What has your church started doing as a result of the pandemic that you don't want to stop?
A matrix to think about the future
Lately I’ve found myself thinking in terms of a matrix. It looks something like this:
The horizontal lines refer to what has changed since the start of the pandemic. There are things we usually did in church before the pandemic that we can not do now. There are things we usually didn’t do before the pandemic—online worship—we now find ourselves doing all the time.
The vertical lines look to the future. When the pandemic is over, there are things we will want to keep a part of our life (or return to). And there are things we will be happy to leave behind.
By way of example, here’s one way of filling in the boxes that result from the intersection of these lines.
Start in the right-hand column. In online worship, I’ve sung along to much pre-recorded music, often from YouTube. It’s fine, but I miss standing next to other people and singing. I’ll be happy to drop YouTube when the pandemic is over.
Likewise, I know a church that once had a monthly bake sale. They stopped that during the pandemic and they are realizing that perhaps it is something they don’t need to pick up again. It was a lot of work for a small group of women, it didn’t raise much money, it attracted the same handful of people every month. So maybe it’s time to invest that energy in something new?
Saying no is an important part of discernment. But right now I find myself more interested in the left-hand column. What are those things that we want to keep doing after the pandemic? The church I attend has started mid-week online adult education on Zoom. Prior to the pandemic, this was rarely possible for this congregation. It’s become clear that this congregation wants to continue this even when it is possible to meet in person again.
The lower left box is, perhaps, the easiest to fill in. I know many churches are longing to be back together in person and in buildings they cherish. I’ve put Eucharist in here because it’s one representation of what the pandemic has taken away from us, but you could use other words too—shaking hands and hugging at the passing of the peace, for instance.
I was working with a church group recently, encouraging them to think about their church life after the pandemic, and I introduced them to this matrix. I had them focus primarily on the left-hand column by asking two questions:
•What is one thing your church community stopped doing as a result of the pandemic that you are looking forward to it re-starting when the pandemic is over?
•What is one thing that your church community has started doing as a result of the pandemic that you hope it will not stop doing when the pandemic is over?
How would you answer those questions? Send along your thoughts and I’ll find a way to compile them.
Next time, I want to spend a little more time thinking about that second question and offer a model for how we can think about making plans now for the post-pandemic church.