by Chris Eller, Associate Executive Director, Baptist Convention of Iowa
The mission of your church is bigger than a 75-minute weekly service.
It seems like almost hourly, more and more of what we consider “normal life” is being shut down. As we all grapple with the new reality of this time, let me challenge you to rethink church as you contemplate what the next few weeks could look like. There is so much more to being a church than merely getting your service online.
One of the challenges we may face in the post-Coronavirus world is a realization by many people that what they supposedly valued pre-Coronavirus is really not as valuable after all. Let me give you some examples:
- How will this impact higher education? Colleges and universities across the country are demonstrating how students can get their education online without having to live on or near a college campus. Why pay thousands of dollars for a dorm room and food when you can earn the same degree by living at home and taking the classes online? This was a growing trend before Coronavirus, and this experience will only accelerate that trend.
- How will this impact work environments? Why do so many people need to commute to an office building every day and spend hours in a work environment when this experience has proven employees can work remotely and still get work done?
Now think about the church. How will remote worship impact the church? If all your church is about is a 75-minute service on Sundays and folks can participate in that at home when it is convenient for them, don’t you think some will look at that Sunday commitment and think, “why not continue with the remote worship?”
My purpose is not to question the value of live streaming, but to challenge you to think again if that’s all you are considering in response to this crisis.
If at the end of this experience all you have done is broadcast your services, won’t that cause folks to question the value of their church experience?
Anyone who has spent four or more years on a college campus knows that those years are about a lot more than going to class, it is a formative life experience.
Anyone who goes to work knows that living and doing life with coworkers can be a meaningful and significant part of one’s life.
The church is more than just a few worship songs and a sermon; it is about the community and the relationships that form as we carry out the Great Commission and do life together.
How can you help your congregation stay connected relationally? That should be the focus of more conversation than trying to figure out how to get your service out there.
What do you think? How are you working to keep your congregation engaged with each other in community and be a gospel influence within your community?
