What Coronavirus Reveals About Church

If church is all about Sunday then for many of us church is effectively over for the time being. If church is about putting on a good show on Sunday then church is done for the foreseeable future.

You and I both know that isn't what church is really about and that the church carries on even if we can't walk in the door. In many regards church may be at its best right now than it has been in a while. Members are serving and loving and connecting via social media. Needs are being met. People are being checked on.

What is most important is becoming obvious in a way it couldn't before all this happened.
The big question is, what changes when we return to assembling? Does this change anything? Does it deepen our relationships? Does it change our emphases? What is going to be different, if anything, when we return and all of this settles out?

I believe we have a tremendous opportunity to put some pieces in place that weren't there before. There are ministries that need re-focused. We need to be thinking about that now. There are things we don't need to keep doing. That will become clearer and clearer as things progress.

But maybe the biggest question of all is, are we even willing to consider these things or is our church culture so strong that homeostasis (reverting to the same state) will instantly set in with a gravitational pull back to tradition that no amount of energy can generate escape velocity to a better approach?

Let’s be reminded of Acts 4. The church in struggle becomes a bold church.

Let’s recall Acts 8, a church scattered is a church spreading the gospel.

Let’s look at 1 Peter 1 again, a faith tested results in glorifying God.

Let’s not lose sight of the opportunity for fear of the threat. We cannot come back from this as if it never happened.