Honest Thoughts from a Pastor

The reopening of the church has been a very hot topic among pastors and parishioners alike. I see daily remarks on social media. Some churches are continuing online while others are continuing drive-in services. Some churches never stopped meeting, and others have already resumed corporate worship services. The criticisms of what churches are doing is disheartening, and the sad part is some of this hatefulness is spewing forth from the mouths of pastors. That’s a subject of another post. The bottom line is that the church never closed.

You might read “the church never closed” and scratch your head. Some churches have completely ceased ministry during this time, and that is sad but many have streamlined while still continuing to function and operate within their biblical purposes. That’s awesome!

What I have seen during this time…

The gospel is not hindered. People have still made decisions for Christ and have even followed in baptism during this time. Churches are reporting high numbers of online visitors through Facebook and YouTube. That’s a great thing!

Churches have been more determined. Pastors and church leaders have worked hard to accomplish ministry during this time. There has been little rolling over and playing dead.

Ministry has become more personal. Handwritten notes and phone calls have picked up. Some pastors who don’t see this kind of ministry as part of their role have been doing this.

Outreach has still been happening. I have seen churches do disaster relief, food distribution, and other forms of community ministry while following the guidelines of social distancing, masks, etc.

The church has not closed and it will not as long as the redeemed are still alive. Your perspective will hinge on one thing. Do you define the church as this…

Or this…?