Adapting and Leading Through a COVID Christmas

In light of the current coronavirus surge which experts warn is likely to worsen due to holiday travel, some churches may continue or return to virtual worship. How can you prepare your congregation for this? And how can you keep a sense of connection during the dark days of winter?

As the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise each day, many churches will consider suspending (or for some, not yet restarting) in-person worship as a way to help stop the spread of the virus and protect their parishioners. 

If that’s your church or if you’re struggling with these questions, we at Auxilio are praying that God gives you wisdom and discernment as you navigate these questions. We are also praying that God will prepare and sustain your congregation through the next several months. We offer this link to The CDC’s Considerations for Communities of Faith which has advice for how to keep your staff and congregations safe.

While the expectation of vaccines has enlivened our hope, there are still some dark days ahead as we wait for those vaccines to become widely available. How will you prepare your church to persevere? How will you encourage and care for them? Here are a few thoughts base on suggestions we shared in Auxilio’s blogpost on cultivating adaptability:

• Provide a Vision: If you do choose to suspend in-person worship for a time or make any changes due to COVID, give people a vision for why. “Love your neighbor” has many implications - what does it look like in a pandemic? Communicate the possibility of suspending in-person worship early to give people time to accept the idea. Pray about it publicly and regularly. Ask your members to pray for God to give wisdom to your leadership and unity to the body.

• Create a Culture of Gratitude and Celebration: Let’s be grateful for all we can. Are you able to worship in-person now? Were you able to for a season? Maybe you met outside before the weather turned cold? Give thanks for the provisions we once took for granted. Praise God for technology and the new opportunities it’s brought for others to hear the gospel. Have there been births, graduations, weddings, people who have come to faith, and other forms of good news during the pandemic? Celebrate them! 

• Model Adaptability: In both your words and actions, demonstrate your faith and confidence in God’s sovereignty. This does not mean we gloss over the truly hard aspects of this pandemic. No, we are also called to display Jesus’ priestly nature to those who are suffering. 

  But it does mean we should not be afraid to try new things. Even if you yourself are feeling fatigued, remember you are not alone. Get others involved to brainstorm with you. New ideas may energize you and mobilize others. 

• Gather Input: Do you know how your congregation is bearing up? Do you have a sense of how they are feeling? Have you asked them for ideas of how to feed and care for the body (i.e. both them caring for each other and the church as an institution caring for them)?

  This is a good time to check in on members who may have never felt comfortable coming to an in-person service and who may be facing loneliness or additional hardships. We’re reminded during Advent that God is Emmanuel, “God With Us.” A call from the pastor, another leader within the church or a member who isn’t in their typical friend group can be a tangible reminder of God’s care and nearness. 

  If you’re a medium to large size congregation, a survey can be a very useful tool and provide valuable insight. If you’re small, a survey may feel too impersonal. Consider having strategic conversations with your members. You probably won’t be able to implement every idea you receive, but you may see a pattern or learn of a particular need that you can address.

• Practice: Remember our encouragement to try new things? It doesn’t have to be a big change or a difficult one. Sometimes the small things have the biggest impact on culture. 

  Here’s an idea. Could you send a small care package to your members? Maybe a note with an encouraging verse, some treats, a picture one of the kids has drawn, a small gift like a magnet or gadget. Maybe your deacons would like to organize it or maybe you can get the whole church involved - a care package swap? The possibilities are endless. It could bring a lot of joy and help your community feel connected and cared for. And it’s a small way to practice seeing opportunities amid limitations.

If your church has done a good job at any of the above actions, we’d love to hear about it. If you have stories or ideas to share with others, contact us at hello@auxilio.partners and we’ll post them here as a follow up.