The Path Ahead for the Church

Excerpted From
The Post-Quarantine Church
By Thom Rainer

Your church has entered a new era.

To be clear, your church was already moving in that direction, but the pace has been greatly accelerated by the pandemic. Where you are today, in terms of rethinking and retooling your ministries, probably would have taken another five years without the coronavirus. But those changes were coming. That’s an important truth to understand and embrace.

The pace of change due to the pandemic has been dramatic for many churches. Many leaders are uncertain how to lead in this new environment. Many church members are confused and fearful. Where do you go from here?

At this point, no one can know precisely what lies ahead. In fact, it could be a few years before we arrive at any semblance of a new normal. You are navigating uncharted waters, and every day will bring new challenges. To lead successfully, you will have to pivot. To lead successfully, you will need to make some changes on the fly.

This may be the last thing you want to hear, but to lead successfully in the post-quarantine church, you will have to lead without total clarity. You will have to lead with a lot of uncertainty.

If anything has become clear, it’s this: You can no longer lead according to bygone expectations, perspectives, and methodologies. A new era requires a new approach if you want to successfully reach the people God has placed in your path.

But before we take a closer look at the need for change, let’s take a step back and remind ourselves of two things that never change: God’s wisdom and his faithfulness. You know he has this situation in hand, even if you’re not at all sure what he has in store.

If you find yourself wavering at this point— or even if you’re fully onboard and ready to roll—allow me to point you back to how the apostles responded to a time of tremendous change in the earliest days of the church: They devoted themselves to prayer and the Word of God. Whatever else may come, prayer and God’s Word must be front-and-center priorities for the path ahead.

In the coming seasons of uncertainty, you will be required to lead change, perhaps like you never have before.

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Excerpted from The Post-Quarantine Church by Thom Rainer. Copyright © 2020. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

Thom Rainer
Thom Rainerhttp://ThomRainer.com

Thom S. Rainer serves as president and CEO of Church Answers and executive director of Revitalize Network. He served for 12 years as dean at Southern Seminary and for 13 years as the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Also a respected researcher and former pastor, he has written more than 25 books, including many best sellers, such as I Am a Church Member. Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, have three grown sons, several grandchildren and live in Nashville, Tennessee.

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