covid-19

More than 1 in 10 pastors admitted to contemplating suicide in the past year according to the 2021 Pastoral Mental Health Report compiled by...

Ministry Brands recently released findings from a survey regarding the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. Over 1,400 church leaders from across the country responded to...

Planning Christmas events and services takes coordination, communication, vision, and attention to detail. In 2020, we’ll add Plan B and Plan C contingencies for COVID-19 and any other surprises this year holds.

Around late summer, most churches start looking towards Fall and what events to host that time of year. Obviously, 2020 is anything but a typical year. Even planning weekly services is influx based on the spread of COVID-19 in your region. How do you prepare for an event 2-3 months out when you don't even know what next week will bring?

I am not a naturally gifted speaker. I have worked really hard to improve as a communicator. One of the areas I had struggled in for a long time was speaking directly to a camera. If you have spent many years speaking to a live audience, then speaking straight to a camera in an empty room is quite different. When the congregation laughs at a joke or is audibly engaged in the message, it builds my confidence as a communicator. It also gives me momentum as the sermon progresses. This all goes away when preaching directly at a camera.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had to contend with a new normal. Phrases like 'social distancing' and 'contact tracing' weren’t familiar terms until a few weeks ago. Large gatherings aren’t safe anymore, so we’re all turning to online forms of meeting and communication. This, of course, includes weekly church services. With state governors ordering people to shelter in place, church leaders were left scrambling in recent weeks to ramp up or start from scratch with online streaming services and more.

Many churches are beginning to prepare to reopen for in-person services as their local authorities permit. As you consider how to safely welcome people back to church services, there are several components for which to plan.

As businesses, schools, and churches close their doors to slow the spread of COVID-19, will charitable giving take a hit? It's possible, but churches can take steps to ensure their organizations, members, and communities will continue to be served well. Coronavirus is reshaping how we do church.‍