By JR Horn, Church Coach
It’s not an easy time to lead a church. None of us anticipated this. We didn’t have a contingency plan in place just in case a mass pandemic broke out (and if you did, we thought you were crazy, sorry). We’re all trying to figure things out one day at a time. As a church coach with Team Expansion, I enjoy the privilege of talking with the leaders of churches across the US. I get to share in their wisdom and maybe even contribute a few of the things God has taught me in my many years serving the Church.
As I’ve heard many leaders share their reopening plans (and seen a few already execute them), here are three things I’ve found that are essential to reopening well:
1. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
As you sit and ponder your plans to open, the number one thing you cannot afford to skip right now is detailed communication. Communication with your elders, staff, key volunteers, and eventually your entire congregation, is a must! Have all your leaders signed off on the plan? Does your staff know what their role looks like on the first Sunday? Do you have volunteers in place who will stick to the plan? With so much going on, it’s easy to assume we have communicated to someone when we in fact we have not. You can never communicate too much!
Utilize social media to communicate what it will look like on the first Sunday with a picture of the auditorium or a walkthrough of the lobby. Communicate your plans so that everyone understands that you are taking their safety seriously. Communicate to those staying home that they are perfectly fine to make that decision (most churches have reported about 20% attendance upon first reopening). When we communicate thoroughly, we are less likely to make silly mistakes and more likely to create the safe environment we are striving for.
2. Don’t Etch Your Plans in Stone
I have talked with many ministers over the past weeks as well have collaborated on their plans to reopen. One key principle I would ensure each minister would know is “Be a Student on your first Sunday opening”. We can plan and prepare until we are blue in our face, but we are all sort of shooting from the hip here. When have you done this before? Odds are, you haven’t. So make plans, think through even the smallest of details, but please, give yourself and your staff some slack on your first Sunday opening back up. Learn from what went well and what fell short and make the appropriate changes for the following week. You got this!
3. Think about both audiences
When COVID-19 came out and social distancing practices were put into place, churches all across the nation (and world) were shoved into the online streaming community. Many had no clue how to do this, but adapted and became proficient in streaming their services online for their congregation. The issue that we are going to run into now is that we MUST keep both audiences in mind.
Your congregation has latched on to your online presence and will most likely expect you to keep up that level of quality. Keep in mind, you have to think about both audiences moving forward as you plan your services. For instance, when you give an announcement and ask your people to sign up at the “Welcome Center”, how does your online church family sign up? Keeping both audiences in mind will allow you to care for each person and move them toward Jesus.
Keep it up!
What you do matters and even right now, when everything seems upside down, keep moving forward with the call that Jesus placed on all of which is to go and make disciples. Many Team Expansion workers are finding that people are more receptive to the Gospel during this time. People want hope, meaning, and purpose – and you have the ability to share that with them. You can do that online or even with a mask on. You got this!
Would you like to have a group of fellow church leaders who you can share ideas with (and steal ideas from)? I’ve started up some regular Zoom meetings with ministers across the nation for exactly that purpose. It’s been a huge help as we navigate all this to have fellow leaders who can help us filter and refine our ideas (and who understand the struggles). We’d love to have you join us. Sign up here to get notified of upcoming meetings.
About JR Horn
JR served in pastoral ministry for 15+ years in Kentucky and Wisconsin, but his desire to see churches become active participants in fulfilling the Great Commission led him into full-time service with Team Expansion. Today, JR helps churches become strategic and intentional with local and global missions. JR and his wife, Heather, are active foster and adoptive parents and have three kids. In their free time, you’ll find them riding their motorcycles together any chance they can get.
