I Don't Want to Go Back to Pre-COVID "Normal"

Following is a letter I wrote to our 90+ church/school employees that I wanted to share with our Church family (and beyond).  Let's see COVID-19 as a great opportunity to move forward, not backward.

COVID-19 caught the world by surprise and resulted in death and destruction globally.  The closing of businesses, mandated quarantines and shortage of toilet paper wreaked havoc, created anxiety and increased depression.  Like so many others, I have found myself occasionally on the roller coaster of emotions; until I embraced the perspective that God is still in control and “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Believing that God is completely in control, I have to tell you how excited I am about the opportunities COVID-19 is giving our church & school ministry. While some are discouraged, I am truly giddy over this God-given opportunity for enhancement and improvement. I see COVID-19 as an opportunity to hit the “reset” button across this ministry. God is giving us a blank canvas or clean slate by which to throw-off the old and embrace new ideas for effectively reaching and impacting people with the Gospel. 

I often hear people say they want to “return to normal,” but let me remind you what pre-COVID “normal” looked like: 

• In January 2018, Thom Rainer – CEO of LifeWay Resources stated – “Between 6,000 and 10,000 churches in the U.S. are dying each year. That means around 100-200 churches will close this week. The pace will accelerate unless our congregations make some dramatic changes.”
• In April 2019, Jeffrey M. Jones with Gallup reported that church membership in America has declined 20% since 1999.
• In Monroe, Dade & Broward counties, multiple Christian schools closed and enrollment was declining in many others.

Wanting to go back to that “normal” is like wanting to go back to the “good ol’ days” of no electricity; no indoor plumbing; a lack of education in the 1940’s; violence of the 1950’s; sex, drugs & rock-n-roll of the 1960’s; the energy crisis of the 1970’s; the recession of the 1980’s; and so on. It’s like the Israelites wanting to return to Egypt. Too often, we only remember the good things, the comfortable things and we forget the rest. 

So, rather than looking backward, I want to ask you to join me in focusing on the future.  Will you dream with me?  Will you have the courage to launch out as Abram did, not knowing where he was going; but trusting God to lead him?  Will you trust God’s plans for you as Jeremiah described them, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Will you pray the prayer of Jabez, asking God to “…bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory…”?

Returning to “normal” is merely going back to what is comfortable, to a place you have already been, and to things you have already done. I hope that you, like me, want to see God do something new and miraculous through Grace & Highlands in the days ahead.

I am inviting you to trust God and see if COVID-19 is the start of something fresh and new!  Be encouraged by Isaiah 43:19 – “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

Our senior staff is meeting weekly to evaluate and dream about the future of our church and school ministry. I will be meeting with Department Heads in the weeks ahead to hear the vision God is giving them regarding how to reach and minister to those He has placed in their care. All employees are invited to share ideas with me via email or come by and let’s discuss them. I also ask everyone to pray… pray… pray!  We want to hear God’s heart and follow His leading.  I am claiming the promise of Psalm 37:23 – “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…”

I am truly excited about the opportunities that this season of COVID-19 will present us moving forward… although I am also looking forward to the day it passes and we can enjoy whatever the “new normal" might be. :)

The Church - Post-Pandemic

Here at Grace Church in Pompano Beach, FL we are searching and praying for God’s direction regarding how to grow this local church in the post-pandemic world. Some estimate that 20% of the world's churches that existed pre-COVID will close as a result of the pandemic. Some estimate that church attendance will never be what it was pre-COVID. Most agree that church giving will see somewhere around a 20% average decrease.  Certainly there will be some changes and “yes” the church will look different, BUT I am trusting that God knows exactly how to build and bless HIS Church, regardless of the difficulties.

When you look back through history, you see that the early church faced many hardships and extreme opposition from the Jewish establishment, as well as, the Roman empire. That persecution drove the Church at Jerusalem to scatter, thus resulting in the Gospel being carried around the world. History records Christ-followers beheaded and tortured as martyrs for their faith. For centuries, missionaries have sacrificed their lives to share the Gospel with unreached people groups. Many believers have and continue to risk their lives meeting in underground churches, while others are being killed under the guise of ethnic cleansing. When the world was not busy opposing the Church, denominations launched attacks against one another leading to persecution and sectarian violence. The truth is that the Church has faced opposition and hardship since her inception, but God has always protected HIS Church.  Historically, the Church has flourished in the face of adversity and I believe it is going to happen, again!

