Sunday School and church fellowship
We are new to WELS, having come from another denomination and joined about three months ago. Our council closed down Sunday School due to the COVID-19. With restrictions lifted, they have chosen not to reopen the program for kids due to COVID-19 concerns. They made allowance for adults through Zoom. The few WELS churches in our area are all partially closed. Wanting to keep our kids active, we attended a Sunday School at an LCMS congregation that is in a neighboring town. I think I understand how we broke fellowship, although it was not our intention. We did not fully understand WELS' doctrine on fellowship. What should be done when churches close or eliminate programs? When our pastor told us we broke fellowship and exposed ourselves to false doctrine by going to the LCMS church, we were confused on the false doctrine portion as our WELS church uses the same kids' Sunday School curriculum that is published by CPH.
COVID-19 has certainly interrupted our routines in life and congregational life. Churches are trying to meet people’s spiritual needs while also taking measures to safeguard people’s physical health. With the cancellation of some church programs, I can appreciate your concern for your children’s spiritual needs.
What you will want to do is have another conversation with your pastor to talk through your recent experience. He will help you understand the difference between the use of common printed materials and receiving spiritual instruction from churches outside our church fellowship. The content of such a discussion goes beyond the scope of this question and answer service.
If, as you stated, you do not fully understand the biblical teaching of church fellowship, you might want to read this chapter of This We Believe, a statement of belief of our church body, and include that in your conversation with your pastor.
God bless your conversation with your pastor, and God bless you and your family!