Has this ever happened to you; there is a TV show you love to stream and either you get distracted between seasons or there are some production delays, so a significant amount of time has passed between watching the last season and the newest season? There is so much excitement when you begin watching the new season as you recall how great the last season was. Then you start watching the show and somehow, it’s different from what you remembered. Maybe your favorite character has left, maybe the storyline hasn’t changed or changed too much, maybe you overly romanticized the show and now you’re disappointed. Or maybe you are in a different place in life, and you relate to the characters a little less.  

You know what’s funny, in some ways this is how people are experiencing their return to living life in public, more specifically, this is how we’re experiencing our return to an in-person Christian community. As a leader in a community, it would be easy to assume that each member “returning” to our sanctuary is ready to rock and roll picking things up where we left them at the end of season three. But this is one of those seasons that opens with “three years later” and we have to spend the first half of the new season catching up.

We will be doing ourselves a disservice to believe that everything is the same, can be the same, or should be the same as it was before the pandemic. I know a lot of community members and leaders are wondering what ministries will look like as guidelines change and vaccines continue to roll out. I am a firm believer that each ministry’s answer to this question will be and should be different. But as we move into the next season of our ministries here are two things I’m thinking about:

We cannot pretend everything and everyone is the same.

This last Sunday, I connected with a family I hadn’t seen in a while. We’ve connected on Facebook, we’ve emailed about some service projects, and the ministries their kids are a part of. Although we have stayed connected in these ways, they have not been physically in worship for fourteen months. Fourteen months. As we chatted I started to really notice the people walking through the sanctuary doors. Then it hit me, while I have known these people for some time a lot may have happened since I last saw them. It would be silly to assume that after a year and a half that anyone would be fully the same person they were before and therefore why would we assume our community is the same? Have you ever thought about how much can happen in one's life after so many months? In some ways as our communities return in-person, we are creating a whole new community. It’s almost like you’re joining a new church or taking a new call; the first phase is getting to know the community.

As we begin to gather again and see some people for the first time in a while, let’s not assume we know this version of each other. Our experiences over the last several months have influenced how we see and experience life. Our experiences of grief, loneliness, isolation, loss, and rage have shaped us. Just as our experiences of joy, new life, love, accomplishment, and healing have changed us. I think one of the best investments we can make right now is in getting to know our community once again. There is no need to assume, instead let’s hold a posture of curiosity and a desire to know one another.

Take a moment to focus and be grounded in a fundamental truth.

As we enter a new era in our ministries, we will need to hold in tension our desire to do everything and our true mission (whatever that is for your community). I already see communities reaching for all the things that sound fun, trying to make up for lost events and experiences. I am deeply hopeful as things continue to evolve in a positive direction for my community, but I don’t want to romanticize the idea of community so much that we do not love or lead our people well.

I want to encourage you as well to take a moment to focus and get grounded in your mission and values so that when the desire to guide people into returning to church arises, you will have something firm to stand on. As I sit in meetings about sermon series, worship plans, and community outreach opportunities, I’m trying to remember how these ideas fit into a large narrative both missionally and biblically. So if the question we’re pondering is, what does post-pandemic community look like? I argue to start with your mission and theological framework. What is your understanding of community? How is that different and similar to Christian community? What purpose does community serve in our ministries? Is it to get people committed to the church you lead? Is it to be a gateway to dollars and keeping the church alive? Sometimes our actions make it seem like the latter are our true desires.

When I think of the Christian community I hope for, it’s one of transformation, redemption, and reconciliation. A community that reminds each other of who we are in Christ and how we are loved when we forget our value. A place that seeks justice, liberation, and serves beyond itself. This isn’t a thought experiment for one, but for all, every leader and member can benefit from a moment to reset and reframe our work as move forward. 

One final thought, and listen close, I’m going to tell you something you may already know but you might need to hear anyway. This is not a competition. This is not a race. There is not a trophy to be won here. We are too diverse, and our needs are too great to be in a competition mindset. Lean into one another's strengths and strive to love your community the best way that you can.