What if the real problem is not medical but cultural!
With so much uncertainty in our world presently, why is there such a push to return to NORMAL? Is it possible that nostalgia has set into our spirit with record breaking speed? It has only been 4 months and yet it seems like 4 years at times – when will all of this end? The layers of disruption cannot be ignored – Pandemic, Racism, Anarchists, Destruction of cities, Back-To-School, Media Dishonesty! None of us are Superman/Superwoman! The social pressure, psychological pressure, and spiritual pressure cannot be ignored. The combination of so many issues can cause us to long for what we had instead of what we are facing. Here are 3 key insights that should give pause and reflection.
Things are not normal – it may be a while – Current data on attendance says that churches are 25% – 60% of attendees have returned to church facilities for worship. There is a serious question that demands an answer; Are we looking a medical issue or a cultural issue? What if the signs of declining attendance pre-dates COVID by 8 years? That being said, our real problem is culturally related not COVID. Look at the data chart below.
Crisis is the great accelerator. What may have taken 10 years to develop appears over-night during a crisis. The more we cling to the past only makes thriving in the future that much more difficult.
Are we building focused or people focused? – Since resources are not unlimited where are we allocating these resources. If our mission is to fill a building, then continue forward with your strategy. If your mission is to impact people then COVID has given all of us an opportunity to rethink our strategy and budget allocations. Beware of the trap of investing large amounts of resources into areas that are not producing currently.
Not gathering in a building does not mean we cannot gather – The church does not shine the brightest when we complain the loudest in the marketplace. Are we striving for a “zero-sum game” all or nothing? Is the church building the only way to gather? Pastor Greear of Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina recently told his church; “We are going to gather, it’s just not going to be in large groups of 500 to 1000 on the weekend in our facilities. ”Instead of The Summit Church being 12,000 people meeting in 12 different locations on the weekend, now we are going to be about 15,000 people meeting in about 2,400 locations.”Stop looking at COVID as an intermission. Stop thinking about how your future requires going back. Move forward toward your future. Rethink your mission!
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I read the article in CT where Pastor Durham talked about this. He is modeling after Pastor Andy Stanley and quite a few others who say they are not going to re-open until 2021. I think it’s refreshing to think of fellow believers meeting in smaller groups in homes to watch the sermons, and to serve in their local communities together. I don’t see this as a “new normal”, I see it as a NEW WINE SKIN and I’m ready! Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks Angie for your thoughts. The CT article is powerful. Currently there is just under 50% of the churches in America that have reopened. Some churches have had to shut down a 2nd time. Yes these are difficult days but not impossible. I love the “NEW WINESKIN” image. This is exactly where we are. God is not limited to dates, time, and space!