6 Things your Church members need in a Pandemic

- And how you can help.

Don’t you just hate the term the ‘new normal’? I for one, am over it. It leans too much to just passively accepting the situation we are in. Like we are supposed to live disconnected and in state of uncertainty, anxiety and limbo.

While we cannot see a way to go back to the old ways — we definitely have some power in deciding how we make the most of what we have, even if we don’t know what is to come.

Let’s focus on your church members and how ministry can still take place even in lockdown. Here are six main needs your church members have in this season and ways you can minister to these needs.

1. Connection with people

We are all in isolation in one form or another, either because of Covid Exposure, or because we are high risk, or because we want to protect our loved ones. Or maybe even because we are in a government-mandated lockdown.
Either way, one of the biggest needs humans have are connection with each other. If we cannot do this physically, we need to create a way for connection to happen digitally. This means small groups in Zoom or Skype format. We create a prayer chain or we arrange a church-wide Pay-it-forward event where each family takes a dessert or meal and a blessing/verse to the next one in the line and so on. The whole church gets to give and receive and at least meet face to face (even though masked) with one or 2 other families.
Some churches have seen a positive change because of the sharing of pictures of these quick meetups and drop off’s on their church groups.

2. Connection with God

All the familiar and traditional ways of connecting with God like Sunday gatherings and weekly small groups aren’t happening.

So what do we do? We make sure that as ministers we do online sermons, send encouraging video clips and encourage people to maintain their personal devotion time with God. I’ve seen some churches organise an appointment-based communion week, where you book your slot and have the Pastor or a leader come to you to bring communion to you. Tithing, and the ministry moment around tithing, can also be facilitated digitally if this was a main component of your Sunday services.

3. Encouragement & Hope

People need to hear God’s truth and the hope He brings. We need to share testimonies of what God is doing and speak truth into people’s lives. If we cannot do it physically, let’s make sure that we reach them with regular messages through other channels like social media, the church mobile app, or WhatsApp groups. Let’s get our members to record short video clips or Voice notes with their testimony that we share with the church. It doesn’t need to be fancy or professional. It just needs to be real.

4. Purpose

Our people need some purpose in this season. Remind them of God’s call to love our neighbours and to honour God above everything else. Let’s give where we can give and share what we can share — it is in coming together to help one another that we are fulfilling our Godly purpose. Let’s create opportunities for these interactions, it might be food or a word of encouragement or a socially distanced visit to someone who has been isolated.

5. Reliable information

The church also needs to be a source of reliable information. Info that people can trust regarding Covid etc. in times like these. Let’s help our congregations navigate this season to make wise decisions. Let’s be a beacon of Truth and Light in this time.

6. Physical needs

Many people have physical needs that we can address and meet. Let’s find ways to be like the first church who had everything in common so no one would lack.
This could mean helping someone with childcare, providing meals or food parcels to families in need and visiting the isolated widow or person who lives alone.

We can help…

GoDoChurch can help you with meeting all these needs with our church admin system. We offer a church database with a Mobile app that functions as a digital info desk for your church members — One place where they can get the encouragement, the information and the connection opportunities that you create for them. They can register for online events, listen to sermons and receive church communication all in one place.

Have a look at our website and sign up for a free trial — www.godochurch.com