8 BIG PICTURE REFLECTIONS - THE COVID EFFECT ON SCOTTISH CHURCHES

  

Last week I took part in a forum of church leaders from across the Scottish evangelical spectrum. Below are eight of the common themes and big take-aways that emerged from the feedback given and from chats I’ve had with others elsewhere

1.    The Mission remains the same.

Circumstances change but the call to make disciples is constant. The job of the church is to proclaim Christ (in season and out of season), and regardless of whether Covid-19 and Lockdown apparently helps or hinders us - that work must be our priority. 

 

2.    The opportunities are exciting.

Over the past few months new doors have opened for churches and Christians to serve and connect with their communities. People have come to faith through volunteering in church run social care activities. There is some evidence of a new openness to the Gospel with people joining online courses to ask the big questions about life. Local agencies and politicians have appreciated the work and prayers of churches for them and Scottish communities.

 

3.    The anxieties are real.

There are genuine fears for smaller fellowships dependent on facilities they no longer have access to (e.g. schools). How long can their viability continue? The big spike in online viewing has waned – one leader spoke of watching the website hits slowly fall week by week. The fringe of those more loosely connected to church feels increasingly frayed as their visibility and participation seems to diminish.

 

4.    The value of organic church.

Following on from above – the people who had strong connections with others in the church at the start of Lockdown are generally the ones who have survived it best. Going forward churches need to see afresh the importance of fostering organic (rather than just structural) and real-life relationships among members and attendees.

 

5.    Expect a refined church to emerge.

One leader spoke of the paradox of his church income being up – while numbers were down. In other words, the committed core people were stepping-up even as others were fading out the picture. The Gardener’s work of removing the dead branches while pruning back the healthy ones suddenly feels very immediate (John 15:1-2).

 

6.    Small is the new big

The absence of, and restrictions upon, large gatherings for the foreseeable future is forcing a re-calibration of ministry. Where there has perhaps been an over-reliance on larger events – churches will need to (re)invest in Small Group and 1-2-1 ministry in order to sustain connections, training and discipleship. One effect of this new reliance on smaller local groups could be the emergence of many embryonic church plants.

 

7.    Zoom is here to stay.

No-one is thinking that online church is going away anytime soon. Churches that start to gather again physically will do so with an ongoing online option – both to serve those unable to attend in person and to retain the new evangelistic opportunities this technology allows. Likewise, pastors will continue to utilize (where appropriate) the convenience of Zoom 1-2-1s (e.g. my desk to yours for a lunchtime Bible chat), leadership meetings and even some pastoral work.

8.    Wake-up Call

Many churches will survive 2020 by ‘the skin of their teeth’. The question is, would they have survived if Covid-19 had been as devastating as first feared or if the severe restrictions had gone on. If not, what radical steps might they take now to avoid closure ‘next time’ – e.g. new partnerships, investing in future leadership, reconnecting with their communities? There are, of course, no easy options or fixes – but not to do anything and just hope that something will turn up is not the lesson to take from 2020.

Being there.... (what's so good about physical church anyway?)

Is it really necessary to gather physically in order to have fellowship and worship God as a church?

Pyjama Church 
Over the past 4 months Christians have got used to online church and actually quite like some of its benefits - no stressful 10am rush to get out, no need to find a parking space, a comfortable seat (with coffee in hand) is guaranteed, and as soon as the service is over we can walk into the next room and have lunch. What's not to like?

Perhaps all those physical services were an anachronism - necessary before we had Zoom and YouTube, but like printed hymnbooks and pedal-organs can now be dispensed with.

Or is there something more profound about physically meeting together? Might there even be a theological basis for physically gathering even when the digital alternatives seem much more convenient?

Let me argue that there is. 

No proof text
The start of lockdown created what was often a furious debate as to whether it would be legitimate to have a Communion service online. Strong arguments were made on both sides - but neither were able to point to a ‘drop dead’ biblical text in order to seal their case. Both had to build from what they felt was the tenor of Scripture rather than explicit commands.

Similarly, in arguing the case for physically gathering together (where possible) - there is no single proof text to appeal to. Even texts such as ‘when you come together’ (1 Cor 11:18) and ‘not giving up the habit of meeting together’ (Heb 10:25) could be interpreted as not necessitating physicality if other ways of gathering were possible.

Weight and tone
Nonetheless, there seems to be a weight and tone in Scripture that pushes towards God’s people being together in the closest possible ways. John craves ‘face to face’ over ‘pen and ink’ (3 Jn 13). Paul is constantly frustrated that he can’t close the gap between himself and fellow-Christians but has to communicate with them remotely. In both cases it’s a recognition that physical distance inevitably creates some measure of relational distance.

Now of course, in the absence of being together physically the apostles used the other means available - and those weren’t ineffective. Today Zoom clearly closes that relational gap significantly beyond letter-writing – but it doesn’t entirely. Which is why for all the usefulness and benefits of online meetings they often leave us with a degree of dis-satisfaction.

From the dust of the ground
The reality is that human beings were not created virtually but as physical and embodied creatures. We are tangible, multi-sensory, only wholly functioning and fully experiencing life when all five senses are in play.

In the image of God
Coupled with our physicality is the divine image of a Trinitarian God imprinted on us. That is, a God who has relationships at the core of his being. It is what gives us our instinct to be in community and connected with others.

Put both of those physical and relational components together – and we understand the desire to be with others in the flesh.

God with us
The Incarnation is another powerful signal to us in all this. It was of course, a necessity that in order to be an authentic substitute able to secure our atonement, that Jesus shared in our humanity (Heb 2:14).

Nevertheless, the fact that Jesus became flesh and blood opened up a way to relate to God that is profound beyond words. God the Son touched the leper, children sat on his knee, John leant against him, he took Jairus’ daughter by the hand. As John later put it, almost bursting as he did so, ‘our hands have touched [him]’ (1 Jn 1:1).

Expression & Experience
Distance as noted, even with the best will in the world, creates some measure of division. Apart from each other physically we will lose some degree of empathy, of solidarity, and of feeling. That is not to say that non-physical connections can’t be good – but they can never be the best.

When we gather physically (in the same spatial location) it is an expression of our unity – ‘look, here we are together!’ But it is also to experience that unity as embodied and relational beings. It's the reason why people still want to go to restaurants, the cinema and football grounds despite the fact that Just East, Netflix and Sky can provide the content more cheaply in the comfort of your home.

Differences in a time of Covid
Now of course in a time of Covid there can be no touching, handshaking or hugging - whether physically together or not. Does that mean that Socially Distanced church services are no better than FaceTime? Well no, because physical connectedness is more than just physical touch – it’s about proximity and reality.

It’s the difference you feel between seeing a picture of the Queen and being in the same room as her. It’s the difference to you and your bereaved friend between being at the funeral service and saying you watched it on the livestream. It’s the difference between watching the baptism on an overflow screen in an adjacent room as opposed to sitting beside the tank.

The question 
So the question is not: is it ok to watch church services online? But would it be better, if safe for me to do so, to be at them with my brothers & sisters – to give physical expression to the unity of God’s people and to experience it in the fullest possible way that I was created to do?