Is the Pandemic Unchurching our Church?

When Was the Last Time You Went to Church?

People may respond, “Do you mean physically to the building or virtually to an online digital program?”

With the impact of the pandemic, the landscape of "going to church" is looking very different. The pandemic has caused churches to either close down physical worship services or cut down the number of people who can attend to lessen the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

Our world has changed literally overnight, and so has our relationship with the church as we once knew it. It has been said that there are more people viewing and watching online church services now than ever before.

Because of these cataclysmic changes, we need to ask the question, What is a church? What will the church look like post-pandemic? How do we want the church of the future to look? Where will the church be in five, ten, or twenty years? These may be some tough and challenging questions on which to focus, but if the church is going to thrive well into the future, we must confront the reality of global changes that are taking place right now.

Pajamas and Online Church

I think it might be safe to assume that when we finally make it through this Covid era, many people that attended church pre-Covid, will not be coming back to the building. Instead of waking up and dressing up in Sabbath's best and attending church for several hours on a Saturday, many people are enjoying and opting for a 40 min program that they can watch online in their pajamas.

Since the world has changed, behaviors are changing as well. People still want Jesus; they still wish to fellowship. They still want community, just in a different way.

According to a Barna article entitled “State of the Church,” “57% of church-going adults who have attended in the last six months admit that people they know are tired of the usual church experience.”

I realized something during this pandemic. It is as Richard Jacobson put it: “Believers are not leaving the church… it's the church that is leaving the building.” I don't believe we should see the lack of desire to attend church as a lack of devotion or even a lack of faith. I see it more as a culture shift. Since the world has changed, behaviours are changing as well. People still want Jesus; they still wish to fellowship. They still want community, just in a different way. We must be willing to pivot and adapt to engage and reach this new changing culture.

Jesus Is the King of Kings… Content Is King

It is often said, “Content is king,” a phrase used by Microsoft founder, Bill Gates. What does that even mean? It means people are always looking to be engaged with great content. If you don't have great content, they will find it elsewhere.

If churches remain relevant and impactful globally, online content will have to be of top-notch quality. I think we are moving toward an on-demand type of content programming. People are watching more and more Netflix and YouTube, which have an on-demand feel to them. They can watch what they want and when they want to watch it.

It won't be enough to duplicate the service you had in person and just put it online. Churches will have to create and produce content that will have viewers wanting to come back for seconds and thirds. See, it's no longer about church attendance; it's about church engagement. The good thing is there is always a need for great, spiritually uplifting content.

Where Are We Going?

Some members love the current, traditional church model more than they love the mission. As a church, the traditional model can no longer be our sacred cow. What we must focus on is our mission.

I find it interesting that over the last couple months, political and civic leaders have been encouraging us to meet in small cohorts—bubbles—essentially, smaller groups of people with whom we spend the most time—to lessen the transmission of the virus. I think this may be the opportune time when God may allow us to transition to small groups, like the church of old.

Perhaps the church of the future is going to resemble the church of the past—the first-century church. The first-century church was a house church model, comparable to a small group of ten to twelve people who lived and moved as the "church" while in their home and community. I think this shift back to the biblical model of the first-century church is a good one. If it worked and was good enough for the disciples and the apostles of old, perhaps it will be good for us as well.

Churches will have to create and produce content that will have viewers wanting to come back for seconds and thirds. See, it's no longer about church attendance; it's about church engagement. The good thing is there is always a need for great, spiritually uplifting content.

In closing, the church is not dying; it's just changing. Maybe you can call it an "unchurching." There is a paradigm shift taking place. It is starting to look different because the world is changing and our culture is shifting. It could be that this time of change is calling us back to the biblical model of the first-century church—smaller groups of faith communities. The two emerging areas I see helping our church pivot gracefully through this time of change is the small-group effect and the creation of quality, on-demand content.

For many, due to this pandemic lockdown, it's going to continue to be some comfy PJs and some great, inspiring, on-demand, online Sabbath content.

Dr. Lyle Notice | Youth Director Alberta Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist

Sources

Barna: https://www.barna.com/research/current-perceptions/

Richard Jacobson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEkFgCFSKMg