Innovation in the time of COVID-19

Since the middle of March; businesses, restaurants, churches, and every facet of life has been forced to pivot and flex in ways that they had never planned on.

Largely, I am very impressed with the ways that “Church” has kept up.

Almost overnight, adaptations were made to worship for communities of faith that traditionally take 36 months to decide on the color of paint swatches!

Okay, pardon the hyperbole, but you see the point.

Much of mainline-protestantism has felt it harder and harder to stay “relevant” in the 21st-century. The adjustments made by the beginning of April show that church’s unwillingness to change was really a stubbornness of power and control.

Committees, volunteers, and those in charge (clergy), have slowed the wheels of change because of their own fears of innovating themselves out of being needed.

This is a very real concern; but one of the many lessons that COVID-19 has shown church leaders is that change can occur overnight, and the church has to be constantly recreating how it presents both Word and Sacrament to people of faith in order to maintain importance for those that once darkened it’s doors.

Now, it is easy to rhapsodize about church innovation once you are through the biggest adaptation that Christendom has faced in 100 years.

But, now church leaders are facing the next challenge: what is next? How will my parish come back together; authentically, responsibly, and safely?

And, I, myself, am working through the problem of implementing Faith Formation Programing for Children & Youth in my context for the next curricular year.

I know I won’t bat 1.000%, but I am hoping to use this time as one of discerning opportunity: how are young people needing to hear the Gospel message, and what is the value for their everyday life?

I have often said how proud I am for how the church has been innovative in the first two quarters of 2020, but now the real challenge is here: how do move from a mode of survival to one where we thrive: not only spiritually, but in every aspect of our lives that are tied to our lives of discipleship and faith.

We have a myriad of new tools at our disposal, and I hope that we can all do our best to try new things, being both bold and daring in our willingness to fail forward. That we are carrying the message that God loves each and every person we meet, whomever and wherever they are.

May we boldly step up this Fall, and rise to the needs of the families that we are called to serve.

Amen.