Quarantines and social distancing have created extra margin in calendars to the extent that some people have said, \u201cWe\u2019ve never had so much free time.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for others, this season of social distancing has caused them to be busier than ever. This certainly is the case for pastors and church leaders.<\/p>\n
God created the local church to operate in a rhythm of gathering for corporate worship and being scattered on mission. But during this off-balance season when churches can\u2019t come together in-person, pastors are having to adapt.<\/p>\n
This creates extra work for pastors, because a church that\u2019s constantly scattered takes more effort to shepherd.<\/p>\n
Still, God intends for pastors to worship Him through rest, even during a pandemic. To help achieve this, here are four things you can cross off your to-do list as a pastor during COVID-19.<\/p>\n
1. Pastors don’t have to re-create the essence of a physical gathering<\/strong><\/p>\n As worship services have moved online, pastors are feeling the pressure to digitally replicate a typical Sunday-morning experience.<\/p>\n But regardless of the production quality of virtual gatherings, they will never replace the power of worshiping together in person.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unnatural for a local church to be physically apart week after week. Services that take place online will therefore always cause you and your people to feel something is lacking.<\/p>\n This is actually a good thing<\/a>\u00a0as it reminds your people what they were made for and what they\u2019re missing.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t create needless stress for yourself by laboring to craft the \u201cperfect\u201d online church service. Such a thing doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n Give yourself the gift of realizing this season is one to get through, not master.<\/p>\n 2. Pastors don’t have to analyze their on-line preaching stats<\/strong><\/p>\n Never before have pastors had so many tools available for them to instantly monitor the reception of their message.<\/p>\n For example, on-line services now allow pastors to track views, impressions, finishes, likes, comments, shares, and even what turns of phrase in the sermon elicited certain emojis on Facebook.<\/p>\n Pastors can be spiritually paralyzed if they feel the need to constantly analyze such data and draw a sense of worth from it.<\/p>\n Not to mention, most of this data isn\u2019t truly reflective of a sermon\u2019s impact and can be easily misinterpreted if you\u2019re not accustomed to tracking such stats.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t give in to the feeling you must scrutinize your on-line sermon analytics. Preach as faithfully as you can to an empty room, take a break, and then move on to the next week\u2019s message.<\/p>\n During this season, your people need an on-line shepherd, not a marketing statistician.<\/p>\n 3. Pastors don’t need to have all the answers<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhen will this be over? Why is it happening? What is God up to?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Because pastors have the gift of teaching, they instinctively want to help answer such questions from their people.<\/p>\n But in these strange times, replacing the need for answers with a simple trust in God can be an act of worship.<\/p>\n In a helpful article<\/a>, Michael Kelley looks at Job\u2019s friends and the disciples who asked Jesus to explain the \u201cwhy\u201d behind a man\u2019s suffering (John 9:1-5).<\/p>\n It can be dangerous, Kelley argues, to claim we understand God\u2019s purposes in allowing suffering to take place.<\/p>\n Kelley writes, \u201cRather than trying to explain our suffering, let us give thanks that God brings good out of bad, that God redeems the pain of His people, and that God is wiser than we are. Let\u2019s not explain our suffering; let\u2019s endeavor to trust God before, during, and after it.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t entertain the impossible burden of trying to help your people make sense of everything that\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n There\u2019s freedom and worship found in a pastor saying, \u201cI can\u2019t answer all your questions, but I can model what it looks like to trust God during this time.\u201d<\/p>\n 4. Pastors don’t have to carry the church on their shoulders<\/strong><\/p>\n The challenges presented by COVID-19 are real and demand solutions that require creativity and resourcefulness.<\/p>\n But as pastors tap into a spirit of pragmatism, they can start to believe the lie that it\u2019s up to them to hold the church together.<\/p>\n Christ boldly declared to Peter, \u201cI<\/u>\u00a0will build my church,\u201d and Paul wrote that nothing in all creation would separate God\u2019s people from His love. That includes the coronavirus.<\/p>\n This means the church will survive not being able to worship together corporately for a season. And likewise, local churches will not fall apart due to a lack of in-person face time with their pastor.<\/p>\n Pastors, therefore, don\u2019t have to be a jack-of-all trades during this time or be constantly in front of their people by way of virtual communications.<\/p>\n In a season when it might be tempting to \u201cover-perform\u201d in an attempt to justify one\u2019s paycheck while the church office is closed, pastors should continue to look for ways to\u00a0equip the saints<\/em>\u00a0to do the work of ministry\u2014not attempt to do all the ministry as one person or as a small staff of people.<\/p>\n While every church will have different needs in this season, the fear of thinking \u201cit\u2019s all on me\u201d can cause pastors and ministries to overcompensate to the point they will quickly burn out.<\/p>\n As COVID-19 continues, take time each week to reassess how you are spending your time. Look to delegate or even eliminate activities that could be fostering burnout or neglect to your health and the care of your own family.<\/p>\n Christ is the head of the church. The government will rest upon His shoulders. Regardless of how it may feel, it\u2019s not all on you to hold things together.<\/p>\n Only one thing is necessary<\/strong><\/p>\n During turbulent times such as a pandemic, it\u2019s easy for pastors to start each day with an overwhelming list of messages to craft, people to contact, and business to address.<\/p>\n While tackling these responsibilities, it can be helpful to pause and consider the tasks that call for attention but actually are unnecessary and may even be harmful to your ministry.<\/p>\n Christ lovingly corrected Mary for being \u201cworried and upset about many things,\u201d imploring her to make \u201cthe right choice\u201d of focusing on what was necessary.<\/p>\n What might the Lord be encouraging you to shave off your list of expectations during this season of busyness so that\u2014in the midst of a pandemic\u2014you can make the right choices for your family and ministry?<\/p>\n This post originally appeared at\u00a0<\/em>LifeWay Pastors<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Quarantines and social distancing have created extra margin in calendars to the extent that some people …<\/p>\n