DEAR CHURCH: LET'S OPEN THOSE DOORS!

As churches begin to reopen After the Virus (“AV”), the first struggles will undoubtedly involve the church facility.  Whether rented, mortgaged, or owned, social distancing requires a new approach to facility usage: many people will shy away from crowds until an uncertain point in the future.  

What’s not so obvious about this dilemma is how to solve it.  Fears are not only justified, they are real.  While we may not be able to “fill the pews” in our facilities, there are several facility-related opportunities that we can address.

One opportunity is related to the church’s community presence.  Churches often house and/or maintain the largest available square-footage in our community.  As the community begins to seek places to gather, churches are an obvious option for community space with ample room for proper social distancing.  This is an easy reality to predict.  When meetings and gatherings are needed that can’t be adequately conducted by home or virtual meetings, the community will need square-footage, and we have it.

The church is a symbol of safety, security, and stability and people will look to The Church for answers to many different types of questions.  The church can again become prominent in the community.  However, this cannot be a question of membership.  This is an opportunity to love all of our neighbors in ways that we haven’t for many years.  

Let’s revisit our facility policies and make changes that allow for community access.  Consider opening the church gym regularly and loaning the fellowship hall and kitchen to local groups.  Allow non-members to use the worship center for weddings, funerals, and other special engagements.  Is this crazy?  No, this is the way it used to be.  People don’t use our facilities any longer because we told them they couldn't. It's well past time to change this policy.  This is our opportunity to present the church as a place of welcome, stability, and safety.

Would Jesus tell a child that their birthday party couldn’t be held in the fellowship hall, just because their family isn’t a member of the church?  No.  Would Jesus tell a non-member that they couldn’t use the worship center for a wedding, just because they are not a member of “our” church?  Doubtful.  We’re already looking for a way to engage our Trustees and Facilities Committees in life “AV”; initiate some video conferencing and ask those persons to revisit facility usage.  Find a way to readily include the community.

Are you worried about the financial impact of allowing community access?  This part is easy.  For each group that seeks assistance, simply calculate the cost of the “man-hours” involved in preparing and cleaning the facility appropriately before and after events (taking into account life “AV”, cleaning time, and supplies).  Add the cost of your security personnel (such as church member(s) who need a small paycheck), and honestly and fairly, consider utility costs and a small premium that will assist the church in maintenance/rental/mortgage costs.  

Worried about liability?  Contact your church insurance company and tell them what you’re considering.  Most likely, you’re already covered under your existing policy.  Any adjustments can be offset in rentals.

Do you rent your facility from a landlord or do you pay someone else for use of your facility?  Contact them immediately and request their permission.  Trust me on this one:  they’ll agree without hesitation.  They are much more at ease with this suggestion now than Pre-Covid.  (See “Dear Church...Shrinking the Elephant”, May 15, 2020.)

Returning to church, look for new opportunities to invite the community.  We have the unique opportunity to offer the love of Jesus Christ in ways that we haven’t in many years.  Our facility was likely constructed based upon the needs of the community.  We are now able to demonstrate God’s intentions for our location!  Let’s Open Those Doors!

“Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home.”  (Romans 12:13, CEB)

Of course, a few other items should be considered regarding both Facilities and Finance in life “AV”:  Staffing and Ministry Budgets.  There.  I said it.  You’ve been thinking about them but have been afraid to discuss them.  Good!  You don’t want to be a mutineer!  However, we need to discuss it and the results may pleasantly surprise you...

DEAR CHURCH: SHRINK THE ELEPHANT

As a few folks returned to church, they discovered that an Elephant had taken up residence in the middle of the worship center.  It’s name is Facility Costs and Maintenance.  While we were quarantined, the Coronavirus led the once-small animal into the church and supplied it with plenty of food and water.  The Elephant has since grown to an enormous size.  Pastors and church leaders have tried to lure the animal outside, but the Elephant is much too large to fit through the doors.  It might appear hopeless, but it’s not.

Where do we begin?  Shrink the Elephant.  Rather than worry about the current size of the animal, let’s focus on “why” the animal grew so quickly.  Overhead and administrative costs, especially mortgage, rent, and maintenance, continued to accumulate during the quarantine while income declined.  It looks bad.  However, we can pursue solutions to the problem so that we can keep our focus on the important things, such as strengthening the congregation, rebuilding our community presence, and making disciples of Jesus Christ.

