Vaccine Mandate Statement
The challenges facing church leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic have been daunting. To be clear, Northwoods Community Church acknowledge that COVID-19 is real. We also understand that there is an enemy who “seeks to kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). We see the events unfolding all around us as a supernatural event and support those who have put their trust in a supernatural God for their guidance and protection. This situation has caused division, strife, and emotional unrest within families, organizations, communities, and the church. In recent weeks, the discussion and implementation of vaccination mandates has escalated the level of division and anxiety in our country. As a result, many churchgoers have been forced to seek additional support, wisdom, and guidance from church leadership now more than ever. With this in mind, it is the heart of Northwoods Church leadership to express our support both to those who have sought the Lord and feel led to be vaccinated and to those who have sought the Lord and feel led not to receive the vaccine.
Northwoods Community Church—as communicated in our value statements and on our website—is a “Word + Spirit” church. The essence of this description is based on our unwavering commitment to the authentic Word of God as communicated in Scripture (II Tim 3:16-17). We are equally committed to the power and intimate involvement of the Holy Spirit in the lives of committed Christians who have verbally expressed a commitment to Jesus Christ through the process of salvation. We believe that believers in Jesus Christ can, and do, receive direct and specific communication from God through the Holy Spirit—giving direction, life, healing, and comfort (John 16:13).
Again, with this in mind, it is Northwoods Church’s commitment to support those who attend our church who feel led to receive the vaccine as well as those who—as a direct leading from God through the Holy Spirit—feel led not to participate in the vaccination process. We believe that the Constitution of the United States provides the freedom and right for a person to follow their religious beliefs and convictions and that the limitation of that right is a direct assault on the fabric of families, freedom, education, employment, and, ultimately, our country. We believe that recent vaccination mandates are an infringement of those rights. We choose to respect these God-given values and choose not to throw them out due to the wave of fear, division, and anxiety.
We believe that it is prudent for conscientious objectors to a vaccine mandate to be allowed their biblical and constitutional right. Northwoods Church does not believe that a faithful follower of Jesus should be punished by a government or employer for following his or her conscience. All governing bodies and employers should be willing to provide reasonable accommodations for such individuals. If any Northwoods Church member or attender is faced with such a mandate, we support the right of that person to pray, to seek God’s guidance on what to do, and if so led by the Lord, to seek a religious exemption from any government or employer vaccine mandate.
In support of this position, Northwoods members and attendees can request a statement of affirmation regarding their right to object to mandated vaccinations.
You may be contacted by a Northwoods Church representative with additional questions. If your request is approved, you will receive an email which you can include with your employer request.