While the COVID-19 pandemic often evokes feelings of gloom, the year 2020 remains a period many wish to move past. It was an undeniably difficult era for individuals and organizations alike. However, during this challenging season, I have closely studied churches and nonprofits that are poised to grow by adopting thriving ministry attitudes.
These resilient organizations refuse to succumb to the idea that organizational health must inevitably deteriorate. Rather than ignoring current challenges, they are actively identifying new paths and possibilities within this evolving landscape. Successful post-pandemic church adaptation has become a critical focus, revealing unique opportunities after declining attendance that forward-thinking leaders are now exploring.
In synthesizing recent articles and podcasts that address these challenges, a clear pattern has emerged. I have identified four specific attitudes common among successful leaders that serve as a blueprint for institutional health. These four traits are emblematic of organizations that will flourish in the near future.
1. “God is not done with us yet.” To be clear, the leaders of secular organizations were unlikely to articulate this attitude in the same way church leaders were. But all of the healthy organizations had attitudes of hope and possibility. Defeatism was a foreign concept to all of them.
2. “We are not waiting for things to return to normal.” Any organization waiting for a pre-COVID normal is already in trouble. Any churches expecting patterns of attendance, giving, and ministry to be similar to 2019 are really up against a wall. There will not even be a new normal, because normal cannot be defined. These leaders are looking for indicators of a new reality and they are making pivots to these new realities.
3. “We will be more outwardly focused than ever.” Too many churches and other organizations got comfortable prior to 2020. The leaders of future-focused organizations are determined more than ever to reach beyond themselves. The churches and the organizations of the future cannot and must not be navel gazers.
4. “Major change is inevitable; we will embrace it.” The healthy church or organization of the future cannot simply move from change-averse to change-receptive. They must proactively seek and move toward radical change. They cannot wait for change to come to the organization. These organizations must take faith-based risks like many have never known before. If the leaders of these organizations succumb to the whiners who lament, “We’ve never done it that way before,” the organization is doomed. Healthy organizations of the future will embrace change with wisdom and courage.
In many ways, we are indeed living in difficult and heartbreaking times. We cannot deny the reality of sickness, death, depression, and economic collapse COVID has brought to our world. But, in other ways, this season is a time of incredible opportunity. Many organizations are paralyzed with fear and think the best strategy is hoping life resumes its normalcy.
That’s not going to happen.
Such is the reason the leaders of healthy churches and organizations of the future will take these four attitudes and change the world.
I can’t wait to see what it will look like.
This article originally appeared on ChurchAnswers.com and is reposted here by permission.