I can remember sitting in a church meeting years ago when the pastor asked the question "what would our church look like if it burned to the ground and we had to completely rebuild?" The question was directed at church leaders in an attempt to get them to consider what is truly important. Instead, it backfired. The conversation spun into a talk surrounding what modifications we could make on the facility. Sometimes even the best planned mental exercises totally backfire.
During this discussion, a recommendation was raised that the church could make severe modifications to their façade, adding a portico and "receiving area" for visitors. Such a welcoming site would surely result in hundreds of new church attendees! [Sense my sarcasm, here.] This mentality isn't uncommon in church leadership circles. Any time a church buys a new "toy" (whether directed at missions, kid's ministries, or the building itself), they're quick to hail their new acquisition as a sign of growth and strength. Churches are desperate for something that will rejuvenate their congregations and stem the changing tide of members leaving. Never has this desperation been more felt than during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Wall Street Journal posted an article yesterday stating this...
The percentage of Americans who identify as Christians now stands at 63%, down from 65% in 2019 and from 78% in 2007. Meanwhile, 29% of Americans now identify as having no religion, up from 26% in 2019 and 16% in 2007, when Pew began tracking religious identity. Many places of worship closed during the pandemic—some voluntarily, others as a result of state and local social-distancing rules—and in-person church attendance is roughly 30% to 50% lower than it was before the pandemic, [...] (Link)
I've heard a lot of speculation on what will or will not occur after the COVID-19 pandemic begins to fade. Some think that they will get back some-to-most of their congregation. Some think they will actually grow as people begin leaning more on faith during this time of uncertainty. While no one knows exactly what is going to happen, we can see clearly what doesn't work: churches who refuse to change, growth, evolve, or think outside the box die. It's that simple.
Europe is rife with "old churches" that are abandoned properties, often repurposed into restaurants or hotels, because they were temples of a bygone era that lost their evangelistic "bite". They forgot that they don't exist to simply observe the-good-ole-days and they don't exist to remain static. The church, as established by Christ, is inherently dynamic. It moves, it changes, and it becomes what it needs to be.
This is why I continue to use 1 Corinthians 9:22 as motivation for The Well. We are a church in motion, refusing to become a slave to how things have "always been" or to what is comfortable and convenient. Even though I've quoted this verse many times, take a look at it in context...
19 Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. 21 To those who are without the law, like one without the law—though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ—to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings.(1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
I often stop at verse 22 when quoting this section, but verse 23 is HUGE. There is a sense of "return on investment" involved in our willingness to adapt and change.
When we are flexible, the horizons of our mission become vast. When we are flexible, the access we have to diverse communities and demographics opens up wide. When we are flexible, the harmony we achieve within the church is unrivaled. When we are flexible, stumbling blocks WE have put in the way of our ministry are removed and God's will is able to flow freely in our families and church communities.
There are churches who will come out of the 2020-2021 era unchanged. They will buy another "toy" for their church thinking it will be the magic bullet that saves their institution. The harsh reality is that better churches than ours have tried remaining stalwart in their traditions and failed. If we want to flourish as a church family, we must be willing to follow Paul's example and become ALL THINGS to ALL PEOPLE regardless of culture, tradition, hesitations, or even our own better judgment.
Let us strive, in all things we do, to demonstrate the reckless love to our world that Christ first showed us.
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