In early 2020, when Covid-19 news hit the airwaves, the pandemic’s effect on both my family and the church I pastor was unpredictable.
Personally, I was concerned about my son being able to return home from studying abroad and wondered how my daughter would be impacted in her senior year of high school.
Concurrently, I felt uneasy about what it would mean for our church. We had already been offering online services, but I wondered how we would stay relationally connected. I was uncertain if we could continue paying our bills as congregants were economically impacted. I worried about whether we would need to layoff our staff.
As a coach for Overseed, an organization that provides multi-faceted support to pastors and churches, I was also soberly aware that the pandemic's impact on churches throughout New Hampshire could have far-reaching effects.
Having our sense of normalcy upended for an indefinite period and lacking the ability to change the circumstances was both difficult and humbling.
As challenging as it was, in time, I grew to witness some valuable transformations - both temporary and long-term - take shape in numerous areas.
There are 4 changes in particular that I believe are here to stay. In this article you will find:
People watching worship services from home led to an increased interest in checking out sermons from other churches - locally, nationally, and even worldwide.
Geography is no longer a limitation for the type and quality of teaching that is accessible. With the simple click of a few buttons, anyone can access some of the best preachers and best worship anywhere, any time.
This begs the question - what do people need from their own church that they can’t get online?
Two things:
People want to grow in their connectedness with Jesus, experience more soul satisfaction, build meaningful relationships, and be encouraged as they pursue a thriving life.
While pastors need to continue bringing their best messages every week, they should be mindful that it is not the only thing keeping a person coming back.
Humility, authenticity, and a place where people will care for one another are the glue that keeps people connected to their church and attracts individuals looking for a place to belong.
The Covid-19 Pandemic revealed many things people took for granted - especially the value of being in community.
Because the church is one of the best places people can feel like they belong and feel known and seen, when the ability to meet in person was taken away, it left people feeling isolated and lonely.
People have realized just how important it is to have regular meaningful interpersonal connections. Parishioners are returning with a renewed desire to be in a caring community.
As a result, small group gatherings need to be a more prominent and prioritized part of the church. There is a growing awareness that groups are an essential way to help people connect and grow in their relationship with Jesus and one another.
Here are some examples of some small groups we have at our church.
In a time when it is increasingly frequent to hear people discussing the concept of “false narratives,” people are questioning what is true and whom they can trust. They are hungry for a reliable source of truth.
Congregants are experiencing a renewed and growing desire to understand the Bible's message and use it as their most reliable source of information and inspiration to help them successfully live their lives.
Pastors attuned to this need are changing their preaching styles from topical preaching to expository preaching, which allows the congregation to see for themselves what the Bible says.
Churches should also be making the most of the amazing opportunity this heightened time of searching has unearthed to help unbelievers understand that the one and only author of Truth is God, that His Word can be found in the Bible, and that He can transform anyone’s life.
Most congregations had to freeze in-person Sunday morning gatherings and replace them with virtual church services.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and so churches learned how to make their best use of modern technology.
Interestingly, today with most congregations back in person, virtual worship services are still being offered by many churches.
This has raised awareness among church leaders that the online platform is the new front door of their building. Watching online is an easy way to check out a church before choosing to attend in person.
Below is an example of how churches are welcoming those attending online.
Churches should consider providing a dedicated online pastor to engage with people via chat boxes as they are watching the services. If hiring someone is not financially feasible, prayerfully selecting a church member(s) to fill this role would meet the need - so long as training and supervision is provided.
While Covid-19 created many challenges and some hardships, it also brought about some good changes. In many ways, the changes have helped us look more like the early church in Act 2:42-47, where people longed for the truth of Jesus’ teachings and wanted to do life together in deep and meaningful ways.
While Jesus was not working with an online culture when He walked the earth, He always met people where they were at. So following Jesus’ model, If people are online, we will meet them there.
As a pastor for over 20 years it's been encouraging as I preach through the Bible, seeing how the Word of God is changing hearts and minds.
Getting things back to normal is not all that it is cracked up to be. Change brings opportunity. Opportunities to grow personally. Opportunities to discover new ventures. Opportunities to develop healthier relationships. And opportunities to build stronger churches.
If you are looking for a church that values authentic relationships and is a caring community focusing on Jesus and His scripture, learn more about our beliefs.
Or maybe you are looking for a church to watch online, we would encourage you to visit our next online service.