Response and Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Faith Communities in Johnson City, Tennessee

Response and Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Faith Communities in Johnson City, Tennessee Cindy Yang B.S., Kenneth Olive M.D. Within Tennessee, religion and faith are a predominant part in the population’s daily lives and local culture, and the sudden disruption of the traditional religious practices in the U.S. by the COVID-19 pandemic had profound impact on the faith communities (FC). There is little information available nationwide on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted religious practices, faith communities’ (FC) ability to worship, and subsequent FCs responded. This study interviewed nineteen FCs around Johnson City, Tennessee, and provides detailed evidence on faith communities’ efforts to continue worshipping and their efforts to maintain congregants’ spiritual, physical, and mental health. Pastors (53%), faith community Nurses (26%), or other religious leaders (21%) from 19 local faith communities around Johnson City consented to an interview. Interviews were conducted (from May to June 2022) either in person or via Zoom, and questions focused on the impact of COVID-19 on their local community, worship services, and their subsequent response. Each interview lasted for ~1-2 hours. Conversations were transcribed and analyzed. Following the March 2020 outbreak, all FCs shut down abruptly when COVID cases started to spike nation-wide, and almost all in-person worship services were cancelled. Most of them immediately resorted to different platforms of technology, including Facebook and Zoom to maintain Sunday service. The reopening process was slow and varied among the faith communities and their respective leaders. As rapid testing, vaccinations, and new treatments became available in the Spring of 2021, all churches reopened to resume in-person services to combat declining mental health among congregation members, especially in the elderly. Despite the challenges that the pandemic posed via disrupting in-person services, all FCs that were interviewed stated that their organization tried their best to offer as much support to their members during this difficult time. The results from this study showed that COVID-19 impact affected different faith communities very greatly, ranging from minimal effect to permanent closure, but it ubiquitously disrupted in-person service and forced an abrupt scramble to adapt, one that paralleled other institutions and businesses. Decisions fell on local faith community leaders, many of whom had to turn to creative and more modernized ways to practice faith to stay COVID-19 friendly. Faith communities discussed the difficulty of navigating COVID-19 due to the lack of standardized knowledge and over-politicization of the pandemic, which led to internal chaos and confusion. Much of the responsibility and fault was put on local religious leaders, many of whom suffered mental health decreases. The FCs that had access to faith community nursing, healthcare community members, or internal health groups more easily navigated COVID-19 and felt more confident with health promotions and advocacy. One leader mentioned how s/he wished the government could give more direction and transparency to the faith communities, so leaders could make more well-informed decisions. In the future, involvement of faith community leaders in public health decisions could improve overall community health