Lessons Learned from Covid-19

It is July 2020 and I am looking back from the perspective of 6 months of hindsight.

What have been some of the lessons that churches have been learning the last six months in this context where things are not so bad, then get worse, then get better, then get worse ....?

1. Communicate with clarity. 
Whatever you decide to do or not do, let the church and the community know what the plans are - phone, text, email, newsletter, website, Facebook, etc.

2. Figure out what the priorities are for helping people grow in Christ:

• Should we offer worship services both in the building, in the parking lot and online? Should we have multiple times and rooms to attend worship?
• Should we offer small groups in the building, online and in homes?
• Should we step up efforts to help individuals read, pray and study on their own and with their family in their home?

3. Figure out the best way to help people give their offerings in person, through the mail or online.

4. Help church members learn how to do meetings and groups online through Facebook, Google, Zoom,  FaceTime and other avenues.

5. Increase the communication network of your church so that people are contacted every week - people who are part of a small group and those who aren't.

6. Find ways to increase engagement of the people who watch online using things like discussion questions, homework assignments, links to resources, testimonies,  interviews, video clips and family or small group discussions.

7. Learn how to not just make people who attend feel safer, but actually be safer. Doing things like cleaning surfaces, opening doors, provide fresh or filtered air, physical distancing, wearing masks, smaller groups, and so forth.

​8. Learn new ways to do group meetings - conferences, camps, VBS, business meetings, Bible studies, staff meetings and leadership training.

9. Look for ways to meet community needs - food, clothes, job search help, tutoring, support groups, counseling, etc.

10. Be flexible and adaptable. Be a learner. Help people cope with change.

11. Be empathetic with people who have a different experience than you do. Some people are young and healthy and not worried, others are at risk. Some lost their jobs and may not get them back, some work at home, and others are on the front line and face incredible stress wondering if they will carry some germs back and infect their whole family. Some are happy to quarantine and relax, while others miss the chance to travel and see children and grandchildren.

12. Be patient. Some problems can't be solved in 3 weeks or 3 months. 

13. Practice and get better at online communication - better sound, better lighting, better camera angles, better eye contact, how close to zoom in on the speaker, etc.

14. Posting worship and Bible study videos online can help reach dozens or hundreds of new people but there should also be an effort to followup and engage them so that they learn to enjoy fellowship with the church family in-person as well.

15. Individuals tend to get lost in the scope of the world, countries, cultures and statistics. People talk about the 1918 Flu Pandemic but they don't personally know how individual people and families were affected. Someday, it will be the same for the 2020 pandemic. 100 years from now, people will read about the statistics in a history book. But when you are living in the middle of it as we are now, what matters is the individual. Who are we praying for, who are we serving, who are we sharing our faith with? Jesus said the shepherd left the 99 and went to look for the one sheep that needed help.