If you do not know Marian Liautaud, you should. Marian is the Director of Marketing for Aspen Group and one of my favorite influencers. Aspen is a ministry-focused design, build, furnish firm providing integrated solutions for new church facilities, additions, and renovations.
This incredible organization has been voted as being one of the Best Christian Workplaces fives years in a row! There is not a church design-build group I respect more than this one. They prioritize and care about the church and its people above all else. Aspen is a true example of a ministry partner who focuses on transformation more than transaction.
Last month they made an incredible FREE resource available to pastors, church leaders, and readers of this site as we prepare to begin returning to our local churches entitled “Relaunch Church: Key Questions to Prepare for a New Season of Ministry.” Hundreds of you downloaded it!!! If you have not gotten your copy yet, do so today by clicking HERE or on the image above.
In addition, Marian also wrote a very helpful blog post on relaunching your church. The 4 Pillars Of Alignment she discusses are PURE GOLD!!! So much so I want to make her ideas available to you. Enjoy and do not forget to click HERE to get your complimentary resource. Now onto Marian’s post:
The Coronavirus pandemic has stretched every church to find new ways to fulfill its mission to be the Body of Christ. The church never was the building. It is and always has been people who make up the church. During this season of social distancing, congregations are learning anew what it means to be the Church.
Week by week, churches have become more adept at worshiping online and conducting small groups and children’s ministry via social media and video platforms. As the urgency of trying to figure out all the ways to shepherd our congregations virtually starts to stabilize, pastors are shifting their attention to new concerns—namely, how can we prepare for the eventual day when we’re able to return to our church buildings.
There will be a day when churches are allowed to reopen their doors to the public, and for some, that day is coming sooner rather than later, though with constraints on group gathering sizes and social distancing. We want churches to be prepared to reopen.
Soon, your church will be able to return to your building. We want you to be ready.
Returning to church will likely be more of a transitional process versus a single opening day, and depending on state and city decisions, churches will reopen at different times and in different ways. Gathering sizes may be restricted to small groups initially and increase gradually. It could be a long time before we see large-scale, in-person gatherings.
The Coronavirus has changed us as a society. Some things will remain the same–the unchanging Truth of the Gospel, of course. But much will be different—and should change—because of what we’re experiencing and learning as a result of this crisis.
To help leaders prepare for a new season of ministry in a post-COVID world, we’ve created a new webpage at relaunch.church, which features a growing series of blog posts, downloadable PDFs, videos, and more.
A Framework for Fresh Eyes
Churches have a unique window of opportunity to reflect on who they are as a congregation and what changes they may want to make as they prepare to relaunch church once this COVID crisis has subsided. We want to help churches use their fresh eyes, which only last for a short time, to envision a new future for this next season of ministry.
Over the years, we’ve developed a framework that we use to guide churches in order to achieve maximum ministry impact, and we call it Alignment.
Alignment is the intersection of four key aspects of church life: culture, leadership, ministry, and facilities. When churches are in alignment in these four areas, they’re able to operate with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
4 Pillars of Alignment
Culture is the first pillar of Alignment. Before we guide a church into decisions about their facility, we first take them through a process of discerning culture. What trends and shifts are happening in the world that impacts the way people think about their faith and church? How do you describe your own church’s culture?
Leadership is the second pillar of Alignment. What kind of leaders does your church need to shepherd your congregation? Are there any unique leadership roles needed to serve a particular ministry calling on your church?
Ministry is the third aspect of Alignment. What kinds of ministry programs is your church called to provide, especially in a post-COVID culture?
Facilities is the final and fourth pillar of Alignment. Do you have the right kind of ministry space to fulfill your unique mission and vision as a church? Will new ways of gathering in person require new types of ministry space?
In our new downloadable PDF, “Key Questions to Prepare for a New Season of Ministry,” we guide you through a series of questions under each of these pillars. It’s a great place to start to wrestle through important questions with your team about who you are as a church and how you’ll use your church facility as a tool to live out your unique mission and vision.
We’re also hosting a series of Relaunch Church webinars to further help prepare you to return to in-person gatherings at your church. These webinars will unpack some of the key questions to align your church and will provide practical tips and insights to prepare you to create space for ministry impact in a post-COVID culture.
Looking to a Hopeful Future
As a team, and in light of the COVID-19 crisis, we are asking ourselves new questions. We know that ministry space—people’s perceptions of it, churches’ use of it, and the community’s connection to it—will change. We know proactive church leaders are asking questions too. We hope you’ll join us for our upcoming “Relaunch Church” webinar to explore some of these questions together.
As church leader Ed Stetzer said, “The church has left the building, and that may be the gift God gives us in the midst of this crisis.” When your church is free to relaunch after COVID-19 has subsided, what form will it take? Will it be business as usual (spoiler: that model wasn’t working very well for most churches), or will you use this opportunity to reset as a Body and seek God’s wisdom in how you might better reach people with the Gospel and saving power of Jesus Christ?
