What the church is doing right

During this pandemic my wife and I have spent a lot of time at home "sheltering in place." This has given me time to work on a new book that will look at some of the issues the church will face in the coming years. Some of these are long-time issues, but I believe they are getting worse, and the church can no longer avoid addressing them.

Some of these issues are the growing racial divide in our nation, the problem of mental illness, increasing levels of poverty, the drug addiction problem, violence, the breakdown of families, suicide, sexual and gender issues, the growing distrust of authority and the decreasing influence of the church in America. These are serious issues with no easy answers, but the fact that there are no easy answers doesn't mean the church should not be involved in addressing them. Scripture has much to say on each of these issues, and the church must look there to find the answers and apply them. We are called to be salt and light to our generation, and it's time we apply salt to the problems that are so damaging to so many people.

I have to admit that this has not been a pleasant book to research and write. Some of my study has been quite challenging and disturbing. I've been reminded in my own ministry when I've overlooked or missed what was really going on in someone's life. There have been times when I could have responded differently that might have made a better impact on a person's life. It has also not been pleasant to hear the pain people have experienced from the injustices they've known.

At the same time I have struggled to write this book, I have been encouraged by things the church is doing right. In the face of this pandemic I've watched churches of all sizes scramble to continue to provide worship opportunities for their congregations and people in the community. I heard just last week of one larger church that reported the number of people who have been watching its services online is far greater than their normal attendance. I've read reports of churches effectively ministering to their elderly and shut-ins by ensuring they had food delivered and their other needs were being met. Some churches are doing VBS this summer remotely, and some camps are providing a camping experience the same way. Youth and children's ministries are meeting online, and packages are being delivered to children's homes so they can be ministered to during this time.

Churches in one community joined together for a drive-through prayer meeting circling a local hospital to pray for the workers and patients. I'm sure that happened in many communities. Judicatories have provided weekly ZOOM meetings for their pastors who wanted to stay current on what was going on and to learn from one another how to best minister during this unusual time.

Yes, the church is facing difficult challenges, but we also showing that we know how to rise up to face those challenges. Jesus is right when He said the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. Keep on keeping on, pastor. We are not perfect, but the church is doing a lot of things right, and God is using us to make a difference in our world.