As we slowly emerge out from sheltering in place to a “new” normal, what will the new normal look like for churches in America?
As I write, there are states, regions, cities, and towns either “reopening” or gearing up to reopen. This means the reemergence of life from the grasps of “shelter in place.”
Thus, people are going back to work, dining in at a restaurant, working out at a gym, receiving a haircut, and even gathering together with the church—but they are doing so with new policies and procedures that seek to protect each other from contracting the virus.
So as we slowly emerge out from sheltering in place to a “new” normal—which is the term people use—what will the new normal look like for churches in America?
Before I discuss both short-term and long-term effects that COVID-19 will have on the church, I want to address some of my counter-thoughts to what I (as well as many) have heard throughout the crisis the “new” normal will be.
First, there are those who think this will change church as we know it. Honestly, I don’t buy what they are selling. At some point—sooner for some than others—our Sunday morning routines will be back to normal.
Second, there are those that believe this crisis has ended the “consumer” model of church. I don’t buy that either. Truthfully, people have been “consuming” more and more content. What I have personally witnessed over the course of this lock-down is churches constantly feeding their people via a digital platform.
Early on in this crisis many were expressing how “shallow” the church was on discipleship, so much so they worried how the people would be fed because many families weren’t prepared to engage in family worship.
Third, there are those who believe this crisis will put an end ...
from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2WC30WR
No comments:
Post a Comment