Off to College and Stuck at Home
Wes Wick
As we ponder 2020-21’s upheaval, many wonder how the pandemic will impact our churches going forward.
Through our lenses, we see Covid putting churches through two vivid simulations, one mirroring young adults and another mimicking late adulthood.
Right now, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. :) Allow me to clarify.
Resembling our early passage into adulthood, it’s as though the whole church went away to college this past year, leaving familiar and established church-attendance routines behind and entering a new phase—where physical church attendance was not expected.
As with young adults shifting away from their moorings, this season can become a critical faith juncture. Many begin to question their need for local fellowship with believers. And some walk away from their faith entirely.
Losing people to virtual or other churches is a practical concern, but personal faith loss is the bigger danger, with eternal consequences. Are more people now adrift in their walk with Christ? Do they know they’re missed?
At adulthood’s older extreme, Covid also introduced an up-close and personal glimpse into the life of the shut-in. Obviously, some of us were more tethered to home than others, but stay-at-home orders introduced unwelcomed limitations and isolation, similar to some challenges our frail elderly face.
Hopefully, a deeper empathy and lasting concern for housebound adults will emerge. For most of us, Covid restrictions represented a long but temporary setback. For the infirmed and housebound, however, major restrictions continue. For them, online church services, visits, phone and Zoom calls represent continuing lifelines. Even though they can’t be physically present on Sundays, they’re still part of our church body, right?
Let’s not forget those adrift and the frail as our personal freedoms return. Let’s pick up the phone, initiate a thoughtful visit, and/or share a meal.
We’ve been called again to liberty. Paraphrasing Galatians 5:13, let’s not selfishly squander our freedom.
Through love let’s serve one another.