United Church expects ministers to be vaxxed

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This article was published 21/11/2021 (1409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the minister of a Winnipeg church that requires proof of vaccination to attend, Caryn Douglas makes no secret about the fact she’s immunized against COVID-19.

“I’m vaccinated, and I’m not afraid of telling people that,” says the minister at the United Church in Meadowood.

That’s why Douglas thinks her denomination didn’t go far enough when it issued a memo expecting all clergy to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have a medical exemption.

Last month, the United Church of Canada’s office of vocation issued the memo, directed to its 1,900 active ministry personnel, linking their existing ethical standard of ministry to vaccination as a way to keep people safe during the global coronavirus pandemic.

“For us, it falls under our duty of care to communities,” explains Rev. Norman Seli, chair of the denomination’s board of vocation.

“We have a series of ethical standards (which require us) to not put our community at risk.”

The Toronto-based Seli said a large majority of United Church ministers has been vaccinated and he denomination only intends to get involved in compliance if a congregation makes a complaint about an unvaccinated minister.

He said the denomination will not collect vaccine certificates or check vaccine passports.

“We have authority over our personnel,” said Seli, minister of Jubilee United Church in Toronto.

“If the church endorses you as a minister of the United Church of Canada, we have expectations you will be vaccinated.”

One River Heights minister said being double-vaccinated is essential to carrying out her duties as a minister, including preaching a Sunday sermon in a vaccinated-only worship service or visiting vulnerable members in health-care facilities.

“Without vaccination, you cannot do your job fully,” said Rev. Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd of Westworth United Church.

“You have to have that to go into personal care homes.”

For Douglas, vaccination against COVID-19 means following the Christian imperative to love their neighbours and protecting children or people with compromised immunity.

“Theologically, I think we are called to be community,” she said.

“We don’t do it for ourselves. We do it because it’s important for all of the community.”

The memo also states that ministers are not eligible for a religious exemption from vaccination and cannot provide documents for a religious exemption to church members.

brenda.suderman@freepress.mb.ca