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Just like “leftovers,” something once attractive and desirable but now past its prime, the Church’s relevance and connection with culture is waning in most of the developing world. Social quarantines are likely accelerating this, as small or financially weaker churches are unable to guarantee the cleanliness and hygiene the public demands public spaces.
Yet historically when calamity struck the Church, it adjusted its methodology while retaining its message. Whether the early persecutions of Nero or the situation in parts of the world today, the Good News has never ceased traveling in various ways.
Today, the Church must again be led by Spirit-guided women and men who are not afraid to adjust methodology while retaining orthodoxy.
The new rules of church-going
A new world has emerged with different expectations in social engagement, cleanliness and the protection of our vulnerable populations. This new "culture of clean" creates challenges for churches with limited person-power and finances.
However, Jesus prefaced His Great Commission with a reminder of His power to accomplish it, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt. 28:18, NIV).
With such authority and power undergirding our efforts, the Christian leader should not be dismayed by the task. How are today's new concerns to be managed by people who have faith in a loving, healing God? Here are some rules to follow.
1. Hugging will decline, but the genuine eye-to-eye smile will replace the hug.
When you haven’t seen your spiritual family face-to-face for some time, your first inclination is to hug them. But there will be hesitancy in them and you. And there should be, as scientists attempt to figure out viral spread, origins and reappearances. The pastoral handshake of congregants as they leave will also be curtailed or disappear. But, these displays of affection and friendship may evolve, as they have already.
The New Testament “holy kiss,” mentioned four times in Scripture (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; and 1 Thess. 5:26) expresses love, sincere affection and friendship. For many the hug replaced the kiss, which was further replaced in many congregations by the handshake (though itself was an ancient Greek manner of greeting). The next expression may be a heartfelt smile accompanied by a courteous and slight bow to acknowledge love and respect.
2. Sharing the communion cup will still be meaningful, but in increasingly metaphorical ways.
Some theologies hold that the cup is incapable of transmitting disease (e.g. the Greek Orthodox Church). An abundance of caution will cause such churches to undertake new measures.
In other churches, the power of communion is primarily in the story, its effect and the journey we all share in it. In these congregations the literal drinking from the same cup can be communicated in a myriad of metaphorical ways. These new ways of communicating Christ’s efficacious death can inspire new life and relevance for participants.
3. Children’s ministry will be disinfected and cleaned regularly or people won’t bring their kids.
Pandemics have heightened parents’ concern for what they’ve known all along: their children spread germs too easily. The reaction will be heightened expectations in preschools, daycares and children’s ministries.
We have long known in church growth research that young families place a high value upon a church’s preparation to receive them. And now cleanliness will add to that expectation. Budgets and staff will need to be adjusted to this increasingly important expenditure.
4. Junior high, high school and college groups will continue to be a challenge as young people, who naturally feel invincible, will desire the physical energy created by large gatherings. Youth leaders must embrace new ways for students to deeply communicate with one another, while meeting physically in large groups less often.
5. The offering plate will mostly disappear.
People will become accustomed to giving online or giving in a receptacle in the auditorium as they leave. This will remove some of what sociologists call “guilt giving,” a natural occurrence when a plate or bag is passed across the lap of a congregant.
Instead, online and receptacle giving will allow givers to more thoughtfully consider their giving habits, as Paul admonished, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:7-8, NIV).
6. Leaders, greeters, ushers, teachers and other church workers will use hand sanitizer more often.
A nationally-known speaker and friend of mine has used sanitizer quietly for years. Some of us kidded him for being so cautious. But at the same time we knew he was right, he was getting ill less frequently. We just didn’t want to overreact. In hindsight, he wasn’t overreacting but taking care of his health.
7. Worship will move from entertainment to experience.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement ushered in emotional new ways of singing that eventually influenced other emotional genres. For Pentecostals/Charismatics the essence of the experience was not the power of the music, but the power of the Holy Spirit moving through the gathered people.
Toward the end of the 20th century, church music began to emphasize professionalism and showmanship, often resulting in an attraction-oriented expression. Decline in church attendance in the latter half of the 20th century can partially be tied to this move from experience to entertainment.
Today we have the opportunity to rethink worship and whether it should be a communal singalong led by a skilled professionals or something more internal. Worship will begin to move away from performance to impact. And churches in which people stay will be those churches where the worship leads attendees into an experience.
8. Singing will be suspect (and different), but meaningful.
Singing has gained ire from scientists who see in its intensity a troubling spread of germs. Yet singing one’s praise to God is an integral part of Christian culture and a biblical admonition: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Col. 3:16, NIV).
But, where Christians are persecuted, silent singing has arisen as an introspective way to praise. Similar innovative worship expressions will be mitigated by silent singing, electronic media, etc. and will further internalize the worship encounter.
9. There will be different levels of social distancing for vulnerable populations.
People with pre-existing conditions will be ministered to with slightly different protocols. Masks may be required to be worn by teachers and members of certain Sunday school classes, because their members are susceptible to illness. Specific worship expressions may emerge that minister to vulnerable populations (and in the styles they prefer).
Whereas now many worship services are divided by musical style, in the future worship may also be divided by respect and concern for those with health concerns. Paul reminded the church at Philippi, that “in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Phil. 2:3, NIV).
10. Outdoors will tend to be better than indoors.
Robert Schuller held services in a drive-in movie theater because no other rental location was available. He found that physically challenged people preferred it, because they could participate more fully without leaving the support systems in their cars. In the future, outdoor gatherings will be more popular because they not only allow a natural degree of distancing, but also encourage inclusion of vulnerable populations.
11. Shorter worship services will be better than longer ones.
Because infection spreads not only through proximity, but also through longevity of exposure, people will increasingly prefer experiences that are not overly drawn out. Worship services can be meaningful while not being monotonous or tiresome.
This is not to say we should quench the Holy Spirit’s moving. But we should discern when our human desires cloud us to howthe Holy Spirit is moving.
Jesus tied worshipping in the spirit with doing so in a true or authentic expression when He said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24, NIV). The word for “truth” (Gk. aletheia) means something genuine, rather than contrived.
12. Small groups will be more desirable than large groups.
Because viruses travel faster and wider in larger groups, an increasing sensitivity to cleanliness will result in more people preferring small groups. Small groups already serve as the “connection or sticky factor,” connecting people through a smaller intimate group to a larger body.
A resurgence in small group attendance and desire should be expected. Also, we will see a greater interest in house churches under 50 people. Pollster George Barna predicts that 30-35 percent of all Christians will be worshipping in house churches by 2025. But, this prediction of course, was made before the recent pandemic.
Now may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rethink how we do church!
Life will go on, the church will grow and the Good News will be proclaimed. Jesus’ Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20) reminds us the Church is not our responsibility to grow … but rather our responsibility to participate in.
How will that participation look? The above new rules for church-going can give us a glimpse and a chance to adjust our strategies in advance.
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Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More » |
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