2020 has been the most difficult year for pastors in my and their lifetime. The reasons are several:
- No one has ever been through a global pandemic before much less tried to lead through one.
- Church staffs had never been through a global pandemic before and they were personally trying to process this. Therefore, leading them has been more complex than ever.
- Pastors had to learn completely new skills sets to effectively operate in a digital environment.
- Congregants feel more empowered to give their opinions.
- It felt as is half your congregation was furious with you no matter what decision you made or when regarding racial strife, masks, political elections (pro-Trump vs. anti-Trump), and safety vs. faith (closing vs. opening).
- And many, many more…
But some pastors rose to the occasion and thrived during the disruption of 2020.
After multiple conversations with key team members of INJOY Stewardship and other trusted pastors and Christian leaders in my network, I discovered several common threads of pastors who saw their churches fully-fund their budgets and actually see an increase in live-attendance. Yes you heard that right, an increase in live attendance.
The following are 3 Qualities Of Pastors And Churches Who Thrived During 2020 & COVID:
Pastors Who Thrived During 2020 & COVID Led Securely From A Place Of Insecurity
Everything rises and falls on leadership. Individual congregations literally took on the personalities of their pastors. If a pastor was filled with faith and responsibly aggressive in hosting public gatherings and moving the church forward, the congregation followed in kind and subsequently thrived.
These type of pastors knew they would face opposition. Unity was not coming in 2020.
As mentioned earlier, insecurity said, “50% of people will not be happy with my decision, regardless of what it was.” Pastors who did not thrive in 2020 were marred by fear and passivity because of this. However, security said, “I am confident in what God has called me to do. I trust the leaders God has put around me. We know who we are as a church and what our mission is. It will be challenging but let’s go!”
During 2020, most pastors got side-tracked by important but secondary issues. I wrote about this 17 Reasons American Pastors And Church Leaders Are Asking AND Answering All The Wrong Questions. Pastors who thrived this past year addressed issues but never became consumed by them.
God honors movement.
Pastors who thrived knew who they were and stayed true to how God wired them and what He called them to do. They were secure leaders.
Pastors Who Thrived During 2020 & COVID Went Phygital
Many pastors went very heavy on their digital emphasis. This was a necessity when churches closed. However, once they reopened many remained with this emphasis. You would hear terms like, “There’s more people on the other side of that camera than here in person. I’m putting all my focus and resources there.”
Upon reopening, some other pastors focused on their live audience, merely acknowledging the online audience.
However, the pastors who thrived during 2020 equally focused on both the live and online audiences, not preferring one over the other. The term for this is Phygital – a physical and digital audience. Here are two excellent articles on this approach to ministry:
- Welcome to the Era of Phygital Church And 4 Ways to Adapt to it
- 4 Questions Churches Are Asking About Phygital Church, and How to Know If It’s Right for Your Church
Digital is with us until Jesus comes back. However, neglecting your live audience is a mistake.
The Urgency Of A Compelling Vision Is Greater Than COVID
Pastor, at the end of the day, how urgent is the mission and vision of your church…. really? Is it something you have to do no matter what? Or did COVID strip away all the non-essentials, including your vision?
If a church had a compelling vision for advancing their ministry plan prior to COVID, they simply continued. In other words, pastors who thrived continued with hiring staff, building projects, capital campaigns, community events, and missional activities. They did not ignore COVID, they managed it. Their attitude was “God told us to do this and He knew COVID was coming.” Bottom line – the ministry need was so urgent it had to be addressed… no matter what!!!
2020 is a year we will never forget. Ministry will certainly never the be the same. However, it is still possible to grow both your live and online audiences during this time of disruption. Lead Securely, Go Phygital, and stay Obedient to a Compelling Vision and watch what God will do!
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