Adapt Your Services

New research is shedding light on how low income or majority-minority neighborhoods were more likely to be infected with COVID through religious gatherings such as churches than those in higher-income or predominiantly white neighborhoods.

Topics: Minority churches and COVID

Attorney and CPA Richard Hammar looks at several recent Supreme Court cases related to pandemic restrictions and houses of worship. What do these cases mean for your church and local restrictions?

Three preachers from different parts of the country, different traditions and different sized churches offer 3 consistent principles for preaching well during the Pandemic.

Topics: Sabbath, Connection, Preaching

Daniel Sillilman offers seven tips for pandemic-era preachers gleaned from the early days of preaching through screens.

Topics: Preaching tips

Online worship has been a gift to many churches, but attendence numbers seem to be dropping. Director at FaithTech and co-host of the podcast Device & Virtue, Adam Graber believes community is the missing ingredient. He offers examples of churches fostering community to keep people engaged.

Topics: Online worship, Community

Reading to a camera can feel strange, yet the reading of Scripture is a vital part of our worship services. Dr. Jeffrey Arthurs offers tips to help make sure this important piece of our online worship is done well so that we can communicate the voice of God to our people.

Topics: Reading on camera

Livestreaming worship services has become the norm for most churches. What many churches do not know is that there are significant copyright restrictions on recording and broadcasting. attorney and CPA Frank Sommerville gives an overview of what churches may and may not do when livestreaming.

Topics: Copyright and streaming

Recently the Aspen Group hosted a webinar on relaunching worship with two staf members from a multi-site church in the suburbs of Chicago. This article , based on that webinar looks at four ways to find opportunities that may exist now for the very first time instead of simply looking at the negatives of the COVID crisis.

Topics: Church facilities, Worship

Ed Stetzer interviews John Inazu, Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis, executive director of The Carver Project and author for guidance on the balance between the right to religious freedom and the necessity of public health.

Topics: Legal questions

Anglican priest Hannah King looks at some of the subtle dangers the Church faces when we cannot meet in person for worship. Foregoing public worship may be necessary and an expression of love for neighbor, but it can also mean risking forgetting who we are. King explores why embodied worship matters and how we can actively mitigate some of the risk.

Topics: Worship, Embodiment

Ed Stetzer interviews Andy Stanley about why North Point will not open until 2021. This two part interview goes in depth into the whys of the decision and what he has learned including the need for clarity, the importance of people hearing the voice of the pastor, the need for increased presence in the lives of the congregation and more.

Topics: NorthPoint won't reopen

Part 2 of Ed Stetzer's interview with Andy Stanley

Topics: NorthPoint won't reopen

Ed Stetzer has been interviewing pastors regarding their approaches to ministry, especially concerning whether they reopen or not. In this interiew, Ed speaks with several of the pastors at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa about their decision to reopen for Sunday worship, how they are executing these services, concerns about safety and more.

Topics: Calvary Chapel Reopening

UK speaker, author, and apoption non-profit founder Krish Kandiah reflects on how his preaching has changed since the COVID epidemic. He offers six principles that he has applied to preaching during hte pandemic.

Topics: Preaching tips

Ed Stetzer isn't worried that we won't be able to "get back to normal." He's afraid we will. Stetzer argues that the Church's response to the COVID crisis has, in some ways been good for the church. He offers three things that the Church should retain when the pandemic is over.

Topics: Worship, Deployment of the Church, Seeing God's heart

With a new surge in cases of COVID19 across the country, Carey Nieuwhof asks whether or not churches should stop in-person services after reopening. He then explores 8 things to consider if reaching more people is your church's goal.

Topics: Online church, In-person worship, COVID spikes

Veteran Youth Ministry expert Kara Powell asks "how might keeping apart reinvent youth ministry and draw young people closer to God?" What if, instead of merely a disaster, the COVID epidemic becomes "youth ministry's tipping point to move to a new and better normal"?

Topics: Youth ministry, Reassessment, Discipleship

The Billy Graham Center in cooperation with Exponential and the ARC surveyed pastors about reopening their churches. This article explores the mindset of churches in early June as they navigate the often tricky process of deciding when and how to meet for in-person worship.

Topics: Survey, Reopening plans, Divided congregations

It seems that every state has a different set of rules when it comes to the reopening of churches. The recent Supreme Court ruling about churches in California hasn't changed that. Cristian leaders have been part of the process in some states and have been sidelined in others. Megan Fowler explores the implications of the ways churches have and haven't been included in the process.

Topics: Legal issues, Worship services

In this unprecedented season, we benefit from watching each other carefully as we learn through trial and error what approaches are most effective in shepherding anxious and lonely people through this pandemic. CT Pastors asked several pastors to share the new things they have tried over the last two weeks. In their responses, you will find creative ideas for serving isolated people, as well as honest admissions about the frustration of canceled services and sermons delivered to a camera instead of a room filled with God's people.

