With the effective prevention and control of COVID-19, Christians have begun to return to their churches to worship and praise the Lord. However, inspiring as this may be, the church’s ministry is inevitably affected by the pandemic. How to again begin ministry is an urgent problem.
1. The loss of co-workers. Some church members work in a city, but because of the pandemic, their enterprises have encountered problems and some persons are unemployed. In order to make a living, they have needed to leave the city and return to their hometowns or find a job elsewhere. If they have participated in a ministry, such as singing in the choir or visiting others, then the team will have a shortage of staff due to their departure.
2. The change of church volunteers. Even if some members did not leave cities, the pandemic might have changed their work. Some people have changed jobs, and because of changes in working hours, they have no time to serve in the church. Or because their income has decreased, they have found part-time jobs in order to support their families. This will also affect their ability to participate in ministry.
3.Churches have experienced rapid change in the makeups. All church activities were stopped during the pandemic, and everyone worshipped online. However, since everyone could listen to sermons of other churches, some believers thought that these churches have better sermons, so they left their original church and went to a new church. Co-workers who have become a part of a different ministry will leave a gap as their original church begins restoring its ministry.
4.Some believers were weak in their faith. The pandemic impacted the world and many Christians had difficulty in understanding why the pandemic occurred, especially those whose relatives or friends were infected. What’s more, with no onsite meetings for a long time, the faith of some believers has been without a shepherd and become weak, and their faith has been shaken.
5.Some ministries need to start from the beginning. Due to the pandemic, ministry was interrupted for four or five months, and many co-workers haven't been carrying out their duties for a long time. They need to again become familiar with their ministry. This problem is more obvious for ministries like choirs where practice and technical skills are important for an effective ministry.
After returning, the church should pay more attention to strengthen the faith of believers, and help lead them out of the shadow of the pandemic. Church pastors and co-workers can spend more time visiting those weak members so that they can regain their strength and return to the church under the leadership of the Lord. Mature and stable believers are important in restoring the church. As everyone’s faith restored, there is no need to worry about the lack of ministers.
For believers who have changed to other churches, pastors and co-workers can talk to them, inform them of the importance of commitment, and redeem them with love and persuasion.
If co-workers are unfamiliar with ministry, believers and colleagues should be understanding of their situation. It is important to train and help restore co-workers as soon as possible.
- Translated by Elaina Wu
