In his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes “for God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power, of love and self-control (2 Tim 1:7 ESV).”

In Psalm 91, Moses writes of the protection of God, reminding us to not fear the “pestilence that stalks in darkness.” Let me first encourage us to live in the promises and peace of our Refuge and Shelter. Let fear find no foothold.

With that being said, we also need to be smart about preparation and planning. On March 11, the World Health Organization has officially labeled the novel coronavirus “a global pandemic”. As ministry leaders, we owe it to those in our care to do everything in our power to both prevent and mitigate the effects of illness.