Church Leaders, Quit Blaming It All On Covid

First sentence: I am as guilty as anyone else. There, I said it. If you need to, read that first sentence again and again and again.

This post is not meant to cast blame. It is meant for ME first. I need this. I am guilty of this. Are you getting the point?

If you think I am talking about “your” church or “your” elders or whatever, I am not, unless they happen to fall under the same heading that I am writing about for ME.

Here is the simple point: we are now over 610 days into 15 days to slow the spread. We are 20+ months into a “month or two” to flatten the curve. We have been through multiple surges, many changes in policy, ups and downs, all four seasons (three of them twice), and through seemingly every point of contention possible.

And that was not a political statement. Those words are true of our congregations just as much as they are true of any nation, state, or municipality. Church leaders have tried to make decisions and rethink decisions and listen to input from members and try to consider public policy. They are tired. They are frustrated. Some have quit (understandably).

But I fear that we–notice again, I am including myself–have also fallen into a trap that we need to get out of. Because Covid has depressed numbers and/or engagement and because it has caused us to necessarily change how we do certain things functionally, we have sometimes started to view any issue through that lens and blame everything on Covid.

And we need to stop it.

Some people have left congregations. Maybe Covid policies played a role in their departure, but it is most likely that it was not the sole reason. Covid may be their stated reason, but it’s not the only reason. Something else also plays a part.

Some might still come, but have dropped off engagement, maybe to zero. They show up (sometimes) but they no longer teach or come to any fellowship activities or even do much visiting with other members. Covid may be part of their reasoning–and it might be what they say because it is an easy excuse to fall back on–but something else is going on.

Some congregations are simply blaming depressed numbers and activities on Covid only. “When this lets up, we’ll be back to normal.” Will you? When numbers were way down this summer, many congregations did not go back to normal. We are letting Covid dictate church policy instead of letting Scripture and wise but fearless spiritual leaders do so.

I am not saying Covid is fake. I am not saying it is not a threat. I am also not saying we should just act like it isn’t still “a thing.”

But I am saying that we have to to look at ourselves as leaders and ask if we are blaming every negative thing that happens on it. It may play a part; in fact, it probably does to some degree. But it is not the only thing that causes problems.

And when Covid does lighten up, what excuses will we have to fall back on if things do not improve? What will we have to say if things don’t drastically get better?

As a church leader who needs to do better myself in this area, those are some questions I need to grapple with in prayer, study, and honest reflection.

Will you join me in that? And will you join me in praying for all church leaders as they do the same?

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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn