After this pandemic, our lives will never be the same. But in these times of uncertainty, it could become an opportunity for us to grow and prosper instead of caving into the pressure that this “new normal” brings. One way we could move forward as a church is to use the experience we had during this pandemic and utilize it for our church’s mission.
Here are a few example of how churches in our Facebook Group are carrying their newly-learned habits into this new normal.
Comments:
“Zoom meetups for parents, working lunch hour, men’s digital group, women’s digital group, prayer nights, and worship nights have all been a tremendous success.” Michael Scully
“Doing weekly or bi-weekly Bible study by Zoom meeting. It helps ease people’s schedules.” Vickie Bowen
“Incorporating others into the service in different ways. We have been asking families to do a short video of them saying bye, filming different people for announcements, and doing short videos about people (currently first responders). We have found that people are more comfortable filming themselves than they would be going on stage to talk. And it’s been so fun to see all the different faces of the church. We will also probably keep playing Zoom BINGO!” Brynn Harms
“We (finally) added a FB group for members. It has been a great source of keeping in touch (and sharing dinner recipes!).” Beverly Myers
“Online services with a chat feature. More social media engagement all week long with content. An emphasis on personally connecting with people throughout the week. Doing what we should have done a long time ago… focus on making church about the people every day of the week.” Kate Grasso
“Our Family/kids pastor is posting every day in his FaceBook group. Our lead pastor is producing/publishing weekly update videos.” Kelley Taylor
“Every Monday morning, our pastor has been sending out a scripture passage for each day of the week with all of them being relevant to the following Sunday’s service. So everyone has been reading the same scripture passages every day, life groups are discussing what God is saying through those passages (on FB hangouts), and families discuss them at the dinner table. It’s very unifying to all be on the same journey through scripture.” Paul Steinbrueck
“Our pastor is going LIVE every evening in our FB Group, and the people LOVE it. It’s not staged or produced, just him at home in his living room or on the back deck, giving an update, reading a devotional, and saying a short prayer. Simple but so effective and appreciated!” Nicole Edwards Hutchison
“We send a daily devotional email that includes a short prayer video from a pastor or staff member. People appreciate it.” Kathy Obrecht Shelly
“Our lead pastor (who happens to be my dad) has been doing quick, short daily devotional-style videos on his Facebook profile since the start of the quarantine. They took off like a rocket, and people are asking him to keep them going after this is all over. Nothing professionally filmed/edited/produced. Just self-shot with his phone or tablet and uploaded it to his profile. Each one usually includes his thoughts on a particular passage for that day, some encouragement for our church (and everyone watching in general), and a prayer… It’s simple but very effective and has been immensely appreciated, even by folks beyond our church. He’s been reaching people from our ministry days in other cities and states. It’s been amazing to see how people respond to simple biblical encouragement on social media.” Josh Givens
Conclusion:
As we move forward into the “new normal”, we have to remember that our primary goal is to connect with people. It’s about being essential in your community, not just on Sundays, or twice a week, but every day—connecting with people, praying with them, and serving them every single day. It’s about being relevant in your community consistently.
