Maitland church leader Pastor Bob Cotton has asked the question on behalf of spiritual leaders everywhere: why 50 people in a pub and still only 10 in a church?
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Pastor Cotton of Maitland Christian Church has been left frustrated by the restriction which, he says, makes it impossible for him to give his congregation the level of service they desire.
So much so that on Monday he rang the Premier's office, the Health Minister's office and the Attorney General's department to present his case.
"I'd like to think it's just an oversight, I hope so anyway," Pastor Cotton said.
"And if that's the case it should be easily rectified."
He says it comes down to whether the relaxing of restrictions in pubs, clubs and restaurants from 10 people to 50 people is merely about economics.
"Obviously it is our best interests to get the economy going again, and I fully appreciate that a lot of people who work in clubs and restaurants and catering are unemployed," Pastor Cotton said.
"But I'd like to think our politicians are also taking the health side of things into consideration.
"And if that's the case, if they feel it is safe to go back to pubs and restaurants, they why is it not safe to go back to church?
"I'd say respectfully that you're probably safer in a church where you're not being served meals and drinks and sharing utensils.
"It is every bit as important to some people to be able to go to the church on a weekend as it is to others to go to the pub on a Friday night.
The church doesn't just service their spiritual needs but also their social needs.
- Pastor Bob Cotton
"In my case, the auditorium at my church measures 20 metres by 20 metres. It is a big area yet I am restricted to 10 people, and that includes me, maybe an assistant and perhaps a musician."
Pastor Cotton says while many churches have teleconferencing or used Zoom meetings to service their spiritual needs, that is not a blanket solution.
"My congregation has a very old demographic and some of them are feeling dead set isolated," he said.
"There are people there who don't have smart phones, and technology is beyond them, so I'm trying to meet their needs on the phone.
"At the moment I'm also posting a printed sermon on Facebook, and some of the parishioners who are more skilled on computers are reading it over the phone to others.
"But obviously that's less than ideal."
Pastor Cotton says he is worried by the mental stress this enforced isolation is forcing upon some in his congregation.
He points out that to some, the weekly church meeting is the highlight of their week and, in some cases, their only real human connection.
"I've got people who go to church, and go to the shops and that's largely it," he said.
"The church doesn't just service their spiritual needs but also their social needs, their wellbeing.
"Face to face interaction with their church leaders means so much to them.
"Church is an incredibly personal thing. Communion, breaking of bread. That's a lot to suddenly take away from someone of faith."
