It wasn’t more than two years ago when the world shut down due to COVID-19. The streets were barren. Offices were closed. Churches were online only. Doesn’t that seem like a whole other world? But it wasn’t that long ago.
As the world begins to open back up, travel restrictions loosen, and mandates relax, the tendency is to want to get back to the way things were. For the church, this wouldn’t be the best idea.
Why?
Because before the Pandemic, the church in Canada was decreasing. Churches were closing. Young people were leaving. Communities were largely untouched by the church’s presence. The sentiment amongst Canadians seemed to be that the church was non-essential. When the Pandemic forced 30,000 churches in Canada to shutter physical doors, there didn’t seem to be much of an outcry from anyone that wasn’t a Christian. What does that tell you about the church’s reputation as a force for good and love and hope in Canada?
Shocking.
Our “normal” wasn’t working. The stats of Christianity in Canada for the past 40 years show the effects of our normal. Our normal is to focus primarily on keeping the saved saved. Our normal is to conduct religious services weekly. Our normal is to judge those not yet part of God’s family as those who have rejected the gospel instead of loving them as “not yet part of our family.” Our normal is to reserve our buildings for our own. Our normal is to spend our budget on ourselves. Our normal is to sing and preach to ourselves with no thought of those who have yet to come. Our normal has been to keep doing the same thing we’ve always done, expecting the same results.
Then, suddenly, COVID.
And we saw churches pivot their ministry in amazing ways. Suddenly, churches started an online ministry to reach those in their homes. Churches started prayer lines in their community available to anyone who had need. Churches engaged in digital ministry and saw people come to faith in Christ over Zoom. Churches got creative and innovative in how they conducted ministry. Churches became intentional in connection and relationship. Churches began serving their communities and meeting needs. Why? Because the world had changed, the church began to change, not the message but its methods.
Why not continue to embrace this spirit of innovation as we think about the Canadian church in the future and how it can honour Jesus by obeying His Great Commission?
Instead of going back to normal, here’s what the church in Canada needs to focus on:
Embrace Intentional Connection.
Don’t rely on the weekly Sunday gathering point. Instead, develop systems and strategies to support the relational connection between congregants and individuals in the broader community. The question, “do you know where the people are” should continue to be a part of your weekly analysis as you do the work of helping people find and follow Jesus. The Pandemic taught us that we couldn’t rely on a gathering, but we can get intentional about connecting to where they are. As people come out of isolation, there is an intense need to belong. Revive the phone tree, create environments for connection outside of the Sunday gathering, and develop a care ministry team to bring a greater level of care to the congregation. Watch this webinar on how to create a care ministry for your church.
Serve Your Community.
Why are you there except to bless your community? The church can serve their community through Pop Up Blessings, building community connections with other community builders, meeting needs in the community and utilizing your building. There are so many ways to serve your community. The question is, why aren’t you doing it? Serving the community should be the primary ministry activity that you engage in – bigger than your Sunday Service.
Digitize Your Ministry.
Digitizing goes way beyond offering your Sunday service online. It involves intentionally ministering to people online, which is more than 80% of your community. What are you saying to them? How are you encouraging them? How can you pray for them? If you think like this and minister in the digital sphere, you will begin to reach more Canadians because that’s where most of them are. Take a deeper dive by watching this video course on reaching new people online.
Prioritize Volunteer Culture.
Greater than Sunday morning attendance or small group attendance is your volunteer involvement at your church. Churches must develop and embrace their volunteers as the core component of their ministry. Volunteers must personally recruit, develop, train, and then be rewarded. Volunteers need to feel like a part of the bigger picture, not just a cog in the wheel. If you’re tracking your volunteer engagement and numbers and seeing them rise, you’ll see the impact of your church become greater. Check out this webinar to develop a healthy volunteer culture.
Reach Families With Young Kids.
Families with young kids are the primary growth engine of your church. The largest, least churched demographic in Canada are Millennials (25-35) with children ages 0-7. Drop whatever you’re doing and start reaching children. Host a “one day fun day” event or a lego party. Get intentional with reaching out to families with young children by doing something every month. Even churches without young families currently need to find ways of reaching young families. People who embrace the Christian faith between the ages of 4 and 14 are likely to maintain that faith into their adult years and subsequently value it for their children.
Leadership Development At Every Age and Stage.
The Pandemic taught us that one pastor isn’t enough. We need to mobilize hundreds of pastors and ministers. Churches must move away from the “one man/woman show” and get intentional about developing leaders throughout the organization. Develop a buddy system that intentionally develops people, and invest in your next generation as leaders, not as participants. The bottom line is that pastors must see themselves as equippers of the saints instead of caretakers of the saints. You need an intentional strategy to develop leaders and spiritual mothers and fathers.
Don’t return to normal. Embrace the innovation and creativity that has arisen during these past two years to focus on these things. Allow the Holy Spirit to direct and guide you to a more significant impact in your community. Why? Because Christ commands it and your community needs it. Oh, to see the 30,000 congregations in our nation increase their impact and help even more Canadians find and follow Jesus.
Jeremiah works as an Effectiveness Coach with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. He is a passionate and creative leader who believes that the church is the hope of the world. He uses collaboration, innovation, and inspiration to challenge churches and their leadership to engage in the only mission Jesus ever sent his church on: making disciples.