A Small Parish Approach to Corona

So…I am writing again. In this strange age of Corona, I have seen so many people writing about what it’s like to be church (and Church!) in these crazy times, and what’s it’s like to be a pastor. And don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all of these perspectives, I really do. It takes courage to put yourself out there.

But so often, when I read content relating to congregational ministry, I struggle to find resonance. Most content, whether it’s from seminaries, denominational bodies, clergy bloggers, or church consultants, appears to be directed at congregations with hundreds-to-thousands of members, significant programmatic events, massive campuses, multiple full-time staff members, and budgets in the millions. I get it – large churches are the most visible and recognizable to the public.

And while it is true that the majority of Americans attend large churches; large churches do NOT make up the majority of churches. (Check out some really interesting stats from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research). In reality, the average congregation has less than 100 active members.

And as good, and as authentic, and as helpful as all of this “large” church advice is, it is rarely applicable because it can’t be sized to scale.

I don’t want people to stop talking about large churches – Lord knows we need them now more than ever. But I do want to invite our colleagues into a richer and deeper conversation about congregational life.

For more than a decade, I’ve seen the work of “small” congregations and “bi-vocational” pastors first hand. And my life has been all the better for it! I’ve seen glimpses of what the world can be in the small but poignant actions of a faithful few. I write about these experiences in a blog entitled The Sardis Experiment.

In this current blog, I want to engage the challenges and opportunities of the current pandemic from the viewpoint of small parish ministry. I hope that my thoughts will invite dialogue with other clergy and congregations, and maybe even lead to a forum for sharing and implementing new ideas. Please feel free to comment, ping me, share to social media, or even write blogposts with counter-viewpoints – we’re better when we talk to one another.

In the coming days and weeks, here are a few topics I hope to engage (in no particular order):

• The generosity of the Spirit is persistent and creative.
• Technology humbles everyone. But technology cannot and will not define us.
• Stop saying, “They didn’t teach me this in seminary.”
• Presence will always top presentation. Connection bests convenience.
• Zoom fatigue is real.
• This is an adolescence, not an eternity.
• Be sure to differentiate between the Church, your church, and other churches.
• Liturgy is life-giving.
• We can still make music.
• Something really big and really cool is about to happen soon.
• Is there a better adjective than bi-vocational?

With Hope!

Bob