My advice for church leaders in this unique season…
Why are churches struggling to get back to pre-Covid attendance numbers?
If you review the data, it’s obvious. Thanks to Gallup’s recent survey we know:
- About 70% of U.S. adults think the Covid situation is getting worse.
- Nearly 2 out of every 5 adults are very or somewhat worried about getting the coronavirus.
- 1 in 4 adults is completely or mostly isolating themselves from people outside their household.
- About one-third of adults are avoiding public places and about half are avoiding large crowds.
Is it any wonder that many large churches are hovering around 50% of pre-Covid attendance numbers?
Depending on where you live, the circles you hangout in, the people you follow on social media, and the news channel you watch, your perspective of where we are at this point in the pandemic looks vastly different. You may agree or disagree with these different perspectives, but it’s the reality in which we live.
So, if I’m leading a church that’s on a mission to spread the Good News to ALL people in my community, it probably means I need to be fully-committed to…
- Worship services in the building AND worship services online
- Gatherings where masks are optional AND gatherings where masks are required
- Where it’s appropriate, gatherings that are indoors AND gatherings that are outdoors
Our world is deeply divided. It’s messy. And that’s probably why I’m seeing so few churches embrace the “AND” in this season.
