The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is posing unprecedented challenges to church leadership across the world. Two COVID constants have been change and the candid admission that we are learning as we go.

Pastors need to resist defaulting to solutions that worked in the past and think about strategies that are designed and intended to adapt to change. This requires adaptive capacities like being open and transparent about learning, using collective decision-making processes and building trust.

How Adaptive Changes Answer Pandemic Challenges

Pause and Process

When pastors were rushing back onsite ASAP when restrictions eased, Pastor Andy Stanley was announcing that North Point in Atlanta would not be returning onsite until 2021. Pausing their reopening allowed staff to focus their efforts on creating programs to reach and engage people now. North Point’s goal isn’t to gather but to be on mission. Their clarity created certainty.

Online Services

In March 2020, pastors pivoted services online, even those who had sworn to never use screens for ministry. Sunday-centric leaders discovered the other 167 hours in the week to connect through on demand media. Pastor, you are just scratching the surface of the Romans Road of technology for sharing the gospel. 

Congregational Care

During the pandemic, care for every person in congregations was adapted to weekly or by-weekly phone calls, texts or emails. Some pastors made physically distanced, front porch home visits. Even the marginalized were mobilized to care for their church family.  There was a common refrain heard from congregation after congregation: “I don’t remember as much attention from my church than I’ve had during isolation!”  When restrictions relax, don’t chop down your phone tree. Ever.

Children and Family Ministry

How can we create an irresistible, onsite environment for families with children and adhere to the COVID guidelines of no nursery or Children’s church?  Gateway Family Church, in Leduc started hosting a Family Camp Sunday Service in July. The 45-minute long service focused on children and their parents. Music, worship, skits, teaching, and prayer are for children and with some leadership by children and youth. The lead pastor is involved in every service through prayer, skits, or jokes. Bible readings, a memory verse, and questions for parents to ask each weekday are provided for follow-up. An adult service is offered online on Saturday night for parents and onsite on Sunday for adults without children.

Irresistible Onsite/Online

How do you maintain a good quality online broadcast, return onsite with capacity restrictions, and engage kids to seniors? Evangel Church in Montreal re-gathered on August 9th by hosting a Watch Party in their building. The service is shown on large screens, masks are mandatory, and they offer a seniors-only section of seating for those that would like a little extra distance. Kids are welcome to come with parents and can use a device with earbuds so they can watch eKidz (Evangel’s Kids Min) during the message. Pastor Patti Miller facilitated a 30-minute pre-service worship and prayer time from behind a plexi-glass screen.

What is done in this crisis response will have repercussions – direct and indirect – for years and decades to come. This too will demand systemic and adaptive leadership, to help us think beyond the shadow of the pandemic to the kind of churches we want to forge together.

How is your adaptive capacity?  Join a conversation with Canadian pastors about adaptive leadership on Wednesdays at 1pm MT.

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