Topics: Leadership, Worship, Adaptation

(Outside Resource) Reopening your church requires care, comfort, and communication. Mariners Church Pastor Eric Geiger recorded a video for his congregation that does all three and offers a great example for your communication strategy. He speaks to his church about the process of reopening. He recounts what has happened during quarantine, speaks to the desire to reestablish in-person worship, and the process that the leadership of Mariners is using to reopen.

Topics: Communication, Care, Logistics

Moving to online or remote worship was a relatively easy decision for most churches. Reopening the church building for worship is an entirely different story. Ed Stetzer calls on pastors to lead well when their congregations are divided and offers practical suggestions for communicating the decisions that are being made.

Topics: Leadership, Unhappy people

(Outside Resource) The mission of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College is to "help the church prepare and care for a disaster-filled world."" Their research has led to the development of several tools that could help your church as you reopen. From manuals to webinars, these resources are designed to help you navigate the reopening process.

Topics: Tools, Resurces, Health Info

(Outside Resource) Russell Moore, author speaker, and President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission offers perspective for churches as we start the reopening process. there is no “back to normal” on the horizon, but that may well be a good thing. This encouraging post is a reminder that the creativity and care that has been shown during the COVID crisis shows us a way forward for ministry.

Topics: Church meeting, Creativity

Singing is a regular part of most Christian services and is a key way that many relate to God in worship. But what do we do when safety concerns say we should modify or stop this practice in the near term? Quick to Listen podcast hosts Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen discuss the importance of worship in Christian practice with Glenn Packiam, associate senior pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs.

Topics: Singing, Worship, Formation, Hope

The church has long been a mainstay in Latino culture. There is no question it is "essential". Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III, professor of New Testament and Director of Institutional Research at Fuller Seminary, asks how we should view our freedom in Christ at this moment: is it a question of freedom to gather as the Body of Christ or is it being free to serve as the Body of Christ? The answers are important for all churches.

Topics: Freedom in Christ, Opening the Church, Serving the Community

We all know that first impressions matter, but do we realize just how much? As we look to begin the process of reopening our church doors, it is important to remember that first impressions—for newcomers as well as long-term attenders—are crucial. From greeters to preachers, buildings to websites, the first impression your church gives truly does matter.

What if God has brought us into the missional moment we have been saying might happen and could happen and should happen for years? What if we don't go back to normal – and shouldn't? Anthony Delany asks important questions about how we communicate, how we worship, and how we are to be disciples in this Corona Crisis World.

Topics: New Opportunities, Worship and Communication online, Connecting for Community, Discipleship

The church, from her earliest years, has responded to plagues and epidemics. The church's response to such events has led to much of her growth. Right now, Christians have the opportunity, just as they did during the plagues and epidemics of history, to distinguish themselves from the world. Pastor Ryan Welsh offers an orientation for leading people well in the way that we approach preaching.

Topics: Leadership through preaching

Pastor and author Lee Eclov gives us preachers a powerful reminder of our role as we help our people navigate the world during the COVID-19 crisis. A pastor's job, like any parent, is to keep reminding God's people who they are and whose they are.

Topics: Shepherding, Church as family, Pastor's Role

Evangelical Churches in Germany are beginning the slow process of reopening. Their experiences offer insight into the decisions that churches in the US are now facing.

Topics: Church reopening, German churches, social distancing, singing

Many churches are reconsidering or changing up their sermon series in light of the COVID-19 crisis. This helpful article offers multiple possibilities from participants in a recent preachingtoday.com webinar. It also includes a link to the webinar itself—a conversation between Matt Woodley, Lawrence Aker III of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Brooklyn and Matt Erickson of EastBrook Church in Milwaukee about their summer sermon series.

Topics: Summer Sermon Series

When crisis hits we often adjust our preaching in ways that seem to address the needs of people but ultimately fall short. Matthew Kim, professor of Preaching and Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and author of Preaching with Cultural Intelligence: Understanding the People Who Hear Your Sermons offers a strong reminder of our goal as preachers.

Topics: Sermon content, Entertainment, Expanded Audience, Bible Teaching

In this season of disruption and uncertainty it's vital pastors care for their own soul. How do we protect against slipping into moments of depression, isolation, discouragement, and temptations that come with the stress of these challenging times?

Being a preacher to a dispersed congregation is an unexpected challenge. Dr. Scott Gibson asks us to consider how we may need to rethink our practice, presence and preaching as we communicate God's Word via the social mediums of our day. He also offers practical suggestions for congregants as they participate in online worship.

Whether we like it or not, COVID-19 has forced preachers to look into the lens of a camera instead of into the eyes of our people. Dr. Lenny Luchetti offers 4 preaching practices to help preachers meet the needs of their specific congregations and maintain the time and space encounter between God, congregation and preacher.