Six Expectations For The Post-Pandemic Church

Mark Tidsworth, Team Leader

Now that things are opening up, with the possibility of returning to life as it was, many are recognizing they can't go back. They are different people now, having grown and changed during the pandemic. Going back to that job, relationship, values, theology, and church life in exactly the same way would be disingenuous, since they are different people now. Sometimes, snapping back is impossible. Mostly, we call that spiritual growth.

This pandemic was not for naught, bringing transformation. Those with the eyes to see saw the curtain pulled back on our society, what we value, and how we are church together; to mention only a few areas of life that needed transformation. The pandemic has functioned like the refiner’s fire, burning away the inconsequential and leaving only that which is of substance. When this happens, it’s impossible to return to life as we have known it, having to sacrifice our integrity were we to do so. Going back, functioning exactly as we did before, would require us to shrink from the spiritual growth gained during our recent exile to pandemic-land.

So what are churches to do? Most are still organized as they were before, continuing the same “menu of activities,” so to speak. Next week’s article will describe proactive moves for churches. First though, let’s consider what we might expect from our people and churches in the coming months.

Expect relationship shifting, given the deep hunger for authentic and genuine community

What was social distancing like for you? Though there are significant differences in how we experienced it, the distancing in our relationships gave birth to two insights. First, we realized we need one another far more than we thought. Remember the loneliness? Now, more than ever, we recognize the Church has something powerful this world needs: community. We are the body of Christ, connected with each other through unseen spiritual ties. At the same time, we now realize we need each other in very different ways than we previously believed. We are hungry for deep, authentic and genuine relationships far more than shallow, distant relationships. So in church, we can expect friendship groups to change, Bible Study groups to shift, and coalitions to realign. This deep hunger for more authentic and genuine relationships will change the relational dynamics and friendship networks in every congregation.

Expect a ravenous hunger for robust spiritual enrichment

The refiner’s fire (pandemic) revealed much about the strength of our faith and nature of our theology. In the process, some decided their faith was done, walking away from organized religion. Others experienced a refining process while cloistered in their homes, becoming more vulnerable and available with God. Through these experiences, many of us have lost our appetite for spiritual milk, hungry for solid food. Now we want to go deeper, engaging with God in ever deeper, more significant ways. Sunday School, Bible Studies, and other ways of spiritual enrichment that avoided the real issues of life or skimmed the surface won’t hold attention long in this post-pandemic environment. Besides, when one manages a long-term crisis (pandemic), using our spiritual energy to keep ourselves upright and centered, our tanks get low. Expect many to come back to church with a ravenous hunger for robust spiritual enrichment.

Expect participation pattern shifting

An extended family member works for a video-design company in the Atlanta area. Pre-pandemic, they required all employees to live in Atlanta. Now they don’t, recognizing the exceptional talent they’ve recruited from around the country as a result of allowing those persons to live where they want. This, and so many other workplace innovations, are happening all around us. People are not returning to the workplace as if nothing ever happened. So it’s very likely they will bring that mindset to church life. Pre-pandemic in-personal worship attendance was declining. Now worshippers can be in-person or online. Participation in church life patterns pre-pandemic changed, not to return to their previous expression.

Expect resignations from and volunteering for church leadership

This is the bad news and the good news, all in one statement. As we are discussing, many are evaluating their relationships with their church, including those in leadership. Plenty are deciding that if the current call of their church is to lead their church toward doing what it was doing pre-pandemic, they are moving on. They find this prospect depressing and discouraging. These are the people resigning from leadership positions. Simultaneously, there are others who discovered a new love and appreciation for their churches during the pandemic. The refiner’s fire revealed their need for church, igniting new passion within them for participation. These persons are glad to step into leadership roles, eager to partner in mission and ministry. Either way, church leaders should expect to see shuffling in and out of church leadership during the coming months.

Expect structural breakdown and re-formation

If the previous expectations are even slightly close to accurate, then we can expect our church structures to be outdated. They were designed for the church of…I dare not give a date, recognizing many church structures were outdated way before this pandemic arrived. Regardless, we can expect burst wineskins as the new wine of transformed disciples is poured into them. Church structures from 2019 were not designed to support the kind of disciples and mission that are emerging here in 2021. We can expect our organizational structures to break down while new structural forms are taking shape.

Expect more truth-telling and less truth-avoiding

Those of you who are under age 35 know why this expectation is in play. Those over age 35…I hope you are in conversation with those under age 35. Here’s a sample from one recent conversation. “As someone under 35, I have asked that question often and still do. We've been sold a "false bill of sale" by many "professionals" and "leaders" in our short time of adulthood. I guess it's one reason we are so skeptical. We long to find something genuine.” Here in our Postmodern world, distrust for leaders and organizations was already rampant. Now, the pandemic plus the crazy political situation are amplifying distrust. Why should we trust you church leaders and church? When so many other organizations and their leadership turn out to be self-serving and complicit with the dysfunction in our culture, what makes you different? When people grow up with these questions front and center, expect them to come to church speaking their truth and quickly detecting mission-incongruence. Toleration and patience for those who pretend they are something they are not is very low. Expect more truth-telling in church life.

So, what do you think and how do you feel about this expectations list? Maybe we are a mix of encouraged and concerned. Either way, this leads us to next week’s article, being proactive church in this kind of context. May we live into this adventure of Jesus well, trusting the One who knows how to navigate changing waters.