Are we Ready to "Fall Back?"

While many churches across the country have regathered in some form or another, some are still planning for their first physically-present worship service. In these challenging days, many hopes are wrapped up in the expectation of gathering or continue to gather for worship. 

As health experts predict that the Fall and Winter may be a second wave of COVID-19 cases, are we prepared to adjust and shepherd our congregations to pivot as necessary for the health and safety of all. How can you, even now, be shepherding your congregation and preparing them to adapt as needed in the coming months?

CULTIVATING ADAPTABILITY

Some suggestions for cultivating adaptability in your congregation to prepare them for possible changes in the months to come:

1. Provide a Vision - A key aspect of shepherding your church through change is to give them a vision for the hoped for results of the change. Even those slow to adopt change will be helped by having a common objective and purpose. Over-communicate by repeating the vision and emphasizing important messages like “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (Hebrews 13.4) and “in humility count others more significant than yourselves (Phillipians 2.3).

2. Create a Culture of Gratitude and Celebration - Thanksgiving is the enemy of a complaining spirit. When you have a culture of gratitude, your congregation is focused on what is really important - the glory of God, being a gospel witness, growing our faith and deepening our love of Jesus, serving others, etc. We are far less likely to focus on the discomfort and inconvenience that change may momentarily bring.

3. Model Adaptability - If you’re a pastor or church leader, your church will take their cues from you. Do you respond positively and with confidence in God’s sovereignty when conditions change? How well do you embrace challenges as an opportunity to improve and discover creative solutions? Are you receptive to and curious about new ideas? If you have room for improvement in these areas, don’t be discouraged! If your congregation sees you grow, they’ll be encouraged and challenged to also be more open to change.

4. Gather Input  - What are the concerns of your leadership and lay congregants? Of parents, singles, teens or the elderly? By inviting input, you encourage ownership of any change. We don’t all have to agree on the how or why to be willing to adopt the change, but being heard makes for an easier on-ramp.

5. Practice - Church plants are uniquely suited for change by their very nature. They’ve had to practice adapting to change regularly as they have an influx of new people with new gifts and perspectives. Church plants often change venues before finding more permanent space and have to come up with new systems for each space. As they grow, they adapt to the changing nature of their congregation - new teams, resources, ways to communicate, etc. We can learn a lot from these resilient and flexible congregations. More established congregations can find ways to practice flexibility by making small changes to keep ministry fresh and positioned to weather future storms.

Should your church need to make changes this Fall and Winter, you can look back at Auxilio’s earlier post Roadmap for Regathering for guidelines and key areas to consider.

We’ve mentioned it before, but we highly recommend this article, Seven Shifts Churches Need to Make Because of the Coronavirus, from Tony Morgan author of The Unstuck Church. It’s well worth considering how your church will adapt both in the time of coronavirus and post-coronavirus.