Can Churches Require Face Masks?
Stephen Pribble
The past months have witnessed happenings that are unprecedented and unparalleled in the history of our denomination: OP congregations that ceased meeting together for weeks or months by order of state governors, and that now, having restarted worship services (often scaled back, limiting the number of attendees, etc.), are requiring face masks, social distancing and advance reservations for people to attend services.
There are two issues here: (1) Does the civil government have authority over the church of Jesus Christ? (2) Does the church have legislative authority? Both are addressed in the Bible, and in our secondary and tertiary standards: the Westminster Confession and Catechisms, and our Book of Church Order. Let’s consider them in turn.
1. Does the civil government have authority over the church?
God is sovereign. His authority over all things is absolute. He answers to no one. If he had to answer to a higher authority, he would not be God. The sovereignty of God is a major theme in the Bible. God is “the most High over all the earth” (Ps. 83:18). His kingdom “ruleth over all” (Ps. 103:19). No one “can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35). As the potter, he has power over the clay (Rom. 9:21). All people on earth are his by right of ownership; they owe him full allegiance.
God has ordained three institutions of human government: the family, the church and civil government. Each has limited and distinct authority. The family is primary, responsible for the provision, care and upbringing of children, as well as the maintenance and support of the elderly. The church is the family of God, responsible for public worship and the shepherding and diaconal care of its members. The civil government is responsible for the maintenance of civil order, enforcement of contracts, justice and defense. Human authority is limited. No sphere of government can claim absolute authority.
Rulers in each sphere (heads of families, church elders, kings and civil rulers) govern temporally in God’s stead, according to his law. Their job is to encourage those who do good and punish those who do evil (1 Pet. 2:14). The most severe punishment in each sphere is different: spanking and disinheriting for the family (Prov. 22:15; Num. 14:12); disfellowshipping and excommunication for the church (Matt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:4–5); capital punishment for the state, for capital crimes (Gen. 9:6; Rom. 13:4). Rulers in each sphere will ultimately answer to God for the conduct of their office (Rev. 20:12).
Temporal rulers should not meddle in each other’s sphere. Civil rulers should not meddle in the sphere of the family or church. Church elders should not meddle in the civil sphere. Our Confession, summarizing Scripture, teaches that “Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and sacraments; or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; or, in the least, interfere in matters of faith” (WCF 23.3). On the other hand, “Synods and councils are to handle, or conclude nothing, but that which is ecclesiastical: and are not to intermeddle with civil affairs which concern the commonwealth, unless by way of humble petition in cases extraordinary” (WCF 31.4).
The civil government has no authority over the church. When the civil government makes demands upon the church, such as “you cannot meet” or “meetings must be limited to one-quarter capacity” or “you may meet only outdoors,” the church must respectfully reply, “The church is the kingdom of Christ. The state has no direct authority over the church. We answer to a higher authority.”
Here in Michigan our governor took it upon herself to decide that churches are non-essential but abortion is essential. This is overt defiance of the King of heaven! Churches need to remember the biblical perspective: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed” (Ps. 2:2). It disconcerting (yet understandable, given all the hype and hysteria that was coming from the political/media complex) that so many churches meekly submitted rather than stand up to tyranny. To this writer it is pretty simple: God says to meet; the governor says not to meet. Whom shall we obey? The answer is easy: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts. 5:29). That’s what we did.
Sometimes, obeying God is costly. Civil governments have considerable power to destroy individuals and churches that cross them. Daniel’s three friends were thrown into a fiery furnace. Daniel himself was thrown into a lion’s den. Our Lord was crucified.
A church in Santa Clara, California was fined $5,000 every time it held an indoor service in violation of the county’s COVID-19 regulations; fines totaled over $112,000—money that could have gone to missions or diaconal ministry. Los Angeles County evicted John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church from a parking lot lease held since 1975, in obvious retaliation for holding services. Yet the promise remains: “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles” (Ps. 34:17).
Since the civil government has no authority over the church, it is wrong for the church to kowtow to the civil government. It sets a bad precedent and undervalues the headship of the Savior, who masterfully nourishes, cherishes and cares for his church (Eph. 5:29). It is to dethrone Christ, the King and head of his church.
2. Does the church have legislative authority?
Christ has established his church and calls gifted men (teaching and ruling elders, and deacons) to serve as officers (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:11–12; 1 Tim. 5:7). Teaching elders are ministers of the word and sacrament. They ought to use every opportunity—public and private—to teach and instruct their people, and build them up in the faith, so that they will be strong when troubles come. The church won’t be perfected until Christ returns and renews all things (1 John 3:2). In the meantime, fallible humans need to hear the word of God preached. Whatever the preacher says in his sermon must be explicitly taught in Scripture, or properly deduced from Scripture (WCF 1.6). Likewise, whatever a church court rules must be in accord with Scripture. The only voice that should be heard in the church is the voice of Christ. According to our Form of Government (III.3),
All church power is only ministerial and declarative, for the Holy Scriptures are the only infallible rule of faith and practice. No church judicatory may presume to bind the conscience by making laws on the basis of its own authority; all its decisions should be founded upon the Word of God. “God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are, in anything, contrary to his Word; or beside it, if matters of faith, or worship” (Confession of Faith, Chapter XX, Section 2).God has reserved legislative, executive and judicial authority for himself (Isa. 33:22); no person except God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, possesses “all authority” (Matt. 28:18). Churches have executive and judicial authority but not legislative authority. The church is “the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ” (WCF 25.2). “There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ” (WCF 25.6).
Churches rightly require their members to obey Christ—nothing more. They can and should command their people to obey all God’s precepts. They can require church members who are not providentially hindered to attend worship, and can discipline those who refuse to attend. But since the Bible says nothing about wearing face masks, whether to wear a mask or not is a matter of individual conscience. Churches lack power to command attenders to wear masks.
Presbyterians rightly criticize the Roman Catholic Church for mandating priestly celibacy even though the Bible makes no such demand. This teaching of Rome is in error because the church has no legislative authority. Christ, not the Pope, is the King and head of his church. He rules it by his word and Spirit. The fact that Christ is the alone legislator in his church gives his people true liberty. The believer’s conscience is not bound, apart from the word of God. False religion brings enslavement; only biblical Christianity liberates. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).
Conclusion
Any time a civil ruler such as a president, prime minister, state governor or lesser official makes a demand upon the church, the elders should consider it in light of Scripture, not only for what is demanded, but as to whether the authority to make the demand is legitimate.
A building owner or business owner has authority to require employees and visitors to wear masks; such is the prerogative of ownership. The owner of the church likewise has authority to require all congregants to wear masks. But who owns the church? Not the pastor, not the elders; but Christ! Since he has issued no instructions concerning mask-wearing, whether to wear a mask or not is a matter of individual liberty. Churches have no authority to require face masks, social distancing or advance reservations to attend worship.