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Early in the pandemic, I thought I was taking a long-term approach to all that was happening. I knew that we couldn’t just hold our breath for a few weeks or months and hope that it would all blow over. I knew that we had to settle in for the long haul and develop long-term strategies to cope in the midst of an extended battle with COVID-19. We’re now well past what I had anticipated, and all reports are that we still have a long way to go. I want to share what I learned about how Christians are faring in the pandemic from The Fellowship’s recent national conference and suggest some areas where we need to pray and give attention.
1. Some are splintering
The keynote speaker at this year’s conference was Ed Stetzer. He argued that we are in the middle of a cultural upheaval that rivals what happened in the 1960s. This “cultural convulsion” is marked by a breakdown in people’s trust in institutions, politics, and one another. Some have referred to it as a “cold civil war.” If that were all just out in the world it would be one thing, but increasingly divisions in the culture are creating disunity in the church. Believers who used to find their unity in a common faith in Christ, now are also demanding unity with their political stance, social justice perspective, and approach to the pandemic. For many Christians, ideology has begun to overtake theology in importance. There’s more passion for what they read in their news feed than what they read in the Bible. Is that true of you? Have you let the national discourse feed your own attitudes of mistrust, anger, and hatred? We can’t let Satan divide and destroy Christ’s church.
2. Some are disengaging
While some of those who are most involved are splintering the church, some of those who are least involved are disengaging altogether. This is more difficult to see because the pandemic has increased everyone’s isolation to some extent, and different people have different levels of vulnerability and freedom. Still, Stetzer estimates that a third of Christians has become more engaged during the pandemic, another third has just managed to hang on, and another third has disconnected altogether. According to one study, 1 in 5 evangelical Christians said that they’re not going back to in-person ministry ever again. During the pandemic, some have gotten used to the idea of life without church and fellowship and decided they can live without it. Are you one of them? Are you disengaging? Even in a pandemic, we need to take advantage of opportunities to honour the Lord’s Day and connect with one another in fellowship.
3. Some are advancing
Given all that I’ve reported, you might get the impression that the news is all bad. But the reality is that the work of God is advancing, and many Christians are growing through the challenges that we’ve been through. While I said that a third of Christians have disengaged during the pandemic, it’s also true that a third have become more committed. This is one of the reasons that church offerings have remained fairly stable, and ministry has been maintained. Praise God for those who have become even more generous during these hard times. Thank God for those who have taken on new ministry responsibilities in the midst of COVID-19. The Fellowship reported some encouraging signs of health. During the pandemic, 23 churches have been started. In the last year, 12 Fellowship International missionaries have been sent out, 27 chaplains have been appointed, 29 Francophone partnerships have been established, and over a million dollars has been raised for FAIR (Fellowship Aid and International Relief) and $3.5 million has been raised for the Fellowship Foundation. Those are staggering numbers. God is doing great things and some Christians are making advances for the gospel and not getting sidetracked by the culture’s outrage or sidelined by the pandemic’s obstacles. Are you one of them? Are you being faithful to what God has assigned to you? Praise God for those of you who are!
If any of you are interested in hearing the reports or presentations from this year’s national conference, you can access them here.
In awe of Him,
Paul
