This article is for committed Christ-followers who have a church home. It is not for church shoppers, but for those who are rooted in their faith community. You have poured into your church, and it has poured into you, fostering a beautiful and deeply spiritual relationship. This commitment reflects the biblical model; you simply will not find a reference to an unchurched Christian in the New Testament.
What does your church need most during this season? Here are five essential ways to support your congregation, keeping in mind the necessary pandemic church reopening mindset:
1. Your prayers. Consider this simple but vital thought: If you do not pray for your church, who will? Practicing neighbor-love during crisis must always include intentional intercession.
2. Your financial faithfulness. The needs of the church and its ongoing mission haven’t changed. Your church is still supporting a selfless, hard-working staff; still giving generously to mission partners; still serving the homeless and the poor, the orphan and the widow; still investing in services and ministries, programs and outreach. The financial needs may have even risen due to the technology, equipment and expertise needed to move online. The pandemic, combined with an economic recession, has hit many churches hard. Your church needs you to be financially faithful.
3. Your engagement. Yes, we’re all experiencing video fatigue. But no, it shouldn’t be applied to the online offerings of your church.
4. Your witness. If you have stopped “inviting” your friends to attend church simply because there is no longer a physical service to attend, you are missing out on one of the greatest outreach opportunities in our lifetime. Now is the best, greatest, easiest time to invite people to come and see, come and hear, come and explore in the most non-threatening way imaginable—online.
5. Your service. If you’re like most people, the serving role you filled no longer exists (or is on hiatus for the foreseeable future). You served with children’s ministry or guest services or helped park cars. But that doesn’t mean your church doesn’t desperately need your gifts and serving heart! It’s simply a new game with new roles and needs. Can you hold a camera? Are you willing to learn how to edit film? Would you be willing to serve the homeless population? Can you help collect hygiene products for children in need? Find out where the serving needs are and be the solution.
Of course, this isn’t just about what your church needs now, but what you need now. Let’s walk back through the five areas again:
1. You need to be praying, and not just for your church. You need to engage in regular prayer that expresses your love for God, your gratitude, the confession of sin and asking for forgiveness, and laying out the needs of your life before Him for His power, protection, intervention and supply.
2. You need God’s financial blessing. The Bible couldn’t be clearer: if you honor God, he will honor you.
3. You need spiritual community in whatever form you can find it and the sustenance that comes from teaching and worship. We are not simply called to be public worshipers, but also private worshipers.
4. You need to show you are not ashamed of the message of Christ and share your faith.
5. You need to exercise and enlarge your faith through service.
So meet the needs of your church. And in so doing,
… meet your own.
Read more from James Emery White »
This article originally appeared on ChurchAndCulture.org and is reposted here by permission.