Electro-Ecclesial Experiments

 

Our leaders met recently and decided to keep our church building closed for services,  until at least 15th February, in line with the government lockdown. Churches are allowed to meet, but following recommendations from the Baptist Union, it seems right to move online for two reasons: to protect our attenders & to protect society by not spreading the virus.

Many are disappointed by this. We have different opinions. So we must remain united and sensitive to each other; respecting each other’s viewpoints, attributing integrity to each other, as we each seek to be faithful to our God.

 About the meaning of the word ‘church’: I always try to distinguish between the ‘church’, and the ‘church building’. The church, in Scripture, refers to the people of God, especially when they are gathered together, but also in their dispersed state. It does not refer to a building. I appreciate that some cultural backgrounds value meeting in the building, and for many it is a special place, which holds many fond memories. But, we also have an obligation, while respecting feelings, to teach correct doctrine.

The building, in itself, is not a ‘holy place’ or ‘sacred space’. The idea of ‘sacred space’ is indeed present in the Old Testament, but with the New Covenant, the notion is done away with. Anywhere we use becomes ‘holy’ or ‘sacred’, because we are using it for holy and sacred purposes. For many churches, this means their rented premises, in schools or community halls, or their living room, becomes ‘sacred space’. It is, of course very helpful to have a building for our use, and we are grateful to previous generations, for building and maintaining them; and we must constantly seek fresh ways to use this inheritance Kingdom purposes.

In a way, therefore, being outside the building gives fresh opportunities to rediscover who we really are as ‘church’, and discern new forms of meeting and service. When we meet virtually, online, we are just as much ‘gathered’, two or three, as when we do so physically; already we are used to praying for each other on the phone. Of course, it may not ‘feel’ the same, because we have become used to meeting in this familiar place; but this again is another chance to discover fresh ways of encountering God.

This development does, however, pose two particular problems, which were highlighted in our meeting: how we do outreach, and how we care pastorally. For some, it seems that we can only preach the Gospel if we do so in church buildings, through preaching in a formal service. This indeed a challenge, but is therefore also a potential spur to learn new ways of doing these things, a time to experiment. Some initiatives may be short-lived, and cease after the pandemic, when we return to our buildings. We may discover others are of permanent value, and we continue them as enrichments of our ministry. 

Different churches have attempted various (and better) things; but I want to highlight ways we’ve tried, and some ideas we are still exploring, as well as acknowledge some of the difficulties. 

Outreach:

·         Apologetics on Instagram

·         Magazine-style discussion programme on Facebook

·         Social Media posts: songs & words

·         Members doing their own online Bible Talks (

·         Daily Bible Devotional on Youtube, Instagram & Facebook

·         Life Groups increased from 4 pre-pandemic, to 12 now, & exploring another soon

·         Street Evangelism & music/worship outside

·         Breathe Services outside the building, early in pandemic

·         Talks at University CUs online

·         Young Adult Life Group spontaneously setting up a group for friends

·         Online groups at the local community centre among elderly – Summer & Advent

·          Services on Facebook attract visitors 

·         New people coming to physical church through social media & online services

·         New Video-based Discipleship Programme launch in January

·         New Website launching end of January

·         Current discussion about doing Alpha in February

·         Current discussion about offering English conversation classes in March

·         We are weak in social action: e.g. LCM have decided not to run the Drop-In in future due to a change in strategy

 

 

Pastoral Care:

·         Structure of Pastoral Care Teams was created in 2020, & ran well until the summer

·         Now investigating new model of Pastoral care for 2021

·         Over Christmas period, we divided vulnerable people up to ensure phone contact was maintained

·         Life Groups now include more people

·         Exploring a new Lifegroup for young men on the edge of church

·         A Phone-based Life Group was stated for older people who can’t access online

·         Ad hoc teams made pastoral visits

·         Video-based Discipleship Programme

·         Online work-outs & movie nights

·         Aware of some people not engaging online, and becoming disconnected, drifting from church: how can we minister more effectively here?

·         Aware of mental illness & stress/anxiety growing during the pandemic: we’re attempting to support 1:1 & socials

·         Aware of our students from KCBC at university outside London experiencing stress:following up 1:1