March 19, 2020
Summit on March 26 and 27 to equip the church during the coronavirus outbreak
The Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College (HDI) and the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) are partnering to present the COVID-19 Church Online Summit, a free digital summit on March 26-27. The summit will feature videos from church leaders to help churches respond creatively and well to the coronavirus outbreak. Sign up at covid19churchsummit.com.
“We are hearing from many pastors and church leaders searching resources and expert voices to help them navigate practical ministry questions in the midst of this unprecedented health crisis. We created this summit to bring together the best thinking around how we can be the church in this time of crisis,” says Kent Annan, Director of Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College Graduate School.
The Humanitarian Disaster Institute conducts research to help churches prepare and care amidst disaster and crisis. HDI has created several resources for church leaders’ responses to COVID-19 including several manuals (in English and Spanish), planning templates, tip sheets, and an ongoing Friday webinar series.
“As an academic disaster research center, HDI has spent the past nine years studying how churches can better love and serve their congregations and communities when responding to disaster and crisis. We exist to serve the church in a moment like this and are committed to providing evidence-informed resources to help churches love and serve while using best practices,” says Jamie Aten, Ph.D., a disaster psychologist and the founder and executive director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute.
HDI is partnering with the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents more than 45,000 local churches from 40 different denominations and serves a constituency of millions, to provide this resource for the church and serve the body of Christ.
“In moments of crisis, people turn to the church for spiritual comfort and practical assistance. Faith leaders need to be prepared to meet those needs. Resources like the HDI’s COVID-19 Church Online Summit provide sound advice that takes seriously the mandates of faith and the needs of society,” says Walter Kim, president of NAE.
Registered attendees will receive access to a password-protected website where they can view videos from church leaders responding to practical ministry questions over the two days.
Sponsors of the event include: The Accord Network, The Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, coronavirusandthechurch.com, Development Associates International, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, Intervarsity Press, National Evangelical Latino Coalition, and World Relief.
To access all of HDI’s coronavirus resources, visit wheaton.edu/hdi-covid19 and follow the hashtag #COVID19church.
The Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.) is the first faith-based academic disaster research center in the country. Its mission is to help the church prepare and care for a disaster-filled world. Learn more at wheaton.edu/HDI. –Laura Leonard