CHURCH: How to be part of it when you can't go to it!

Sports talk radio host, Colin Cowherd, has a great bit on how to gain perspective on an issue. He calls it the 'say it out loud' test. I love it. It's comically obnoxious and a fairly decent way to at least clarify current circumstances. For example, there are reports surfacing that Bill Belichick tried to trade Tom Brady after the 2017 Superbowl. It was their fifth Super Bowl championship together (they now have six) and their second in the past three seasons. Brady was named the MVP of both of those championship games and at that time became almost undeniably the best quarterback of all time. Brady showed no evidence of slowing down or getting old. So let's try the 'say it out loud test' together...

'Bill Belichick tried to trade Tom Brady after winning the 2017 Super Bowl!?!?' 

I don't know if the rumors are true, but to simply say it out loud tells us that it's either a total lie or Belichick was totally insane. It clarifies the absurd. (and this is ABSURD regardless if it's rumor or truth!)

Speaking of absurd, here's another 'say it out loud' test...

'Every church building in our country is empty on Sundays'. 

It sounds like a tweet on our timelines about a third-world country under the control of a fascist regime, but definitely couldn't be a report from a country that touts religious freedom like the U.S. ABSURD!

But it is the current state of churches in the United States of America. And for good reason. No matter what report you read (as long as the source is somewhat knowledgeable) social distancing is a major factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and so most of us, following the wise lead of our local church pastors, have stopped going to church in person. Sometimes the 'say it out loud' test is brutal reality check. 

BUT!!!

We still have to keep being part of the church. Dallas Willard, the late theologian and author, in his book 'The Great Omission'  notes that the word disciple is used 269 times in the New Testament. A simple scan of the New Testament would demonstrate that being part of a local church is part of being a disciple (ex. Acts 2, Hebrews 10:24-25, I Timothy 3). Drew Dyck, in his book 'Your Future Self will Thank You' described how Atheist philosopher Alain de Botton credited the rhythm of repetition demonstrated by attending church as one of the great lessons that atheists could learn about how to spread their philosophy. EVEN ATHEISTS KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO GO TO CHURCH! COVID-19 has paused our church attendance but it cannot pause our growth as disciples which means we need to continue to be an active part of our local churches. As an advocate for attending and participating in the local church, let me provide some recommendations for being part of your church when you can't go to your church:

EMBRACE ONLINE CHURCH - Many have struggled to move in to the digital age even in 2020. We can all be classified as digital refugees (lost in this tech-savvy world), digital immigrants (didn't grow up with it but have adapted), and digital natives (don't know life without it). The natives are just fine with the online experience, so I'm encouraging the refugees and immigrants (me) to jump in on the online experience. The biggest hindrance for many is that they feel that church online is 'not real'. Pastor Carey Nieuwhof  put it this way, 'Ask Sears how real Amazon is.' BOOM!. Wow. Let's embrace our churches' efforts to go online.

PREPARE TO ATTEND ONLINE SERVICE - Re-create your Sunday morning routine. Get up at the same time as you normally would on a Sunday morning, but take advantage of the fact that you have a lot more time and probably a lot less stress. Take a walk. Get the whole family together for breakfast. Spend some extra time reading. Sip an extra cup of coffee. Slow. It. Down. You may find yourself more ready to hear from God's Word than you have been in a long time. 

ENGAGE IN YOUR ONLINE SERVICE - Get your laptop, tablet, or smart tv ready before the actual service begins. Many of us can screen share our device right to our smart TVs. Get the whole family together. Leave your phone in another room (it'll keep screen sharing). Have your Bible and note pad ready. Settle in and really engage in the online service. *note: at no point did I tell you to change out of your favorite weekend sweat pants, comb your hair, do your make up, or even brush your teeth. This is online church, baby!!!!!

SHARE YOUR ONLINE SERVICE - Use your social media platforms to spread the word that your church is streaming their services. Most of us are connected with friends and family on social media that are not connected to a local church and need to hear the Gospel. They are also not doing much at the moment so you may be surprised how many will check in with your link to your local church service...AND HEAR THE GOSPEL!

KEEP GIVING TO YOUR CHURCH! One of the most difficult impacts on a church of not gathering physically is how drastically financial giving dips. It's time to jump into the world of online giving! Go to your churches website and find the instructions for online giving. I tithe via text to my local church. I send a simple text and bam...my tithe is sent. What a time to be alive! Get it set up and use your online service on Sunday as a reminder to give to your local church on your phone (just before you set it in the other room and watch the service). Your church will likely have new financial needs to resource their attempt to connect with you online. Pastors used to be able to provide their most valuable service, preaching, with only their Bibles. Now, during COVID-19, they need new cameras, new microphones, video editing programs, graphic design tools, and even multi-media editors. Never mind the fact that just like us, the church's regular bills keep rolling in monthly. Start giving online so that you can keep experiencing your church online and keep their doors open when it's time to re-open their doors. 

CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR CHURCH - It's great to keep attending online, but it's just as important to keep contributing in the form of service to your local church during this time. Church leaders are working overtime to keep their congregations connected. Pivoting fast and providing an online experience is a ton of work. Your church staff needs help. Reach out to them and ask what you can do. You'll be surprised the type of contributions you can make to the effort from your home right now. Calling and checking in on other members, or organizing spreadsheets of email addresses are an example of much needed assistance. If it's not those things, it's other things. It will be something. For me, I'm using my phone to video 20 minute lessons for a class that I was supposed to teach in person. I'm attending Zoom meetings with other teachers to discuss how we can get and stay connected with our church family online. Find a new way to contribute service to you church or contribute your service to your church in a new way.

PREPARE TO RE-CONNECT IN PERSON - Be ready. When we have all moved past COVID-19 (and we will), be the first at the doors when they re-open. I believe that if you've taken the steps described above, you'll be fired up to see your church family and they'll be fired up to see you. You will actually be more connected to your church as a result of what you did while we weren't allowed to go to church.

‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read about it more here.

Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader and Director of Athletics at The King’s Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart and they have three teen age children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for all sorts of inspirational thoughts and good laughs.