How has church changed for you since this pandemic started?

[NewCreation435]

Most of the churches including the one I go to is closed tomorrow due to the pandemic. I was wondering how do that change what you do to nurture your own spiritual growth? Are you watching sermons online or doing Bible studies on your own or something else? Is this a change for you or were you doing this already before this pandemic started?

My pastor has been posted on facebook live everyday lately, though I haven't been able to watch it most days. I have watched a few online sermons, but I usually do that anyway.

 

[Lamb]

My pastor took the time to conduct an audio service going through the liturgy as if we were there with him. He included the psalms, readings, and hymns and it was really nice and a lot of work.

 

[Andrew]

Not everyone has internet access especially the elderly, hope they read their bibles.. Isaiah 26:20?
Although I wouldn't go as far to say that anyone who dies was ungodly but anyway this verse is being spread around like wild fire on facebook feeds

 

[Krissy Cakes]

Churches are closed here.

 

[tango]

My church has suspended meetings. We're looking at cut down messages online. I don't like being closed but since we've got a lot of older members it makes sense, the last thing we want is for the older members in particular to get this thing.

 

[Josiah]

We're disallowed to gather ...

Worship has gone entirely online. Bible studies are now by email


.

 

[NewCreation435]

We're disallowed to gather ...

Worship has gone entirely online. Bible studies are now by email


.

I wonder if this will cause some churches to close for good since it may affect their offerings and giving?

 

[tango]

I wonder if this will cause some churches to close for good since it may affect their offerings and giving?

That's an interesting thought - even if people plan to continue financial giving they can only do so much if they face losing their jobs. I know some churches have ministers who either don't draw a salary or don't need the salary but utility bills still need to be paid. Perhaps we can be thankful this didn't hit during the coldest months of the year.

 

[Andrew]

That's an interesting thought - even if people plan to continue financial giving they can only do so much if they face losing their jobs. I know some churches have ministers who either don't draw a salary or don't need the salary but utility bills still need to be paid. Perhaps we can be thankful this didn't hit during the coldest months of the year.

I've been thinking the same and it's not like we weren't warned

 

[tango]

I've been thinking the same and it's not like we weren't warned

The sad thing is that at just about every level of society there's no longer much concept of saving for a rainy day. Individuals let their lifestyle creep to absorb their income plus their credit limits, companies hand out surplus cash in dividends rather than keeping much on hand and governments run deficits even during what is allegedly a period of economic growth. Then when the system takes a shock there's nothing in reserve.

The people at the bottom of the economic heap often barely have enough resources to get by at all but beyond that there's really no excuse for it. For good measure much of what government does these days discourages self-reliance, but then the government proves over and over again that relying on it for protection is a fool's game.

Thanfully my church is in a place where we have periodic discussions regarding what we do with spare cash on hand, and usually it ends up as a discussion of how much we should keep as a reserve against a downturn in giving and how much we should give away and to whom.

 

[Josiah]

WE need to remember our godly stewardship!!! Now more than ever....

Send in those checks!




.

 

[Lamb]

Our Holy Week services have been canceled

 

[Confessional Lutheran]

I've taken to listening to my Pastor's sermons online and I've been studying my faith a bit more in depth since services are cancelled. I've been chronicling a lot of my reflections in a journal and every so often, I get updates about Hope Lutheran Church in my email and on Facebook. My daily devotions remain unchanged. As I'm dealing with another bout of chronic bronchitis, I've had some extra time to think.

 

[NewCreation435]

I've taken to listening to my Pastor's sermons online and I've been studying my faith a bit more in depth since services are cancelled. I've been chronicling a lot of my reflections in a journal and every so often, I get updates about Hope Lutheran Church in my email and on Facebook. My daily devotions remain unchanged. As I'm dealing with another bout of chronic bronchitis, I've had some extra time to think.

I hope you get well soon

 

[Confessional Lutheran]

I hope you get well soon

Thanks, @jsimms435 ! God willing, the meds will knock this right out.

 

[vince284]

I have started enjoying this virtual church thing. I really wasn't going to church much, but now I find myself listening and watching a couple of services a week. One church that I belonged to had a big childcare facility that paid for just about everything the church needed. I'm not sure how they are doing. The next church, just had older people and they tithed regularly. They didn't spend on anything and they didn't contribute to anything. So they have a building that's paid for and a lot of money in the bank. I didn't really care for either church.

 

[FredVB]

It changed things for me, with no in person services for the last few Sundays. My church was a Baptist church when I started there, it has more recently taken a new name and dropped all reference to being Baptist. There are other issues with churches. Even though there are online services, I didn't choose it. I realized being with the other Christians was important. But I went to scriptures more. I become more aware of what Christianity was originally, with actually following Jesus, and having fruits of God's Spirit showing with following his examples. So much is compromised with contemporary culture in modern Christianity and I am feeling more alienated from it, as it goes in some other directions, and valuable things and virtues of original Christianity are lost.

 

[NewCreation435]

It changed things for me, with no in person services for the last few Sundays. My church was a Baptist church when I started there, it has more recently taken a new name and dropped all reference to being Baptist. There are other issues with churches. Even though there are online services, I didn't choose it. I realized being with the other Christians was important. But I went to scriptures more. I become more aware of what Christianity was originally, with actually following Jesus, and having fruits of God's Spirit showing with following his examples. So much is compromised with contemporary culture in modern Christianity and I am feeling more alienated from it, as it goes in some other directions, and valuable things and virtues of original Christianity are lost.

Why did they drop the reference to being Baptist? Maybe with people staying home and having to worship and study the Bible for themselves that puts more responsibility where it should be, on the individual

 

[Lamb]

Why did they drop the reference to being Baptist? Maybe with people staying home and having to worship and study the Bible for themselves that puts more responsibility where it should be, on the individual

Some churches are trying to drop any denominational references to lure more people in to worshiping with them because sometimes there is a stigma attached to belonging to a denomination.

 

[Albion]

Some churches are trying to drop any denominational references to lure more people in to worshiping with them because sometimes there is a stigma attached to belonging to a denomination.

That's very true. And it has been going on for several generations now. It's a reaction to the perception that people think being a member of any denomination is somehow wrong to do. It's also a reaction to the fact that most denominations have simply been losing members, regardless of the reason.

Yet studies have shown that the congregations which do this--adopt some generalized name that doesn't suggest membership in any larger church organization--lose members and significance even faster.

An example that has been cited concerns the United Church of Christ, the new name of the once-famous Congregationalist Church (and a smaller denomination merged with it). Now it's the case that the name chosen rings no bells at all with the average person, apparently meaning that people interested in finding a church home simply don't think of the UCC one way or the other.

Some people think that it's the theological extremism of the UCC that has cost it members, so while that is a consideration, this study that dealt solely with the name was eye-opening.