SHOCKING NEW FINDINGS: COVID-19 could be good for you!
I feel like maybe I should apologize for kicking off this blog with a click-bait headline like that… but I won’t, because it’s actually true.
Every pastor understands the downside of this pandemic. Many churches are down in attendance, down in giving, down in morale… down, down, down! And that has left a lot of pastors feeling down.
But there is an upside to this coronavirus. It could actually be good for you, because “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). So how could God use COVID-19 for the good of your soul and the good of your congregation?
This pandemic has forced every pastor to wrestle with at least three very important questions:
1. Who is my true Master?
It’s been a while since many of us have had to make an unpopular decision for the good of our congregation. In fact, many of us intentionally avoid making those kinds of decisions, even though they’re sometimes necessary. Why? Because we like to be liked. All too often, our identity is wrapped up in people’s perceptions of us way more than we’d like to admit, so we avoid making unpopular decisions. But this coronavirus has forced our hand.
I don’t know about your congregation, but mine is all over the map when it comes to opinions regarding the threat posed by COVID-19, the necessity of wearing masks, etc. (Texans tend to be very opinionated!) There is no single set of safety guidelines that we could possibly adopt that would even come close to pleasing everybody in our church.
That means that as a leadership team, we’ve been forced to make decisions that we knew would be unpopular with at least half our congregation, and while that’s been unpleasant, in some ways, it’s been liberating. It’s reminded me that we can’t please everybody, nor should that be our goal. Jesus reminded us that “no man can serve two masters.” (Matt. 6:24) As pastors, we must remember that it is the Chief Shepherd, not our flock, to whom we are ultimately accountable.
This doesn’t mean, of course, that we shouldn’t listen to the concerns of our church members and do all that we reasonably can to accommodate people with different needs—that’s what caring shepherds do! Nor does it mean that we should make decisions impulsively or unilaterally based on our own opinions and preferences—we must prayerfully and skillfully apply the principles of God’s Word to each decision in consultation with other godly voices in the room.
But having made decisions that we believe to be in the best physical and spiritual well being of our congregations, we can lead with confidence regardless of the response, knowing that we enjoy the smile of our Heavenly Father. Trying to please everyone is hopelessly frustrating. But serving one Master is incredibly liberating.
There’s a second question that this pandemic has forced us to consider, and it’s this:
2. What is my true motive?
We all know that our identity and security as pastors shouldn’t be tied to the size of our church attendance and offerings, and most of us would claim that they aren’t. But this pandemic has put that claim to the test, because during this past year, most churches have experienced a significant decline in their in-person attendance and offerings.
So here are some questions to consider: How do you feel preaching to a half-empty auditorium? How do you feel knowing that you might need to significantly trim your church budget and maybe even take a cut in pay yourself? These aren’t pleasant realities, of course, but do they make you want to quit? Do they make you question your calling? If so, that might be an indication that at least on some level you’ve been doing ministry for the wrong reasons.
Perhaps the buzz of a large crowd and the security of a comfortable paycheck are stronger motivations for your ministry than you thought. Perhaps slowly but surely over the years, you’ve begun to lose sight of the real reason God called us to be pastors in the first place which brings us to the third question:
3. What is my true mission?
In subtle, unexpected ways, this pandemic has impacted the way I do ministry and the way I think about ministry.
Because of the smaller in-person crowds over the last few months, I’ve been able to have longer conversations with those in attendance at our worship services, and I’ve enjoyed that. It’s also been easier to notice who’s missing which has prompted me to make a lot more follow-up calls to check in on people and pray with them over the phone. Oddly enough, despite the social distancing, in some ways, my ministry has become more personal through this pandemic.
It has also become more intentional. With the tighter budget constraints, we’ve had to think much more strategically about what events and expenditures are truly necessary and which are merely discretionary. We haven’t had a full slate of programs for about a year now which means that as we emerge from this pandemic, we’ll essentially be starting with a blank page. Any sacred cows which may have been on life-support are now dead, and we have a unique opportunity to hit the re-set button on almost all of our ministries. This is prompting us to have some really healthy discussions about what a biblically sound, culturally relevant, local church ministry in our community should look like in the post-COVID environment.
In other words, this pandemic has forced us to focus less on programs and more on people. Less on maintaining existing structures and more on building effective ones. Less on filling chairs and more on making disciples– which is really where our focus is supposed to be anyways, isn’t it? If we’ll let it, this pandemic can drive us back to our true mission which is, of course, the Great Commission to which Jesus called us. (Matt. 28:18-20)
I’m eager for this pandemic to be over! But I’m also grateful for the lessons that it has taught me. And I’m excited about the unique opportunities that it presents, not only to rebuild a stronger and more effective ministry, but also to reach a whole new group of people who will soon emerge from their isolation, looking for the kind of connection and meaning that only Jesus and His church can provide!
How about you? How has God used this pandemic for the good of your soul and the good of your congregation?
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3 thoughts on “SHOCKING NEW FINDINGS: COVID-19 could be good for you!”
Amen!
Great reminder and article… I’d add one more… allow me to add a fourth “M”… Master, Motive, Mission… and “Are there some new “methods” to be tried?” This pandemic has shown most of us that sometimes there are other “ways” to get it done (such as online or zoom based meetings).
Great point, Dale! We’re thinking through some of these very things right now.
And for my fellow pastors who may be reading this, but aren’t familiar with Dale’s ministry, be sure to check it out at http://www.leverageleadership.org. Lots of good leadership wisdom here.
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