after 9 or even 10 PM. We had a business meeting scheduled, but trying to squeeze it in before the weather hit would have felt rushed. Erring on the side of caution seemed best.
Still, these are the decisions I never feel I get exactly right. (Thankfully, I do have help in making the decisions. As Proverbs says, “safety in the multitude of counselors.” Still, the decisions can be tricky when the forecast is uncertain).
At the end of the day, I know it’s not the biggest challenge in ministry. It’s certainly far from the most important, although I wouldn’t want anyone to get into an accident coming to or leaving a church service or event due to weather.
Indeed, there was a time several years ago when icy weather hit on a Wednesday night. I had a meeting after our mid-week service. But the time it was over, road conditions were awful. I was slipping and sliding most of the way home. I saw cars slide off the road. Witnessed two (thankfully minor) accidents.
I’ve also seen church members slip and fall in the parking lot. 
In one case, a woman had to go to the hospital to get checked out.
So, if you’ve ever wondered why pastors hesitate over weather calls or why they sometimes make (in your mind) the “wrong” decision, perhaps this little perspective can help.
Anyway, that’s my small gripe for the day.
God is good. Our church is awesome. And I’m headed on vacation next week—to a place that’s much warmer–so I’m a happy camper.
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