Not too long ago, I was in a Bible study with a group from outside my church when a lady asked, “Tell us how we can pray for you?” I asked for the usual: health and strength, wisdom to lead my family, church, and the convention well, and a few million dollars. Then I paused and said: “Pray that I’ll stay encouraged. I miss my church.”
It wasn’t the first time I’ve shared that prayer request, but it was the first time I’ve shared it with people I just met! It was on my heart that day. I’ve missed the energy and the fellowship our church had before COVID hit, but I missed it from the perspective of missing something that I knew would be coming back soon. I was hopeful.
Just a few weeks before the Bible study, we had transitioned from mask-required to mask-optional worship and saw a nice bump in attendance, which for us meant reaching 50 percent of our pre-COVID attendance. We had planned to relaunch our children’s ministry to coincide with the start of school in August. Everything was looking up, and I thought we finally rounded the corner, but then the Delta variant hit, and it was like déjà vu all over again.
We held the same leadership team meetings we had a year ago, trying to answer the same questions: “Is it safe for the kids? How will we socially distance? Should everyone wear masks?” I guess it was at that point I missed my church in a different way, like how you miss a loved one who’s passed away. She’s not coming back.
Not that there’s a crisis or anything wrong. Financially we’re strong. We’re seeing new visitors every Sunday. Folks have been saved and baptized. Our midweek Bible studies are doing well, and in some ways they’re better on Zoom than they were in person. There’s no strife. New ministries have been started. God has been faithful. It’s just different.
Pastors, if you can relate and feel like you can’t get out of neutral, here are some truths that have helped me keep the proper perspective. Maybe they’ll help you, too.
Every church lost something.
It’s easy to feel like all the other churches are booming while your church is stuck in the mud, but the truth is, no church has made it through the last 18 months unscathed. We’ve all lost something. One church can’t make budget, while another church exceeded its budget, but lost a key leader to COVID and has to rebuild a ministry from scratch. One church stayed the same size, while another church grew, but because of disagreements over masks, vaccines, and in-person vs. virtual meetings, the unity they used to have is lost. If your church stayed the same but is free of strife and still has volunteers willing to serve, be thankful.
Be thankful for who’s on the roster, not just who’s in the game.
Even if they pulled themselves out of the game and took a seat on the bench, be thankful for every player that’s still on your team, because at least they’re able to play another day. Take for example: the mom who used to volunteer every week in the kids’ ministry, but has spent the last school year at home with her third-grade son. It’s been a long year, and people are tired. Just remember who they are is more important than what they do.
As long as we’re doing kingdom work, we’re “advancing.”
It may feel like you’re in neutral, but if you’re still laboring in the vineyard, you’re progressing. Each church has a part to play in His plan. Our churches may be in transition or in different seasons, but since we’re in the kingdom together, we “Advance Together.”