I’m going to try and describe a church phenomenon related to the pandemic that I think may have parallels in other social spaces.
At our church, although I don’t have exact percentage breakdowns, I’d estimate that on Sunday mornings we are about 75% different from 2019. Many people stopped attending in person during the pandemic. Many new people began attending. Overall we are about 70% or so of Sunday attendance pre-pandemic.
Additionally, and this is the part I’m trying to describe: those who are most regularly in attendance are those who either a) led worship when it was livestream only or b) started newly attending in 2021 or 2022.
If you think about this in terms of habits it makes sense. Those who arrived new built new habits… and have stuck with them. Meanwhile those who were members prior to the pandemic built habits during the pandemic of a different sort: they stayed home, because we asked them to.
What we are finding now is that some of our longer members haven’t left, but they are more around the edges. The newer folks are more involved, leading many of the things we do, etc.
This is not universally descriptive but it is fairly descriptive. For example our choir is now back up to a modest size after scaling back to just four people or so during the pandemic (again for safety reasons, the four were the ones who formed a bubble and helped us record the livestream).
Our new refugee cosponsorship team is made up entirely of new member families.
Our children’s church is led by new members.
A few ministries like a meal we serve are led by long-time members, but almost all their volunteers to serve the meal are new.
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I think what I’m noticing is we need a way to have a fresh start for the longer time folks who developed habits of staying at home during the pandemic. A form of reengagement. Because some longer time members keep trickling back in and when they arrive they are surprised. They almost feel like they have come to a new church.
But of course going to a new church feels very different from going to your old church and discovering it is new. It’s truly an odd feeling.
Now, if you like the way you are currently connected to church there’s no reason you have to change. We welcome participation in whatever ways give you life. But I sense that perhaps we don’t know yet how to help those who had been involved, then spent 1.5 years quarantined, re-enter the church culture, Sunday morning in particular.
It’s like coming back from Peace Corps.
I can say this: if you want to come back we really need you. We need each other for life together, especially in this current era for solidarity. We’re in an all-hands-on-deck moment for progressive organizing.
But I feel like we haven’t yet created the right kind of space to facilitate return. Or that I don’t know how to creatively foster such space.
I worry a little about this sounding like a “come back to church” post when what I really mean is “we miss you” which really means “we need you and like you.”
My favorite thing in the world is to introduce people to each other, and the pandemic created a unique barrier to this I’d like to overcome. All I know for sure is I love the many congregations we have been and I’d enjoy nothing more than introducing everyone to each other.
Maybe I am a kind of shepherd?
Thank you for this sharing Clint. At our church here in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. We did living streaming during the Covid19 pandemic. and We are still Live Streaming for our elder members who are home bound or find it difficult to travel to church early. Anyway, we too are experiencing trying to get our beloved members back to a somewhat normal routine prior to the pandemic. However, changes did take place like losing choir members to other different choirs outside of church, other charity organizations which now take up their time from church activities. But, you are right the great thing is that the "Newbies" for want of a better word who came/come seeking God for various reasons are helping with the "church chores" which are a necessary part of our Community and they are curious and fascinated as to why and how some people do not return for whatever reason and are reaching out in there own ways to say Hey, we miss you because we have heard of you but have never met. So, we are having welcome back coffee, lunches and and activities that we pray will have them come and see how things have changed. Some have come back and are overwhelmed by the New members who have come to the church and are wanting to take up their regular places within the church. There is a feeling of excitement again. Praise God. Thank you for this post.
You are indeed a very loving, caring shepherd, which is why we feel so welcome and look forward to joining on April 1st. I tell our former church members in Denver how wonderful to go to church and see more than 35 people worshiping because in 2020 when we left there that was approximately that many sitting in a sanctuary which held 350. For those who have not come back to worship at GSLC we miss you and don’t even know you yet. It’s been wonderful meeting and getting to know the folks who are joining at the simple lunches after the service the past 5 weeks and those who joined us as sponsors. We also like meeting former members after the service when we introduce ourselves to those sitting close to us, which is encouraged by you Pastor Clint, good idea.