For as long as I can remember, our primary strategy for sharing the good news was to invite and encourage people to “come to church.” If we could just help people to take that first step of joining us on a Sunday morning, they would have the opportunity to experience the joy of Christian community and to hear the good news of God's unconditional love. In fact, most Christian churches evaluated their success and effectiveness based on church attendance. If attendance is growing then we are succeeding in our mission.
But here we are, months into this pandemic, with no specific end in sight. So what does that mean for the mission of the church? Many have returned to in-person worship. But there are many who are not yet ready to return. And those in our community may be more hesitant than ever to walk through our doors on a Sunday morning. Many things in our world have simply come to a halt during Covid. Does that include the work of sharing the gospel? Do we put outreach and evangelism on hold until this pandemic is passed?
I sure hope not, because there are people in our world who need Jesus more than ever. No matter what is happening in our world, the mission of Christ continues. God continues to call people into a life-changing relationship with Him. And we as his church continue to be the ones to share the hope of the gospel.
Even with Covid precautions we were able to have an awesome Trunk or Treat in Sandown with close to 400 in attendance spread safely over several hours.
Clearly, how we do that in the midst of a pandemic may be different. I believe even now we can still invite friends and neighbors to join us for worship. But that cannot be our only approach. Those who are worshiping online may consider inviting a person, couple or family to join you on a Sunday morning in your home. Or, if you're having to be particularly cautious and cannot open your home to guess yet, share the link with them. Invite them to worship in their own home, and then follow up with them to talk about it.
Using the Sunday worship experience as an entry point is a great approach. But it is by no means our only approach. In the great commission, Jesus instructed his disciples to go out to all the world. I think this is a time when we can rediscover the calling to go out. People don't have to come to church to hear the good news. We can bring it to them wherever they are. We can bring the gospel into our everyday conversations.
Rather than wait for people to come to us, We can bring Jesus out into the world. In a time when large gatherings are something many people are uncomfortable with, this is the perfect time to bring Christ to others one-on-one. We can share the gospel in our everyday relationships. I want to encourage us to use every opportunity to share our faith boldly in a world that desperately needs Christ.
One final note, I want to remind us that each Sunday we need to sign up for worship at the service of our choice. You can do so at this link. I also want to encourage us to use this time as an opportunity to visit other campuses. The last few weeks are Plaistow campus has been close to capacity. But we've had space at our other locations. If you have been attending in Plaistow, this Sunday you might consider checking out our Sandown or North Shore campuses.
Have a blessed week. I look forward to us all being together this Sunday in-person or online.
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Steve