The first step in Shrinking the Elephant is to contact your church’s banker, lender, landlord, and maintenance contractors (to whom you owe money).  Keep in mind that all of these companies, suppliers, and the individuals who work for them are in the same boat as the church:  large expenses and limited income.  In fact, you can expect that whomever you contact regarding your situation will already understand your financial position because they are experiencing it, too.  They will welcome the call.

When you make contact with them (preferably the Senior Pastor), be honest and tell them about your current financial position.  Let them know you are committed to making them whole, but that in the mean-time, you must have immediate relief with no accrual of interest or fees.  Trust me on this one:  some money is better than none.  Why?  In the next few months, lenders, property owners, and contractors will be sobbing due to the amount of delinquencies on their books.  Most of their delinquent accounts will be dodging their phone calls and collection efforts.  However, since you are taking a proactive approach, your lender or landlord will be appreciative that you are committed to making them whole.  The LAST THING that they want is for your church to be evicted, forced into a sale, or, even worse, foreclosure.  The market will be flooded with vacant properties, and it will be the banks and landlords who are stuck with a sack full of empty buildings and no prospective buyers/renters. 

Churches are in more control of their “overhead” facility costs than they think.  Make contact with your appropriate money and facility-suppliers.  Be honest and ask them for as much relief as possible.  Six months of greatly-reduced payment rates would be optimal… potentially getting you to Christmas.  Even if your landlord or banker seems unreasonable, they will almost always be willing to allow you to stay for a reduced price than replace you with someone else who is willing (and able) to pay full rates.  I mean, really:  What organization or company will be willing to pay “normal” market rental rates in this business climate?  Think like a banker.  Pretend you are the landlord.  What would you be willing to do to allow your current debtor or lessee to succeed?  If you were them, you would be much more willing to put greed aside for a while and give them a solid chance, as the alternative is a much greater risk.  

If you’ve already made these contacts and had these discussions, good for you!  If not, you must make them.  If you’ve contacted them and you’ve had no luck, contact them again.  Your persistence is evidence of your commitment to approaching this the right way.  “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” is a good cliche to keep in mind.

Like us, the lender, lessor, and maintenance contractor are more worried about financial crisis and eviction than in achieving a high rate of return on their investment.  It’s a difficult series of phone calls to make, but it won’t take long to gain a solid place from which you can tackle the issues at hand.  

God will take care of us but that doesn’t remove our responsibility to seek out those places where God can help!  We want the church to be focused on making disciples and not worried about making payments. As good stewards of God’s Church, “Shrinking this Elephant” will help us get back to what we do best: Sharing the love of Jesus Christ for the world!

King Solomon said, “You know that my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet.  But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune.  So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.’” (1 Kings 5:3-5, NRSV).

Are there other ways to shrink this problem?  Absolutely!  Community social-distancing and the need for large facilities will create opportunities for the church, so let’s tackle that next time!

CONFUSED... HOW WILL WE KNOW?

As the quarantines begin to lift, we find ourselves in a peculiar position:
Do we or Don’t we?

Worship can begin but churches are scratching their heads.  Do we or Don’t we?  We’re all trying to figure it out.  As pastors and church leadership are trying to make the best decisions to reopen the churches, everyone else is trying to make their own decision.  How will we know when to return for worship?

These feelings aren’t too much unlike the feelings that Jesus’ followers experienced following the resurrection.  Jesus had instructed his followers to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit as recorded in the Book of Acts: “Jesus ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father….saying, ’You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not too many days from now.’” (Acts 1:4-5, NRSV).

Take a moment to consider this Scripture passage.  Jesus’ followers essentially sheltered in place, not knowing when or how their “waiting” would be resolved.  We can imagine that they asked one another, “How will we know when this ‘Holy Spirit’ arrives?”  Would the arrival be something small and subtle or would this “sign” be something big and powerful?  Jesus’ followers didn’t realize that they would wait almost two months for their sign to arrive in the form of Pentecost, an incredible sign of God’s love and power.  

In our current environment, we’re stuck with the similar question of, “How will we know?”  It would be nice if we were waiting on our own “Pentecost," making it obvious for everyone. But that’s not the case.  Instead, we’re scratching our heads, looking for a sign, and trying to figure out how we will “KNOW” when it’s our time to return to church and daily life.

