Covid-19 has impacted every area of our lives during the first half of 2020, and we don't know how much longer it will continue to continue to impact us and in what ways. I'm sure books are being written about all the various ways the pandemic has changed life throughout the world. In fact, some may already be on bookshelves now. My focus in this article is on the church and how it has been impacted by the Covid pandemic.
For several weeks, in many states, churches were not allowed to have services. Some churches resisted that mandate and saw state police in their parking lots writing down license numbers. While threats were made by state officials to enforce quarantines on those attending services I'm not aware that any of those threats became a reality. Most churches accepted the closures forced upon them by authorities and sought other ways to provide worship opportunities. Those that could began broadcasting their services over social media, on YouTube and their own websites.
Something unexpected happened. Many churches reported that more people were turning to the broadcast services than normally attended their regular services. People who may not have been comfortable attending a church service were willing to watch it in the privacy of their own home. Maybe they were seeking answers to questions they weren't getting from the politicians and the media about what was happening. Maybe they were just curious about what the churches were doing. Maybe some, like me, watched several services on Sunday to hear pastors they knew they would probably not see in person. Whatever the reason, it became obvious that people appreciated the online services.
Some churches began holding their Sunday school classes online as well as children's ministries. I know one church whose children's minister would put a packet of material on the porch of the kid's homes during the week that they would use on Sunday morning during their online children's ministry broadcast. Small groups met online and leadership training was offered through the same format. One judicatory has a weekly pastor online session providing training and offering support. One has moved their lay leadership training online as well and now can offer it throughout their region rather than limit it to those who can travel to a central place.
Most of us, at least of a certain age, want to be able to return to full in-person services with choirs, praise teams, no masks, hand-shaking fellowship and all the other things we've associated with church throughout our lives. I hope that day comes, but when it does, we cannot forget the lessons we've learned during this pandemic. There are many ways to do church rather than gathering in a big building one day a week. We've learned that many people may not be comfortable coming together in that way, but they want to be a part of what we are doing. It's important that we continue to provide them with opportunities to be a part of all we are doing.
I think we've just scratched the surface of all the things we can do to be the church to our communities. Let's not stop at the lessons we've learned, but let's continue to seek new ways we can reach and serve those individuals God has given us. Maybe we need to begin sharing with one another what has worked well for us and those things we may have tried that didn't work so well. The church has been through a lot in recent months. Let's not lose the lessons we've learned.
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