The Cities Church Debacle

Yesterday, protesters interrupted a morning worship at Cities Church in Minneapolis. They were protesting one of the pastor's employment with ICE. Cities Church is an SBC congregation, much like the church I serve, so the situation hits close to home.

Church property is private property. There is no constitutional right to interrupt a worship service. These individuals were repeatedly asked to leave, yet no immediate legal action was taken by local law enforcement. Solomon reminds us, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

Conversations and disagreements can be had about immigration, the role and extent of law enforcement, and government authority. There will be disagreements and differing perspectives even among Christians.

But there are a few undeniable facts about this situation:

1. Interrupting a religious gathering is not protected by freedom of speech (Riley v. District of Columbia). In fact, by doing so, the protesters are infringing on freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. These protesters should be arrested. The Department of Justice has reportedly announced an investigation.

2. This will certainly get attention, but not the kind the protesters are hoping for. If they wanted to persuade the average person, this was likely the last thing they needed to do. If they are truly concerned about totalitarianism, they should not use the same tactics or choose the same targets as oppressive regimes in history. Shutting down worship services has historically been associated with oppressive authorities.

3. This is not like the Civil Rights movement, which involved civil disobedience against unjust laws enforcing segregation in public spaces. What happened at Cities Church was an intrusion into private property with the goal of infringing on First Amendment rights.

4. Finally, it should not surprise us that these radicals chose a faithful, Gospel-preaching church to interrupt. We should continue to pray for Cities Church and its leadership in the days ahead. We should also pray for Minneapolis and the nation at large, including those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Brothers and sisters, we cannot be quiet. We cannot be intimidated. We must keep doing the work that only the church can do: speaking the message of life into a world of chaos.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4–5 ESV)

Matt Shown is a pastor of Crossroads Fellowship in Cadiz, Kentucky. Subscribe to his Substack for more from Matt Shown.