Are you getting warmer or colder?
Winter draws on, as my grandmother used to say; the days are getting shorter and the mornings crisper. This autumn is a strange season! As a church leader, Sunday by Sunday I’m used to knowing where everyone is. In pre-Covid times, I worked from the assumption that around two thirds of our regular Sunday congregations would be in church each week. Now, since we reopened for in-person services in the spring, we continue to see people drifting back into our building to worship together. But there’s a pattern emerging across English churches, and St Mary of Bethany is no exception: some of our most faithful members have yet to appear in person. While we see people returning every Sunday, it’s proving to be a slow process.
Having returned to church life myself recently, I’d like to offer a few potential reasons people might give for staying at home, and give some gentle encouragements or challenges along the way.
‘I like watching church on my telly, in my jammies, with a coffee.’
Indeed, who doesn’t? Some people have found that arrangements which were ‘needs must’ during lockdown are actually quite appealing. Why would I sit in a chilly building, with the risk of Covid it entails, when I can stay cosily tucked up at home? The danger is that Covid has made us passive receivers of worship rather than active participants. Just as lockdowns have isolated us from one another and focused us narrowly on our own felt needs, some may have forgotten that worship services are not only a setting where you receive something from God and other people. No: worship services are places where you can bless and encourage God and others by your participation and presence. Also, much of the friction present in our national and community life at the moment is simply a result of people not being in the same room talking to each other. We don’t know how people are doing, because we haven’t caught up with them in a quick conversation over coffee or a quiet moment. Mature Christians ask what they will bring to a worship service and how God will use them in it, not just what they will receive from it.
Should we, then, stop live-streaming and prioritise everybody being in the building? I don’t think so. We committed very early in the first lockdown to continue to live-stream services indefinitely, and we made it clear that we regard online and offline participation as equally valid. Live-streaming kept weekly worship alive for most of our church family in lockdown, but it also opened up our church. Those who cannot get to physical church for health or mobility reasons have felt much more a part of our community. Our fringe has grown, as family members or former members who do not live locally have joined us online. Our ‘shop window’ has changed: before Covid, newcomers would check our website before trying us in person; now they join us online first. We have recently booked in a number of weddings and baptisms from people who first joined us online. All these people are on a journey nearer to God with us. Some people argue that live-streaming discourages people from participation in physical church; the evidence across the wider church is mounting that, in fact, live-streaming encourages people to be part of our vibrant faith community. This is all part of the picture which has been emerging in the last few years of a church without walls.
One thing I’ve heard a number of people say after they return to physical church for the first time is, ‘I was really moved – it was better than I expected.’ Watching a live-stream cannot give you the full experience of being in the building. It’s the same difference as watching ballet, theatre or opera on a screen; it’s a fantastic way to bring it to people who cannot always get to a live event, it opens up accessibility and opportunity, but it isn’t a match for being there. Don’t underestimate what the Holy Spirit will do when you are with your Christian brothers and sisters in person. If you’re holding back from coming to the building, but you’re out and about at the pub, seeing friends and family, at groups, work, school or whatever, can I warmly invite you to return? We would love to see you and it will really bless us to have you here.
‘I’ll come back when the 9.15/11am/children’s/youth etc. restarts.’
It’s fantastic to be able to welcome back families, and meet new ones, now that our Sunday children’s and youth programme has restarted. We continue to follow Covid protocols and this is going well.
You may be getting bored of hearing us say that we plan to move to two services when we have the resources. At the moment that feels like it may be some way off – none of our teams, from welcoming and stewarding to hospitality, audio-visual, music or prayer ministry is anywhere near having enough people to sustain two services every week. You can of course be part of the solution to this, by offering to help with one of our teams. However, we want to acknowledge that, for some in our church family, coming into a large gathering of people in an enclosed space feels very difficult at the moment. As we minister to each other, it’s OK to be exactly where you are, whether that’s confident, anxious or whatever. It’s important to be understanding of each other and recognise that you don’t know how others are doing if you haven’t spoken to them.
Just now we are regathering in one place at 10.30am, and this feels significant. The simple act of worshipping all together has been important since the first lockdown. We have learned to accommodate the full range of worshipping preferences in our church family, without the service feeling like a ‘lowest common denominator’. In this period of rebuilding, I think it’s important that we regather together before we split things up. At the same time, I understand some people feel the need for weekly Communion and a slightly more traditional service, and others who enjoy something more informal. If you’re holding out for the right style of service, consider joining us at 10.30 every now and then, for some of the reasons above.
‘I don’t want to wear a mask’ or, on the other hand, ‘I don’t feel safe.’
Hands up everyone who loves masks? Sorry, I can’t see a thing – my glasses have steamed up! We are constantly reviewing our Covid protocols in dialogue with other churches locally and nationally. At the moment we are at the more restrictive end of what churches are doing about mask-wearing. This is under review and we hope to move to something less restrictive soon. Bear in mind, though, that we want to include in our services people who are anxious and feel vulnerable. I’ve had conversations with people who will not come to a service where everyone is unmasked, and others with people who won’t come if they have to wear a mask. Again, the key is bearing with each other.
So, then, are you getting warmer or colder?
Are you getting closer to God or further away? Nearer to being a full part of our church family or is this more remote? If you haven’t yet dipped your toe in the water of a physical church service, but you could, come on in: the water’s lovely!
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