e-Soundings: Will they /Won’t they return to Worship with us? Why not? (Pt. 1 of 3 on Post-Covid Worship)

Will we see the people in church again?

Will those on “social media” show up in person?

In our consumer culture, we’ve all been trained to comparison shop and “get the best deal.”

Now, after a full year of stay-at-home “shoppers”, will simply re-opening our Worship bring back the return of our congregations?

Will “brand loyalty” be enough to resume worship?

The Covid shutdown has thrown all our normal worship attendance expectations out the window.

We’ve seen some “loyalists” show up on social media, some regularly, some occasionally. New people have dropped in for a few weeks, then disappeared. A few new worshippers have become “loyal” and weekly viewers.

Over this last year church leaders have explored “broadcast worship” in different ways.

Some churches offer “viewer oriented” worship with produced “shows” and polished videos, and others have gone wholly “zoom” and emphasize interaction, community and conversation with live faces in little boxes.

Now comes the time of reckoning.

Vaccinations are spreading quickly. People are anxious to resume their lives, even in the face of another “wave” of Covid variants.

Will worship attendance return?

What will happen to giving and offerings?

What do we need to do in order to assure the health and survival of the local church?

In order to peer into the future a little, I’ve compiled some reasons why & why not these things may happen.

(Note: Of course, every congregation is unique, with different cultures and mixes of reasons to be involved. The following list of “Why they may not return” are clearly speculation at this point. We have nothing approaching quantifiable date.

I follow this list with some steps needed to encourage their return as well as for a vital rebirth of the church in times such as these.)

Once we understand the reasons for their absence, we can begin to craft some loving and forgiving ways to invite them back into God's realm realized: the church.

First: Eight reasons why they may not return.

Caution & Fear: They’re still at risk, health-wise (or perhaps merely THINK they are at risk).
Grief: they may have lost a family member or close friend, and there was no funeral they could attend to reaffirm their connection to God.
Meaninglessness: The Pandemic has convinced them that life is random and praying for things to happen is not helpful.
No Good Reason: There wasn’t a compelling reason to show up in person in the first place. They haven’t missed it and gotten out of the habit, enjoying a less stressful Sunday morning.
Just the Excuse they’ve been waiting for: This break gave them the excuse they were waiting for to quietly stop attending.
Church doesn’t seem to care: The church has been lax in its efforts to engage them, meet their needs and remind them of why people go to church in the first place.
They found something better: With so many options available, they could comparison shop and move to a place that fits their theology or puts on a better “show.”
Do other reasons come to mind? Please jot them down...... share them with me and others. ([email protected])