Where is everyone?
It is a refrain I have heard from church members and other pastors in and out of my denomination. The fact is that post-Covid-19, the church is smaller and more weakened in many ways than before early 2020. In reality, it has sped up what would have happened to the local church five years from now.
I acknowledge some churches and pastors have seen growth numerically and spiritually during this time. Still, in all reality, that is not the case for the vast majority of churches and their leaders. With the onset of the decline, negative voices have become louder and have tried to depress the positive things happening in the church. But I believe that is not God’s plan for your church or the local church. She was not created to have a defeated attitude but to be a life-saving, soul-winning place.
As a leader, you can either allow negative voices to take control or wrestle back control by laying forth a vision that will capture the new season the church finds itself in. If the local church has its doors open, God still has a plan for her if the people find unity in a season of fluctuation.
Unity in the Gathering
I feel a little lost when I can not gather at my local church on Sunday. For many, the early part of the pandemic ade them yearn to reconnect with their local fellowship. But, as time passed and people began to adjust to the new reality, they were less connected. It became a lot easier and maybe even guilt-free pleasure that a person could watch their church’s services from the comfort of their bed. Or watch a service replay after they returned from a family outing.
Where once the church was the gathering place, the world enticed her people to become more lackadaisical to her offerings. As a leader, you must not focus on those who have chosen not to return, but on the ones who come at least once a month to church.
What you do today is far more critical than what you did last year or even five years ago. Begin to see the church not as a challenge but as Christ. There is unity in Christ. There is unity in the Word of God. There is unity in worshiping God through song, prayer and offerings. While some might become comfortable in the conformity of routine, your role is to conform to the image of Christ. Challenge yourself and others to reconnect with those who do not attend church. As you gather, celebrate rather than castigate what the church is doing. Be a part of the positive things happening in the church and trust God as you strive to be in unity with Him and with others who gather weekly at the local church.
Unity in Vision
Where are you leading? Where are you going? Think about it this way: What is the why behind where you want to go? If the local church is God’s, what is he asking you to do this season? God has a vision for the local church, but do you know God’s vision for the local church? How about your leadership team?
Without a clear vision, the church will not move from where it is today and, over time, will decline faster than you experienced in the past. Unity in vision is leading first yourself, second the leadership team, and then the church at large to a season of prayer. I am not talking about two- to three-minute prayers on Sunday morning. I am talking about strategically setting aside time to invest in seeking God’s will for the local church.
God did not wake up today and look down on the church and say, Oh my! Where has my church gone? God has seen the pluses and minuses to unity or lack thereof inside and outside the church. As you lead your people into a season of prayer, begin to ask the questions of yourself and others, where are you leading? Where are you going? Intently listen to what God is saying to you and what others are sharing with you. Over time there will be familiar words and phrases people share with you gleaned from their prayer time. There, the genesis for unity in the vision is birthed for the church. If harnessed and developed, God ideas will turn into an action that will help the church rebound from decline to growth again.
Unity in Being
You cannot control what other people do, but you can control yourself. While others may come once or twice a month, you can enter the church whenever the doors open. You can be positive when others are negative. You can be an encourager when others are discouraged. Simply put, you can be Jesus.
Throughout Scripture, we find Jesus frustrated by what others did. Most of the time, he would speak up and then move on. What about you? Are you willing to be Jesus inside and outside the local church? The church needs folks who will be there when a service or something special happens at the church. Unity in being is sticking it out when things get rough. Sadly, many have left churches where they disagreed about the music. The Bible version the pastor preached from. Or some other inconsequential issue that had no bearing on life-or-death spiritual matters. The local church must stay unified on the why and what of serving in the local church, not on the silliness of personal desires and wants.
For every season in the church’s life, God has the right people in the right place. And if that were not the case, he would provide you with the resources and strategies to move them on. Let me encourage you, and you motivate yourself to stay put. Stay focused on winning lost souls to Jesus, and love others by finding common ground on nonessentials and preaching the Word with a holy boldness or, at the very least, living it out daily.
Unity in the Offering
Many non-Christians are turned off when they hear the word “offering.” But it is no longer relegated to just non-Christians, but Christians alike. As the church has declined, the offering plate and members’ volunteer time have dissipated. If the church is going to be at its very best, then it has to be a giving church. A generous church is unified in offering their time, talent and treasure to build up the kingdom of God locally and worldwide. A stingy church is not a church that God will bless. Holding on to funds for a rainy day has passed. If you or your church still has that mindset, let me let you in on a secret—it is raining! In fact, it is pouring! Let go and trust God.
As you have prayed and heard the reflections of others who joined you in praying, where has God told the church to invest? Sometimes investment can be as small as cleaning up to prepare for guests, while other times, it is about developing a whole new outreach ministry. Wherever God is at work, that is where the local church should be investing its time. So, where is God moving inside your local church? More importantly, outside the four walls of the church? Could it be that God is calling his church to that place but needs your faith to invest?
Unity in Understanding
I have been married for nearly a quarter of a century. I have found out in that time the things my wife does well and the things I do well. We have adapted roles, challenged each other, and found common ground when we have disagreed. The local church needs that philosophy to redeem what has been lost.
Let us recognize that not everyone is a leader. Only some people need to be in charge. As you adapt to the season the church finds itself in, evaluate every position and program to see if the right people are in the right place. If not, be willing to change. I get it, change is hard. You know, closing the doors is more challenging because the church would not adapt to the community around her. Members must begin to see the church from God’s perspective rather than their own. There is unity in understanding what each member should do to help with God’s plan. So, begin to ask yourself, What is my role? What is the role of the leadership team? What is the role of each member?
When you understand your role and that of everyone else around you, you begin to know where there is unity and where there is disagreement. It is then you can lead from the standpoint of understanding rather than firefighting, where you are constantly putting out fires you did not know were smoldering until they became full fledge fires. Instead of being caught unaware of where there are issues, address them head-on so you can unify the factions to fulfill the great commission.
In 2 Timothy 4, Timothy writes, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.” What a challenge to the church. What a challenge to you. Thankfully God is not surprised by what is happening, but he can surpass the church’s expectations if it embraces his vision for the local church and stays unified.