When a Worship Service Is Invaded
Image from YouTube
What happens when a worship service is disrupted? In this case, the disruption was an invasion.
Sunday, January 18, 2026, may go down as a pivotal moment regarding religious freedom, Christian worship, and freedom of speech in the United States. Unrest and protests continue to foment in Minnesota. The state is trending in the news, and not for good reasons. Whether it is the exposé regarding day care centers along with the accusations of widespread fraud in the state government, the announcement by the former vice presidential candidate and current governor not seeking reelection, or the most recent prominent organized opposition to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who are working in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and other larger cities, it appears that not a day goes by without another article or update leading with “Unrest in Minnesota.”
Like many Christians, I seek to be diligent and keep up with the latest news and world events. News is reported immediately nowadays, and most updates do not come from traditional news agencies. Personal recordings of events unfold in real-time and are posted on social media by many. What had to be verified in past decades before being reported is posted by citizens and groups immediately now. Discerning what truly is happening has become an art.
Nonetheless, on Sunday evening after gathering with my church family for a training session, I looked at the latest updates and discovered that while our church gathered for worship on Sunday morning, a sister church in St. Paul, Minnesota experienced a disruption that would soon blow up online (rightly so) and cause many who have been comfortable in a soft version of what has been defined as “winsome Christianity” to take notice.
On Sunday morning at Cities Church in St. Paul a group of protesters interrupted the worship service, filled the aisles, shouted loudly, visibly frightened children, blew whistles, and caused more than just a small disruption. Former CNN reporter Don Lemon joined the protesters, livestreamed the event on YouTube, and with microphone in hand pushed forward to confront the pastor of the church.
Who is Cities Church? Here is a snapshot of the church:
Cities Church is a Southern Baptist Church, reformed in tradition and affirming of the 1689 London Baptist Confession.
Cities Church is led by Pastor Jonathan Parnell and a staff of pastors.
This church is conservative and biblical in theology.
This church sings a combination of traditional hymns, contemporary Christian song, and modern hymns.
This church highlights the value of all family members (children as well) to worship together each Lord’s Day while still providing care for children ages 6 months through age four during worship, based on parental discretion.
Not unlike other Baptist churches, their website displays their beliefs, their two worship gathering times each Sunday, their statement of beliefs, and their leadership team.
The posted focus of the church on their site is “Worshiping Jesus. Loving one another. Seeking the good of the Cities.”
In other words, this church is much like many others in our denomination and community, throughout the nation, and around the world.
Yet this church was targeted for an orchestrated protest on Sunday. According to Lemon, the interruption occurred during the opening prayer.[1] Why? According to reports, one of the pastors on staff also serves as the director of the ICE field office in the city. This pastor, not unlike many pastors, associate pastors, and church planters in the SBC appears to be bi-vocational (and possibly may not receive a salary from the church at all) and happens to also be a federal employee in law enforcement. This is little more than an attempt at doxxing for purposes of shame, harassment, and intimidation. It is not certain whether the pastor in question was in attendance on Sunday, and ultimately that does not matter.
Social Disruption
The actions of the protesters, as Albert Mohler stated in his podcast was a “page right out of the radical activist manuals of the 1960s.”[2] The 1960s were challenging times for our nation with extremists on varying sides of cultural and political issues working in ways that were less than godly. Many were fueled by the Vietnam War, race relations, perceived (and actual) corruption in government and more. Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals encouraged those social activists from a leftist perspective to pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.[3] It appears this model was used Sunday as target was chosen – Cities Church. The argument was personalized as protesters yelled that the parishioners and pastors were “fake Christians.” The accusations were polarizing, creating a political and social division in a house of worship. One of the leaders of the protest, Nakima Levy Armstrong, activist, attorney, and reverend stated “This man (the associate pastor) is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, masquerading as a pastor.”[4] The protesters and accusers certainly believed this would be a place where their voices could gain great media attention. Having Don Lemon livestream likely was perceived to be a win for the group. One community organizer handbook states that the analysis of power dynamics helps identify where actions can have the greatest impact.[5] Certainly this church seemed to be a place where the greatest impact could be made. This may have proven to be true, but not as the protesters expected.
Don Lemon interrupts worship service and confronts Pastor of Cities Church.
Initially, it seemed that mainstream media outlets were avoiding the story. Social media, however, quickly exploded with updates. Evangelical Christians began posting, sharing, and updating reports. Lemon’s self-proclaimed journalism likely drew many supporters from the left, while simultaneously leading many who had perhaps given him the benefit of the doubt in recent years regarding his reporting to fully and finally realize through this act that he has gone too far. Eventually, mainstream media outlets posted and shared the story with varied perspectives.
