CHURCH GROWTH IN THE SEASON OF COVID
By Rev. Marcellus A. Norris, 1st District
In this season of Covid-19 most congregations have been forced into a new reality. The pulpit is now a social media platform, and instead of audible shouts of praise bouncing off the walls of the church, Pastors now must keep their eyes peered for a raised hand in the participants box, heart and hand-clap emojis, or comments typed into the chat box.
Even though present circumstances have left us searching for new ways to reach our congregants, community and the unsaved, we have found that God has already provided. Virtual Worship has not taken away our voice or our ability to serve God. As a matter of fact, Virtual Worship has increased the number of people attending our Tuesday night Bible Study Class exponentially! Where we may have had 30 people on a good night pre-Covid, we now have nearly 100 and more!
At St. Luke AME Church Harlem, using technology, we have been able to reach a broader audience than the pulpit microphone allowed behind the four walls of a brick and mortar building. And, although we aired our Sunday morning worship service on Face Book before the pandemic, our ability to reach around the world has increased, and so have our listeners and worship participants.
To track our success In sharing and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we minister from the comfort of our homes, St. Luke has employed the use of a resource called Text in Church. Every Sunday before service and after the sermon, we provide a number where people may call in for prayer, join the church, recommit, or just say hello. Guests and visitors are also provided with a mobile phone number where they can text the word “Join,” “Recommit,” “Guest,” or “Prayer.” Many of these guests are from abroad, other states, and various locations that make it physically impossible for them to be in worship with us in a building, but because of the unlimited reach of social media, all can come and hear the word of God. And they do come!
Once the guests have indicated the form of outreach they require, Ministers and Class Leaders are assigned to follow-up with each communication. Just recently we were able to gather all the responses from email addresses and send an eblast inviting guests and new members to a New Members Zoom Class on the importance of tithing. The devil may have thought we would be lost without the structure of a building, but God has done exactly what He said he would do, bless those who serve Him!
Many members are not able or equipped to join us on Zoom or Face Book, so they call in to a conference call number. Not only has St. Luke been able to retain its membership through the use of online technologies, we have actually seen increased activity with seniors who were already homebound, those in hospital beds and hospices, and young adults who may not have been able to attend every Sunday morning worship service or Tuesday night bible study.
One of the best tools is a website that lists church services and ministries available during physical distancing. People are surfing the web now more than ever as we quarantine and work from home offices. Having information readily available for those who are seeking God will lead them directly to you. Online platforms, Free Conference Calling and live streaming also add to the reach of the church. Where we were only able to reach hundreds, we now reach thousands.
Praise Dancers, Choirs and Sermons are shared on our website, YouTube and Face Book. Online activities such as Virtual Couples Night, Virtual Bingo as a fundraiser and Youth Engagement Zoom Sessions have provided fun-filled hours for us at St. Luke and all those who join with us. Among our Gen X, Y, and Z population, attendance has gone up as these technologies are a part of their daily lives. Young adults and children are not new to “Face Time” and online videos. They were active social media participants long before the coronavirus raised its ugly head. Gratefully, we too have been able to capture their time and attention through use of social media platforms.
Online tithing has been substantial since we began using alternative ways of making donations and tithes to the church. According to a study published by the Barna Group, 39 percent of all practicing Christian Millennials are making donations online rather than using traditional paper envelopes. St. Luke has been using Tithe.ly, PayPal, mail-in donations and other apps that enable us to continue our work in the kingdom.
During this time of sickness, disease and despair, I am reminded of Paul’s journey in Acts 27:39-44, “When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.”
There are many free tools at our disposal and if we apply a little creative thinking, innovation and a little ingenuity, we can take what was meant for our downfall and use it to lift the body of Christ and reach the lost. With God on our side, our churches will emerge from the ashes of Covid even stronger and better than before, with new members, a greater presence in our community and the world abroad. We are determined to use this crisis as a deep-sea experience, although shipwrecked, we too can “reach land safely,” increase membership and grow our churches.
This crisis is an opportunity for church growth. While it is true that we are not able to meet person-to-person as a family of faith, that does not mean that the church stops growing.
