In the last two months the world has been thrown off its axis. For pastors, much of what we were doing in January no longer works. Here are a few bits of wisdom that may help you remain sane and hopeful as we prepare for what is to come. These tips may apply during any season of pastoral life, but they seem especially applicable right now during this time of worldwide upheaval.
1. Find your RHYTHM.
For our congregation, Friday March 13 was the pivot point. Our elders made the call that day that we’d need to go to online church. We had never done that. A few days later, Brian Howard, Executive Director of Acts 29, gave some golden counsel to a Zoom meeting with a bunch of confused leaders. He said that we had to determine how we would do Sunday gatherings during the pandemic as well as what weekly rhythm we would adopt.
For our congregation we chose Facebook Live, which is also broadcast on our webpage. Our weekly rhythm became Monday Zoom Prayer at 7 PM, followed by “Talking Tuesday” where we urge as many of our people as possible to make phone calls for the sake of connectivity. Wednesdays we put out a 2-3 minute devotional video, and Thursday is our weekly email with pertinent info. Friday is 6:30 AM Zoom prayer. Saturday is for a resource email including stuff for kids as well as a YouTube set list of worship songs (since we aren’t doing live worship during the pandemic). This rhythm has worked for us as a certain structure in uncertain times. We have added special opportunities during many weeks, but the rhythm has kept us sane.
2. Be REASONABLE.
I just rattled off what our little church has done, but it may not be reasonable for you to do the same. You don’t have the leaders I do. You have different people and gifts. The Sovereign One has given your congregation everything he has determined you need. Your task is to determine what is a reasonable pattern. Confront your urge to compare yourself to other churches. Learn from them, but don’t covet them. Fight false shame. Enlist the leaders you have and figure out what is a manageable plan. Be reasonable about what you can do. In many cases, pastors try to do too much.
3. Insist on time to REST.
Small church pastors are working harder than ever. We’ve had to learn technology, recruit more help, make more decisions, and fit our pastoral care into less than ideal formats. We are preaching to cameras and learning how to preach to emptiness. Many of us have had to work out of our homes with all the potential struggles of interruptions and distractions. I have found that I get to 4 PM and it feels like it’s only 11 AM as I look at my productivity. There is a numbness that is normative to my week now. With all of this, we must rest. We must detach for a day and find that the Sovereign Lord can handle our congregation without us. Sabbath well or spiral down into dark places. Certainly the day of rest applies to even a time of global pandemic.
4. REACH OUT.
What a time for the gospel. The lost masses of people are being confronted with uncertainty and death. We can see Psalm 16:3 in real time: “The sorrows of those who run after another god will multiply.” The idols of leisure, education, travel, health, wealth, freedom and government are all failing. If your worship service is online, chances are many will tune in if invited. Urge your congregation to invite. And speak to the lost who attend. Recognize their fears and searching. Invite them to engage. Give out your email at the close of each sermon. Be accessible. Pray for opportunities, boldness, wisdom and the right words. What excites me most about this global crisis is how open people are to talk about their beliefs and their need for something more reliable. This is not time for the church to huddle in fear. We have good news!
The other side of the pandemic is right around the corner. Even now we are needing to figure out how to transition back to weekly gathering. Will you continue to broadcast so that the most vulnerable and those overwhelmed by fear can still attend from home? What sort of precautions will you take on Sundays? Will you encourage social distancing and face masks? Will you have hand sanitizers available and will you still serve coffee? Will you need to rearrange seating?
In this season and during the next one, we need to determine a rhythm that works for our congregation. We need to be reasonable about what we can realistically do. We must make rest a weekly commitment for renewal. And we cannot minimize the gospel door that has been flung open for us. He who has called you will keep you. He who has entrusted you with his flock will himself shepherd his people, including you!
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David Pinckney
David Pinckney is the lead pastor of River of Grace in Concord, NH, an Acts 29 church and the co-director of the new Acts 29 Rural Collective. He's a graduate of Bethel Seminary, a long-time New England pastor, and he and his wife Sharon have four sons and one daughter. He enjoys traveling, people, and history.