Rest assured, God knows what you and I are currently experiencing, even better than us.  God is with us each time we call upon His name and also each time that we don’t.  But, if we will give our question to God, God will provide each of us with the answer we need. God's answer might be big and powerful or small and subtle, and the specific answer we receive may not be the same answer that someone else receives.  But at least one more thing is certain:  God's answer for you and me is right, and if that means either of us needs to wait a little longer, then it’s okay.  God is with us.

Still confused?  Me, too.  Let’s give it to God!

“But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31, NRSV).

DEAR CHURCH: VISITATION

Visitation.  It used to be our primary means of building relationships.  It was expected that pastors made regular visits to homes, hospitals, retirement facilities, prisons, and communal-living establishments.  However, in many churches, it has been removed from pastoral responsibility and has almost been forgotten by many of us.

I’m assuming I’m about to anger a few pastors, but let’s be honest:  We haven’t been

visiting folks like we should.  It’s not that we don’t like to visit people; many of us do!  But the demands on our schedules are such that it’s become very difficult to regularly schedule this important responsibility of church life.  In fact, as we’ve trained others to assist with visitation, some of us have stopped attending entirely unless the situation is critical.  I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit it.

Ten years ago, I was visiting at least half-a-dozen nursing/retirement facilities on a regular, monthly basis.  I was visiting plenty of other facilities throughout the week, also, hosting chapel services, serving Holy Communion, and just visiting with folks in their homes.  Over time, these visits grew fewer and fewer as my schedule became crowded.  Pre-Covid, I had reduced my visitation schedule to only one facility on a regular, monthly schedule with a weekly chapel service scattered on occasion. 

Here’s the sad part:  During these last ten years (maybe even longer - I just can’t remember), I have NEVER - and I mean NEVER - encountered another pastor (any denomination or variety) at a retirement, assisted living, or nursing facility, other than the volunteer or part-time chaplains who are employed there.  That’s a very long time and a lot of visits to have NEVER encountered another pastor.  I’ve been told many times that I was “their only source” of Holy Communion, and the only “church” that visited was the church I represented.

Now, before you become upset and tell me that you have been making regular visits, let me mention something on OUR behalf:  This problem is NOT because we pastors and other church staffers aren’t allowed in these facilities.  On the contrary, it is greatly encouraged that we attend to people in facilities.  The health benefits have been medically documented time and time again - A healthy spirit can help provide for a healthier mind and body.  Facilities need and want as much of our help as we can provide. 

In life “After the Virus” (AV), Visitation will be more complicated and more important than ever.  Upon reopening, NOBODY will seek to visit facilities given the great effect that this pandemic has had on everyone, especially them.  We can expect that facilities will certainly operate under a new set of rules and guidelines.

I’m not suggesting that all of us become full-time chaplains (although there are multiple chaplaincy vacancies in the area).  Chaplaincy is a specific calling that requires a specific work.  However, in life “AV”, we pastors will need to discover the way and time to make our visits possible.  People in facilities were lonely long before the virus surfaced, and now, it’s much, much worse for them.  As soon as we can figure it out, we need to resume seeing these people and building relationships. 

What about people at home?  Can we make home visits when our churches reopen?  Yes.  We can knock on the door and visit on their front porch or driveway if entering the home presents a problem.  Hospitals?  Yes, once they are reopened, we can wear masks, gloves, and gowns that the hospitals will provide. Nursing homes, prisons, and other facilities?  Same thing, the needed safety items will be supplied by the facility.  We pastors can’t expect volunteers to do this for us, especially in the short term.  We must lead by example.  

Visitation is a big, big deal.  People need a personal connection, or at least, as “personal” as we can create in the given environment.  Will this translate to increased attendance, membership, and giving?  I’m not sure about that one, but I don’t think those are the reasons that we became pastors.  We love people and they desperately need this love of Jesus Christ.  We can’t allow this pandemic to cause any more collateral damage, especially for those who are in greatest need.

“‘I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”   

Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?  When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”  (Matthew 25:36-40, NLT)

Another glaring issue for churches in the post-Covid environment is Facility management.  Pre-Covid, many of our churches were empty when the church body wasn’t gathered for a specific purpose.  In life “AV”, ALL of our buildings will be even more empty than before.  How do we tackle our Facility issues while maintenance costs, rent and mortgage payments continue?  This elephant will need all our attention...