HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD
COVID-19 has dramatically impacted the way many people ‘attend’ church each week. With churches remaining closed, operating at limited capacity, or people concerned about the risks associated with public gatherings so they stay away, online church has become the way the majority ‘attend’ church. With so many churches online, a person has a buffet of options of when and who to watch. Some people are watching three or four gatherings per weekend.
At the risk of coming off in a self-serving manner, as a lead pastor of a local church, I want to emphasize the importance of making sure you keep it a priority to watch the online gathering from your home church. It may not feel as much like a ‘family’ right now because of the physical distance created by COVID, but there is nothing than can destroy the spiritual bond that exists in the body of Christ. Based upon my years in ministry and my understanding of how the Holy Spirit works, each week your pastoral teaching team is sharing a word from the Lord for your specific church family. I don’t believe that it is a general or generic word, like shooting a gun into the air and hoping you hit something. While it may be interesting to watch other churches, you need to hear what the Spirit is speaking to your church through your pastors.
At some point COVID will be behind us. People will begin returning to their home churches. I can envision a situation where people return to their home church and it no longer feels like it once did; they don’t sense the same connection they once did to the church body and the mission of the church. I believe this scenario can be helped by tuning in each week to your church’s online gatherings, participating in the worship, and hearing the word of the Lord through your pastors. While there are physical challenges in gathering as the church right now, we are as spiritually connected as we want to be.
In the COMMENTS, please suggest ways a church family can stay spiritually connected during this season of physical distance.
