Navigating Church Life in COVID-19

There is a wide spectrum of expectations and opinions on how churches should respond to restrictions being lifted, both nation-wide and likely within your own church. So how will you know when and how to regather your congregation? Meanwhile, how will you feed and shepherd your congregation and call them to good works, encouraging one another and devoting themselves to prayer?

We’ve interviewed church leaders, read articles and listened to multiple webinars. Here’s a summary of key takeaways we at Auxilio thought were most helpful:

Reopening

• Ask

  • Consider surveying your church to ask your people what their comfort level is for gathering. “It would be presumptuous for leaders to simply announce a plan.” The responses may vary, and they might surprise you.

  • Acknowledge where people are at so you can shepherd them accordingly. One church leader shared: “Our people are not dying to get back here. There is a lot of apprehension. This is going to require a lot of shepherding.”

• Consider

  • One webinar host asked panelists what they’ve learned so far from this pandemic about worship and church life. “What will you keep, what will you tweak and what will you get rid of from worship before COVID-19?” Don’t presume your church will return to pre-COVID-19 ways with no changes. Learn from this opportunity, reassess, and incorporate fruit-producing adaptations moving forward.

  • Plan for just the next phase. Things may change and you may need to readjust along the way. Avoiding detailed plans for multiple phases in the future gives the church the ability to easily adapt.

• Lead

  • Undoubtedly, there will not be perfect consensus among your congregation. So how do you lead in such a highly fraught context? Some thoughts:

    • Pray. Ask your people to pray - for wisdom, for grace, for unity, for courage, for boldness, for protection, for patience, for endurance, for peace.

    • Listen. Take the varying perspectives into account. Let people know they’ve been heard.

    • Communicate. Acknowledge the disparate perspectives and the hardships. Share a clear plan that makes room for people who are high risk and/or uncomfortable. Give updates often and keep your message consistent.

    • Point people to Jesus. Whether you are continuing virtual worship or you begin to gather physically for worship, we all need the reassurance of the gospel.

Shepherding during COVID-19

Auxilio has collected ideas from churches on what has blessed their congregations during Stay at Home orders. Here’s just a few:

• As a pastor, consider offering office hours so your congregation can sign up for pastoral counseling.

• Provide a clear path for help whether someone is sick or is financial trouble. Who should they contact if they need help?

• Offer resources on how to deal with anxiety - articles, webinars, access to counseling, etc.

• Organize online meet-ups for various groups - parents, singles, those who live alone, etc.

• Encourage everyone to be in regular contact with at least one other person within your church.

• Provide content just for kids, whether that’s during your service or a separate event just for them.

• Partner with other churches. Why reinvent the wheel? Share ideas, curriculum, other resources, children’s programming, and service opportunities. Is there another church you could partner with for special worship services?

Training Pastors and Church Planters

NXTGEN is hosting a webinar on How Can We Train Pastors in This Hour. Training the next generation is a challenge during this season. Summer internships are hard to do with social distancing. In times like these we need agility. How can churches and networks recruit and develop new church planters? How can those interested in church planting discern their next steps? With travel limited, conferences canceled, and budgets constrained we need alternatives. Check out this Webcast to Learn More.