The COVID-19 pandemic will surely have a long-term impact on the financial life of congregations, regardless of their denomination, size or makeup. How can churches survive and even thrive in a post-pandemic landscape?
Our colleagues at Faith & Leadership asked 12 church and ministry leaders in a variety of contexts across the country to share their views of the future.
They spoke about matters of dollars and cents -- the need for online giving, for example. But they went beyond that, reflecting on the broader challenges and shifting roles facing churches on the other side of the pandemic.
No one knows the answers. But the question, as one participant put it, is clear: "Is this the death of the church or the rebirth?"
COVID-19 presents us with overwhelming daily challenges, but we must also begin to consider what's ahead, writes the managing director of Alban at Duke Divinity School.
It's time to start asking new questions. Better answers to the same old questions about the church will not get us through the tumultuous times in which we live. This is a time for out-of-the box thinking. Old questions keep is in the box. New questions invite us to move outside.
In this article adapted from their 2003 book Holy Conversations, two Alban authors reflect on assumptions and pitfalls that can weigh down a congregational planning process.
How do you lead an organization stuck between an ending and a new beginning-when the old way of doing things no longer works but a way forward is not yet clear? Beaumont calls such in-between times liminal seasons-threshold times when the continuity of tradition disintegrates and uncertainty about the future fuels doubt and chaos. In a liminal season it simply is not helpful to pretend we understand what needs to happen next. But leaders can still lead.
How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You're Going is a practical book of hope for tired and weary leaders who risk defining this era of ministry in terms of failure or loss. It helps leaders stand firm in a disoriented state, learning from their mistakes and leading despite the confusion. Packed with rich stories and real-world examples, Beaumont guides the reader through practices that connect the soul of the leader with the soul of the institution.