Screenshot of Cities Church during protesters interruption.
When Rights Collide
The right to assembly and protest peacefully must continue to be in place. These constitutional freedoms must be protected.
Does this group have the right to protest? Certainly. That right is protected and is one of the things that makes our nation great.
However, what happened Sunday crossed a line. This was a bridge too far as one group’s interpretation of their personal freedoms intersected and crossed over the line of American citizens’ constitutional freedom of religion. The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects many activities including communication, assembly, and worship. While the amendment does not specifically declare the freedom of assembly, the Supreme Court has recognized this as a right indispensable in preserving individual freedoms.[6]
How a Pro-Abortion Law Helps the Church
Authorities are now working to determine what, if anything must be done regarding this act on Sunday. Previously, the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act of 1994 has been enforced while arresting pro-life and anti-abortion activists. While a church is not a clinic, this act makes it a federal crime to intimidate or interfere with any person “seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of worship,” as well as entering a clinic while attempting to have an abortion.[7] It is ironic that a law designed to protect an act most evangelicals despise will likely be used to protect Christians.
What About Other Churches?
No doubt pastors and church members throughout the nation are asking questions. Those churches who have held to biblical fidelity and not abandoned truth for cultural or progressive capital are wondering what they would do if a similar event occurred during their worship gatherings.
Most churches with long histories have likely experienced worship service disruptions in their past. Whether it be an angry parishioner calling out someone in the public gathering, or perhaps an inebriated guest entering the worship area, such things, while not common, have occurred. Such events became stories church members would talk about, laugh a little, and move on. Not so now. Our freedom of religion and to publicly gather for worship has likely been taken for granted by many. Thankfully, that freedom cemented in our First Amendment rights remains.
In the meantime, churches that have deferred hiring off-duty officers or creating an in-house security team are likely rethinking such.
Our church has an Emergency Response Team and has had off-duty officers at services for the past few years. While some in the church initially stated that they “hate that it has come to this” the need is clear. We have no indication that anyone is planning such a disruption as Cities Church experienced, but we have our team in place. They serve for numerous reasons. Certainly, to help us in preparation of something heinous, but also to help when health and other issues occurs. We have had members in the past who needing medical attention. We have called 9-1-1 immediately and while awaiting the paramedics, our team went to work.
Praying
The Minnesota story continues to develop. We pray for Pastor Jonathan Parnell of Cities Church, his staff and members. This brother responded well last Sunday and is tasked with protecting his flock and he needs prayers and support. I am thankful for our SBC family as I know many who are connected to Parnell and reaching out to him personally while thousands of others pray. We pray for the church. We pray for the protesters. We pray for the situation in Minnesota. We pray for justice to be done.
We know that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and soundness of mind (2 Timothy 1:7) and resting in him and this promise, we and many other churches will gather once more on the Lord’s Day to worship well, preach the gospel, and stand unwaveringly on the truth who is Jesus Christ.
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[1] Porter, Brandon. “ICE Protestors Disrupt Minnesota Worship Service.” Baptist Press, 19 Jan. 2026, www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/ice-protestors-disrupt-minnesota-worship-service/.
[2] Mohler, R. Albert. “Monday, January 19, 2026.” AlbertMohler.Com, 19 Jan. 2026, albertmohler.com/2026/01/19/briefing-1-19-26/.
[3] Alinsky, Saul. “Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky.” The Commons, 19 Jan. 2026, commonslibrary.org/rules-for-radicals-by-saul-alinsky/.
[4] Hyatt, Kim, and Kyeland Jackson. Activists Interrupt Sunday Church Service, Say Pastor Works for Ice, The Minnesota Star Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026, www.startribune.com/activists-interrupt-sunday-church-service-say-pastor-works-for-ice/601566591.
[5] “Power and Power Mapping: Start Here.” The Commons, 12 Dec. 2025, commonslibrary.org/power-and-power-mapping-start-here/.
[6] Overview of Freedom of Association | Constitution Annotated | Congress.Gov | Library of Congress, constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt1-8-1/ALDE_00013139/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
[7] Barr, Luke, and Jack Date. “DOJ Investigating after Protesters Disrupt Service at St. Paul Church Where ICE Field Director Is Pastor.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 19 Jan. 2026, abcnews.go.com/US/doj-investigating-after-protesters-disrupt-service-minneapolis-church/story?id=129349242.
