We criticize online news sites for their click bait approach to news, but a few websites dedicated to church ministry and pastors need to be reprimanded as well. In an effort to promote clicks during COVID, there have been a number of eulogies written for the local church. We have been told that it will never be the same, that 20-30 percent of pre-COVID attenders will not return, and that your pastor is getting ready to quit.
But, none of that has been my experience as a local pastor and it hasn’t been the experience of other churches and pastors I know. COVID has brought tremendous pressure on churches and their leadership, but healthy churches do not seem to be buckling. Are they struggling? Of course. But is the church at great risk?
NO.
The church has a divine charter. Jesus promised that he would build the church and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
With all of the fear-mongering running rampant on the internet, some of you may be surprised to learn that many churches are actually thriving during COVID. Churches are still seeing people come to Jesus, they are still baptizing, and their budgets are still healthy. At Malvern Hill, our outdoor worship services have resulted in new attenders and new members. We’ve even conducted outdoor baptisms.
Just this past Sunday, we had LifeGroups for the first time since March. We worked to socially distance and urged mask-wearing. My expectations were low, and I was wrong.
Our first Sunday of LifeGroups resulted in an attendance that nearly matched our pre-COVID average.
It is time that we stopped eulogizing the church and got busy preaching the good news. The church will be fine. Jesus will take care of his church.
Mike Tyson said everyone has a plan until he gets punched in the mouth. We had a plan, but then COVID punched us in the mouth.
Our large-group gatherings were no longer possible. Our sanctuaries were closed.
But the world kept turning. And hurting. And burning.
We were staggered, but the time has come for the church to emerge. Our plan has to change, but His plan has always been the same. The Great Commission is still the Great Commission. The world needs the hope of the gospel, and it is the responsibility of the church to carry the light of Christ into the darkness.
The church isn’t dead. The church isn’t dying. The church lost its footing for a minute, but God isn’t finished with his church and he isn’t finished with the world.
The people of God need to be pushed back into the darkness. The church has to get off the sidelines and into the game. The world needs us. The world needs what we have. So, don’t believe the lies. Your pastor isn’t quitting, he’s just catching his second wind. The people of God haven’t quit, they just have to shake out the cobwebs. The gospel isn’t weakened, it just needs to be lived out and shared in a lost and dying world.
Stop eulogizing the church. Jesus has already overcome death, hell, and the grave, and he has no intention of allowing death to come calling for his bride.
Photo by Veit Hammer on Unsplash
Thank you