Is God really at work during the pandemic? Are references to positive things happening just things we tell ourselves to keep encouraged and thinking positively? We asked our current church planters to tell us if they had one specific example of new people who have come to the church because of the circumstances of the pandemic. Not every church could give an example. And there are OPC churches hurting and losing people during the pandemic–we’ve highlighted some of those in Home Missions Today for prayer. So, this isn’t to sugar coat things. But read the following accounts from pastors in young, OPC church plants and reflect for a moment on what God is doing in a “lockdown.”
One common thread is that OPC churches have been committed to continue to have in-person worship, even if challenging and needing some creativity to pull it off. God has used the “simple” act of continuing to worship in person to bring new people into the church. Here are specifics from some pastors (with names and identifying tidbits removed):
1) “Since the lockdowns began we’ve been worshipping in our backyard. Surprisingly, we’ve continued to see visitors almost every week. One of these was a family who had been worshipping at a large, broadly evangelical church in the area. The lockdown ended their church’s worship services, and the church leadership and congregation seemed in no hurry to return. Many seemed to be enjoying virtual worship more than in person worship. Yet this family was starving for fellowship and an in person ministry of the Word. So one day they found us and contacted me. They have been worshipping in my backyard ever since and they will be received into membership on Nov. 29, 2020.”
2) “We have a couple in membership class right now who came to us during COVID…because of COVID restrictions they had not been worshiping. So they were looking for a church that was meeting and they found our website. They visited us and loved the word preached and the fellowship. The Lord used the pandemic to bring them to a reformed church and hear the Word preached.”
3) “During the pandemic, by God’s mercy, we were able to keep in person worship services going. This led to a steady trickle of visitors from the area looking for a church they could attend in person.”
4) “Every visitor and newcomer we have had has come about during the pandemic, but since we have to pick one, I will tell you about a couple who I will have the privilege of conducting their wedding. They are both relatively new believers and had begun looking for a church which aligned with their reformed convictions. The pandemic had caused a situation where they had begun looking online for ministries and they found us via facebook and said, “Wait, there’s a reformed church in ….?”
5) “A number of churches in our area have either never reopened since the lockdown or have gone back to live-streaming exclusively. As a result, several visitors have begun worshipping with us simply because we are having worship. Others discovered us through our YouTube channel during the shelter-in-place order and began coming once we regathered for in-person services”
A second common thread we’ve heard from church plants and long-time OPC churches is that people checked them out through online services, and then eventually were willing to come to in-person worship services. Here is one example from a church plant:
6) “We have made several new connections through our online service, viewable through Facebook Livestream throughout the pandemic. For instance, one new family watched our Livestream back in the spring and appreciated our preaching, structure of worship, and mission downtown. When we made it clear to online viewers that the Livestream was a temporary provision and invited them to visit in person, this family took the next step of arriving on Sunday and has since become regular attendees.”
One final common thread in our church planters’ answers was that the pandemic caused a particular relationship or connection to deepen given the challenges or lengths gone to during lockdowns. Here are just two examples:
7) “I me a couple just before the pandemic. I found out they were looking for a church and invited them to worship with us, which they did. When the pandemic hit and our congregation was not meeting in person I called each of the congregants weekly to check in on them. I also checked in on this couple, as I knew they were 8 months pregnant and was concerned for them, especially that they did not have a minister to help them through this time. I began to visit with them, and greeted their firstborn and when our congregation began worshipping outdoors in person, they continued to worship with us. Now they are in a new members class. I don’t know that my sense of pastoral responsibility towards them would have been as high if a pandemic had not hit, and the Lord has seen fit to bless this relationship.”
8) “My relationship with a few local pastors have been strengthened as we check in with each other to see how things are going, what each other is doing, etc. One local church just blessed us with a $100 financial gift and with the encouragement that they pray for us weekly.”
We hope these specifics encourage you and make real what God is doing in OPC church plants (and no doubt established churches). The challenges are real, and some churches are hurting. But God is at work and bringing new people into the kingdom and believers into Reformed churches. We praise God who works above, beyond, and beside a lockdown.
