The Church on the Other Side
Even though the coronavirus crisis continues to rage, there’s already talk of when we can expect things to get back to normal. When life as we once knew it will return.
Please allow me to offer an observation.
Things will never get back to normal. Life as we once knew it will not return.
Now before you dismiss me as a doom and gloom pessimist, please hear me out.
As with the aftermath of 9/11, so in the backwash of COVID-19, the world will never be the same. And neither will your church.
When you’re once again able to gather for worship and fellowship it will not be the same church it once was. Many if not most churches will be facing the economic impact of lost jobs and lost revenues.
Ministries will have been cut. Staff will have been let go. Expenses will have been prioritized. Activities will have been scrutinized.
Your church has had to learn how to meet for worship while not gathering. And how to communicate without meeting. And how to care without touching.
Yet, rather than looking to going back to the way it once was, what if you used this dramatic shake-up to consider what could be? What lessons have you learned that could be taken into the future? What discoveries have you made that should be maintained?
Rather than going back to the way church once was, what if you used the dramatic shake-up caused by COVID-19 to consider what could be going forward?
Here are a few points to consider:
You were forced to quickly move to offering an online worship experience to your people.
While there still may be (And I think there is!) a place for coming together in person, what should you consider continuing to offer?
You needed to communicate with your people quickly and consistently.
What flaws in your systems and strategies were exposed? How can you address those flaws?
As never before you had to offer care and support to the most vulnerable.
What did you learn that could be brought into the future?
You had to take a hard look at your church calendar and prioritize activities.
Rather than simply plugging them all back in, what changes would you make if you could start from a blank slate?
The digital model of church was revealed to be not only a solution during a crisis but a strategy for the future.
If and as that was true for you, how might that affect budgeting and staffing?
Take a hard look at your church’s stewardship response in the crisis.
What does that tell you about the maturity of your people? As well, what does that tell you about your methods of collecting their offerings?
Is it reasonable to believe, having “done church” apart from the church building for an extended length of time, that people will return to a weekly rhythm?
If not, how should you respond? Is it time to shift the traditional model of putting all of your eggs into the Sunday morning basket?
How did your church do as it relates to engaging their neighbors and networks during the crisis?
Did they look to reach out or did they turn in? What did that expose in your congregation’s missional DNA and what might you do about it?
Many pastors recognized that people wanted more connection with them than merely Sunday morning.
Brief devotionals and “thoughts for the day” were offered and enjoyed on social media. Should those be continued?
The opportunity was given, again digitally, for the church to come together for prayer.
Perhaps this was offered in the early morning or at noon. Prayer requests were taken and acted upon in real time. What did you learn from that and what next steps might be taken?
These are but ten of many starting points for some discussion. I’m sure that you might have some other ideas and I’d love for you to pass those on in the comments section below.
Yes, the pandemic was bad news. But out of it, new ideas surfaced, and new action steps were taken. Strengths were discovered and weaknesses were revealed.
To be sure, church on the other side will be different. But maybe, just maybe it can also be new and improved.
Yes, the pandemic was bad news. The church on the other side will be different. But maybe, just maybe it can also be new and improved.
Other related posts
Bend But Don’t Break
Finding the Best Counsel
The Key to Crisis Leadership
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