Strength and unity are often the result of hardship. No doubt that this pandemic has presented a great hardship for the Church around the world. In a post-COVID world, the result may be that churches will return to being laser-focused on their purpose for existence. Seeker-sensitive will be replaced by disciple-driven strategies. Attractional methods of church growth will be replaced by a return to one-on-one evangelism. Theatrical performances and Sunday sermonettes will be replaced by authentic worship, powerful sermons and strategic disciple-making. The vertical church or Sunday experience will be replaced by the horizontal church, made-up of various teaching opportunities all week long. Online church experiences are here to stay and must be embraced.  Sadly, physical attendance will probably be seen as optional for many, but the fellowship of saints gathering in worship will grow sweeter and sweeter. The rush to end services "on-time" so people can get to the restaurants will be replaced by saints hanging-out and savoring their time together.  These are just a few of the changes I see coming and I believe there will be many, many more... and not all bad.

So, let me encourage you not to be overcome by changes resulting from COVID-19. Instead, be encouraged. I believe these changes can be opportunities for the post-pandemic church to flourish. The fluff and fillers that many have relied on to draw crowds and the shows that have lined the pockets of far too many false prophets, will be replaced by people seeking to dig deeper and find real meaning in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Change is not always a bad thing, and in this case, it could be one of the greatest things that helps bring the Church back to what God designed her to be.

Remembering 9/11 & Prayer for Our Nation

 

Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001?  I remember it like it happened yesterday. I was in my office at Grace Fellowship Church in West Palm Beach, FL and heard a lady named MaryAnn running down the hall and shouting, “A plane just hit the World Trade Center.” People left their offices and gathered in front of the TV located in our preschool courtyard to watch the reports and witness the next plane hitting the second of the twin towers. Then came the report of the plane hitting the Pentagon… then of United flight #93 crash landing in the field.  We knew that our nation was under attack!  A sense of panic could be seen on the faces of those present. It was not long, before parents arrived to pull their children out of school, just to hold them close and retreat to the safety of their home. Fear was moving quickly across our nation.

I remember in the days immediately following the attack that patriotism was at an all-time high. American flags could be seen flying on houses, businesses, vehicles and almost anywhere they could be mounted. Demand was high and it was difficult to find an American flag in any store -- and God help the person who would dare to disrespect our flag in public! Red, white and blue colors were seen everywhere and on everything. When the National Anthem was played, it was as though every American would stand tall, puff out his chest and feel that sense of being proud to be an American.  Americans laid aside their differences and stood united against the cowardly enemy that had attacked our great nation. The enemy did not attack white lives, black lives, brown lives, Republicans or Democrats; they attacked the United States of America!

In the weeks that followed the attack, churches were full of people seeking answers and comfort to the senseless attacks.  The recruiting offices were full of people enlisting to defend our freedoms. Patriotic songs were being written, patriotic concerts were being sponsored, people were hailing the first responders (including police) as heroes, and funds were being raised for the families of the victims. There was a spirit of unity and patriotism like I had never witnessed in my lifetime.

Today, we remember the 19^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks; but what a difference nineteen years can make!  Today, patriotism seems at an all-time low, our flag is being burned, overpaid athletes kneel during our National Anthem, the NFL promotes segregation by playing 2 national anthems; the divide of racism is growing wider by the day; anarchist thugs are rioting, looting and murdering;  politics are fueling hatred (both parties); and our nation is more divided than I could have ever imagined.  

The United States of America is not black, white, brown, blue, red or any other color – it includes people of every color! America is a nation of diversity. That diversity includes skin colors, languages, ethnicities, nationalities, political parties and so much more. We are not a 3^rd world nation nor a Communist regime that makes changes through coups, revolutions, anarchy or any other primitive means. We are a sophisticated nation with rules, laws and a proven political system that gives each citizen a voice/vote in the direction of our nation.

Today, America finds herself in a much different place than we were on the weeks after 9.11.01, but the of strife and disunity did not happen overnight. Many college professors have been indoctrinating students with Marxism for decades. Many educators have been rewriting history to suit their slant or agenda. Pro-death groups have devalued the sanctity of human life from the womb to the tomb. Helicopter parents have proclaimed their children perfect and have embraced the art of blame shifting. Authorities have been deemed evil and unworthy of respect. The welfare system has created the socialist distribution mentality. People now choose to sue, rather than resolve. The point is that we are simply reaping what we have been sowing for decades and our country is at a point of crisis.

So what is the answer? I suggest there are two, 1) the American Church must humble itself, pray, seek God’s face and turn from her wicked way (2 Chronicles 7:14). Only God can bring peace to our nation, as no political party is going to make that happen. 2) Americans must stop fighting over differences, find unity in our diversity, and rekindle our national pride. The United States of America is still the greatest nation on earth, as proven by those who sacrifice everything to come here.

Today, let us take a few moments to remember the victims, families and heroes of September 11, 2001. Let us also take a few minutes to pray for our nation, citizens, leaders and future.

God bless America!