Re-Opening Is Easy; Re-Connecting, Not So Much.

Are you ready to get rid of the masks? Had enough of social distancing and quarantining? Let’s bring on the new normal, whatever that is! The problem is, the new normal will not arrive for a couple years yet. At least.

That’s according to Thom Rainer, a highly respected pastor and consultant, in his new book, The Post-Quarantine Church. We have no idea the lasting impact of quarantining and masking and social distancing on mental health, social interaction, our children or the Church. But the early signs are not good – for the first three.

Many churches have closed permanently during the pandemic, and the autopsy results are inconclusive as to whether they would have closed anyway: COVID may have hastened the inevitable. A lot of churches, though, have discovered some amazing and wonderful new directions in ministry. That includes us at Shepherd of the Hills.  The question becomes: how do we sustain these new approaches to reaching others with the love of God, or do we need even more creativity to navigate the pandemic waters?

Right near the top of our recently developed strategic plan is this: Rebuild our relational culture. That means living through the masks and preparing for life without them. It means restoring our people connections and building new ones. That sounds easy enough, but it’s not a matter of just opening the doors again. Re-opening is easy; re-connecting, not so much.
               
Here are the challenges we all have to deal with:

1. COVID. Well duh! COVID has cut off so many of our relationships, it’s hard to envision getting them back. But that’s what I believe we all want and we all need. We can’t even use our new Atrium for coffee and donuts like we planned! I hate COVID.
2. APATHY. Some of us feel we have enough connections in our lives, so we don’t need more. Ergo, we don’t try. But Philippians 2:1-5 turns that “me” thinking inside out: “Look to the interests of others before your own: the attitude of Jesus.”
3. RELUCTANCE. We have been blessed with a steady stream of newcomers, and their natural inclination is to wait for someone to notice them, talk to them, help them feel welcome. Some of us are natural introverts, so added to social distancing, we tend to sit out on the connecting thing.
4. NEED FOR ASSIMILATION. As more people come back or come in, they need some level of connection to Christ and to Christians. We all need to belong. That does not happen organically. We need to shepherd one another in that direction.
5. DIVERSITY. Or the lack thereof. Let’s face it: Greenville is extremely white, and SHLC is a reflection of the community. As the community grows and becomes more diverse, the church needs to reflect that as well.

 
Challenges are opportunities, so here’s where I believe we need to go (the technical term is Desired Outcomes):

1. FORGE AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS within our congregation and community. We need to care.
2. INSPIRE A GENUINE DESIRE TO REACH NEW PEOPLE and initiate gatherings with Christians and non-Christians.
3. INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY TO MINISTRY AND TO RELATIONSHIPS. Make it easier to connect.
4. CULTIVATE A MISSIONAL MINDSET in every member of our Church Family. We are ALL called to reach out.
5. ENCOURAGE PEOPLE NOT TO BE IN A HURRY TO LEAVE. Once you’re here, plan to stick around and meet people.

Toward these ends, God has inspired in us a roadmap (our Action Steps):

1. PREPARE FOR THE NEW NORMAL by being ready to fully re-open. When the masks come off, coffee and donuts come on.
2. INITIATE NEW STRATEGIES FOR SMALL GROUP INVOLVEMENT. We’re getting too big for everyone to do everything, or even to know everyone (I don’t, and I work here!). We need to help one another find a family within the Family.
3. EDIFY AND INITIATE SPECIAL GROUP MINISTRIES. We’ll bring back GriefShare, God’s Deer Camp and the like, and put together new ways for people of like minds and interests to come together.
4. GROW THE APPETITE TO APPRECIATE THE NEEDS OF OTHERS. We’ll equip our members to be Sunday Missionaries, Doorkeepers, New Member Mentors or part of the Visiting Team for our shut-ins, elderly, hospitalized or just lonely.
5. USE TECHNOLOGY TO CONNECT. We’re going to expand our digital footprint and use new and various platforms to communicate, text, post and generally reach each other with words of encouragement or opportunities for involvement.
6. EXPAND THE INTENTIONAL WELCOMING AND CONNECTING OF NEW MEMBERS. This is where a Mentor Ministry comes in, along with purposeful planning for our newest brothers and sisters to get acclimated to life at SHLC.
7. DEVELOP MISSIONAL AWARENESS IN EVERY MEMBER. This is not just outside mission projects and overseas organizations – though we will renew our focus on those, too. It’s the missional mind that goes up to someone and says, “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Steve.”
8. INSPIRE CONFIDENCE IN MEMBERS TO STEP OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONES and engage in authentic relationships. I know you’re comfortable with your family and your close friends. Jesus calls all of us His close friends, His Family. We need to open our hearts and minds to opportunities to help others feel the love of Jesus like we do. He works through us.

 
That’s a lot to take in, so we’ll all have to read through it a few more times and pray about it even more times. As you do, consider these Action Steps from Hebrews 10:   “Because of Jesus, let us draw near to God with a since heart in full assurance of faith… Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together … but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” I call this passage the Church Salad because of all the “Let Us” (see what I did there?).

And the Day approaching is not the day of herd immunity. It is the Day of Jesus, coming back to see how we’ve done. Starting now.

In Christ,

Pastor Steve Kline