This year has been one for the books. In case you are wondering if there will be a church after the pandemic, let us put your heart at ease. There will be a church after the pandemic but, most likely, it will not be church as we have always known it. The Spirit of God is at work here, in this world of 2020, and whether we believe it or not, Christ will always have a witness. Especially in a situation like this, with all the insanity going on, the witness of Christ should bring peace and joy to the world. By the time we emerge out of these lockdowns and quarantines, our communities of the followers of Christ will have learned some deep lessons about what it means to be church in uncertain times, hopefully deep enough to potentially change us for the better for good.
This pandemic has forced a deep change on our societies, and the church is not immune. It has shown us that responsible faith often involves sensible engagement with the government, and that part of our ministry—our witness—to the world means we have to protect our neighbours by taking precautionary measures like sheltering in and wearing masks when going out no matter our faith. It is not a lack of faith that causes us to wear masks and social distance. To the contrary, it is God’s wisdom that causes us to protect those around us whom God loves so dearly. In all this, the pandemic has proved that it is possible for us to “not forsake the habit of meeting together as some have done” (Heb. 10:25) even when Sunday morning worship service is shut down. We have continued to gather in person in bubbles of small groups where possible. For those of us who managed to gather for worship over the summer, we learned that it is possible to worship without singing and to have our prayer vigils with face masks on. Most of us, though, have continued to gather online or to watch worship services streamed, be it on Facebook, YouTube, or the many other platforms that have emerged over the past few months. The society around us has adapted amazingly well. Many of us have adjusted to working from home, and the challenges that come with it. When we go out, many of us now cannot leave the house without a mask. When we greet our friends, we are careful to avoid handshakes. The world has changed, yet it continues to move on.
The church has left the building
It has been said many times before that the church has left the building which, often, means that Christian worship services are no longer limited to church buildings and that their members have to find new ways to live out their faith in the societies that surround them. This is usually said when people want to point out that the church is not a building but the people who worship Jesus together, that buildings are there just to provide a space and an atmosphere where that worship can take place. However, even with this understanding, dedicated church buildings have been the primary location of a majority of all events that define church; music, sermons, prayers, discipleship meetings, etc. The virus has largely forced us out of church buildings and, in response, we have had to learn to be the church without the help of the buildings. It has challenged us to really leave the buildings and find new ways to keep the worship going even when we cannot use our buildings. Online worship has been the best alternative though, generally, it has lacked creativity. Many have simply put together a YouTube playlist and added a sermon at the end. Another alternative has been churches meeting in parks and other open-air spaces where they have done everything they do in the building. Others have decentralised the gathering themselves to happen in small bubbles of few people in whatever contexts possible. Whatever your congregation has done, please, do not plan on going back to normal soon.
The church has left Sunday morning
Sunday morning has traditionally been the time when Christians get together to do Christian things; to sing worship songs, to listen to the teaching of God’s word in Sunday school on in sermons, and basically to disciple one another. During the pandemic, when churches have been unable to meet in person, it has been tricky for churches to keep Sunday morning central to their activities. Some churches have streamed their services during normal worship time and realised that their members would rather watch the stream at their own time. Others have struggled with competition — there are hundreds of worship channels on YouTube at 11am on Sunday. Whatever you do in your church, the new avenues of worship that have emerged in the pandemic may be helpful after it is over. It is possible that some of your members will be better served when your service takes place at another time than 11am. I was challenged by a friend of mine who recorded a series of sermons and uploaded one each Saturday for people to listen to before a worship service on Sunday evening when they meet online for fellowship.
The ministry must include lay ministers
A scattered church must trust its lay leaders to be its primary disciplers. During those times when people should not meet others of different households, even pastors risk catching or spreading the virus, and when this happens, we need to trust discipleship to take place in the family circles. Parents can help disciple their children at home. Friends disciple friends whether on ZOOM, on WhatsApp, or when possible, in coffee shops. If anything, the ministry of discipleship happens best in informal contexts.
A scattered church must trust its lay leaders to be its primary disciplers. If anything, the ministry of discipleship happens best in informal contexts.
Whatever happens in your churches, we have a few more months with this virus. When it is done, there will still be several months before churchlife can feel like it used to again, and when that happens, do not go back to abnormal. Instead, bring forward the good practices and habits that you have learned in the pandemic and create a fellowship ready for the next disruption.