Testimonials of how church has changed
Last week I asked a simple question on social media: In what ways and “how much” did your church change between January 2020 and November 2022?
What follows are some responses. This is not a statistical survey. But maybe you might see yourself or your congregation in some of the answers. Which can be a bit of relief as we all sort out the parts of the change in our lives these days that are in our control, and which are part of larger sociological forces.
Never did digital or audio worship before. Now it's a regular. And we have several "regulars" who live nowhere near here.
Zoom (council, committees, Bible study) is a new normal.
We embraced needed changes we'd otherwise dither around and never do.
Winnowed out "the cracky people." Per capita giving is way up.
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Logistically...after our online-only worship phase, we came back with one Sunday service instead of two. We livestream worship, and have hybrid in-person and zoom congregational meetings. Many small leadership groups continue to meet primarily online. Culturally...I think we've become gentler with ourselves and others...though some who didn't appreciate the approach we took through pandemic have drifted away...and others have simply moved away because of how pandemic life catalyzed changes in personal life. We're learning to give ourselves permission to do less and let go of events that aren't serving well anymore. We're learning to think of the most vulnerable and the more marginalized in planning events as more central part of our planning process instead of an afterthought (though this is an ongoing growing area, for sure). We're a somewhat smaller group...it seems...though we also sometimes forget that some of our community isn't immediately visible, if they are connecting online.
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Went from two to one worship service on Sundays and every service is live streamed.
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BC (Before Covid)- Strictly in person worship with AWA 60s Now- Offer a Digital Worship via Youtube with AWA in person-30s and AWA digitally-20s. Opened a clothing bank and hand out monthly meals. We are trying to explore in the coming year more of who we are as a congregation in a post-covid age.
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We opened a little neighborhood free food pantry that has since begun (thru mutual aid and in person donations) provides about 200pounds of food to the community. We are fully hybrid. Our worship has readers and assistants online and in person. Our AWA pre covid was low 70s and is now 30-40 in-person and 10-20 online. Our council meetings and small groups now meet online. Our midweek small group has taken the opportunity since George Floyd’s murder to read, study anti racism and beginning to act and mobilize.
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We had been live-streaming for a year before Covid, now we have a two Mevo camera set up, acknowledge our non-in person worshippers throughout the service and have them commune along with us. We craft together special services such as thanksgiving as online only events encouraging as many of our congregation local and non local to submit video segments for incorporation into those services.
We have incorporated non-local lay preachers into our lay preaching mix by prerecording and using large screen tvs to share the sermons.
Current reality is fewer people in-person, but whichever way people choose to worship is fine with us.
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In person attendance plummeted, but we now stream our services. We haven’t had to purchase as much wine or wafers. We no longer use parishioner baked bread, however. Still using intinction.
The choir has been decimated.
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We are almost back to normal attendance after shutting down for year +. Back to full communion and music. We have one service on Sunday morning not two but I would say about 90% of congregation is back.
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Mine has grown actually, both with parishioners and financially. For the simple reason that one of our parishioners arranged a rotating group of people to call every single member on our rolls — active or not —every single week during lockdown. Asking people if they needed any help, groceries, Prayer, etc. They delivered consecrated host for the Eucharist, and consecrated ash for Ash Wednesday.
It is EXACTLY what a church should do — and frankly, I wouldn’t have thought it up in a thousand years — and it kept our church family connected through our challenges and joys and fears. Brilliant move, though sadly rare.
We have come back a stronger parish by far.
[I asked the size of this church, they said they had about 50-70 in worship before the pandemic, and then added.]
I've had churches call to proselytize, and to ask me for donations, but never simply and genuinely to ask how they could be of service to me. It was a revelation, though it should be the business we are primarily about.
And being the occasional caller was a gift too -- I developed relationships with people I hardly knew, and was able to be there for a person when they were really spiraling out into a crisis. It was a great chance, as certain churches say in the benediction, to be Christ to those whom Christ sent me. It turned the time into a really profound experience.
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The congregation we attend maintained one service [out of two] that only the pastors and staff were to attend, but if someone came and sat down they were not shown out. For awhile, in good weather there were once a month drive-in worship with drive-through communion. We broadcasted to those who stayed home - on FB and YouTube. While a good many attended online, it seemed quite a few did not bother to tune in, but various out-of-staters began to attend. Most of us send offerings through "Tithely," and most continued. [Thank heaven.] When we finally had services again, masks were requested, and most people did come back. Now masks are optional and a few vulnerables still wear them what with colds and flu etc. Some seem to STILL like to worship from home for various reasons. While some members may have been "lost," in a way it is nice to know who has been faithful and who you can count on. We also have continued to baptize babies and have new members. The worst effect was on missed Sunday School and the youth group attendance. There were online offerings, but it was not the same and they may be having trouble getting up to speed.
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My husband took a new call just as Covid arrived with a vengeance. Our small but mighty church adapted and threw themselves into not just surviving, but thriving. We used Zoom as our worship platform. We maintained community by having a virtual coffee hour beforehand. We have kept up Zoom worship even after returning to in person worship. Now those who find attending in person difficult because of health, or who are traveling, are deployed military, or even those who live far away can be part of our worshipping community and interact with the gathered community before worship starts.
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It changed alot. We lost alot of people. They went to churches that were open. We had ours on YouTube and Zoom for quite some time. We had parking lot services later. Our choir director retired, so our choir members went to churches that had choir. Since we knew finances were going to be the problem with church maintenance. So our community came in from the YMCA to take the building and make it a youth and community center. They are making a certain area ours to worship.
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Aside from moving to a different church last year, I’ve noticed that in-person attendance is still down from where it was before the Pandemic. At my church, we usually get around 70 in worship when it was almost 170 in 2019. In addition, a lot of churches such as mine have seen their share of financial struggles, partially because of smaller crowds.
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Sunday morning?--not significantly. We were mostly able to stay open when a lot of churchs were not. (Good filtration and windows that open!) BUT--our volunteer run homeless shelter was in trouble. Community outreach brought in the money needed to hire, federal and local funds were found to help with infrastructure and the program has grown. People were willing to help us with the cost of removing an asbestos laded floor in the basement and we now have mail pick up and job search resources for the 'guys' and all homeless in the community. Building is extremely busy during the week.
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As retired clergy now looking at 80 we are much more ready to find many different congregations online as our worship pattern. always part of this process is the goal of hearing a dynamic AND relevant sermon with perspective on the world now. Just vomiting back the texts in “modern” language will not cut it. It is the living word and we are living so tie the word with life in 2022.
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Shrank.
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becoming more focused on what we are called to do and be in the community and world.