I’m nor prepared to provide a detailed strategy for revolutionizing ministry in response to an event that is changing our reality daily and is leaving me physically and emotionally worn out. Right now, I’m surviving and doing my best to help my people with the resources I have.

I have faith God is at work in this and through this.
I pray for and with my people.
I am doing my best to keep them connected to their faith and to each other.
I am failing to do all I want to do and not doing everything I could be doing.
So really - a lot hasn’t changed.

Beyond not physically meeting - what has changed the most is being subjected to an unending onslaught of questioning from other clergy and ministry leaders on how I am ministering to my people.

What have you learned?
What are you changing?
What will you do?

My response to all of that right now is “I don’t know”.

And frankly I don’t think the future of the church depends on me needing to have that all figured out, much less having to provide you a report on it.

The church’s future depends, as if always has, on holding fast to faith in Christ’s loving presence; sharing the Good News of that presence however we can; incarnating that presence in caring for others - especially the most vulnerable; inviting the excluded into fellowship.

I’m trusting the Spirit to guide me, my colleagues and the members of our church to figure out how to do all of that as days pass, circumstances change, needs arise and resources appear or disappear.

That is all I know right now.
I think that’s all you can know.
It is enough

That doesn’t mean that I don’t think things have changed or will just “go back to normal”. They won’t. This will change the church and we will have to have a vision to go forward in response to that new reality but honestly for most of us it’s been 4-6 weeks tops.

Expecting those who are literally in the trenches now to provide detailed plans on how they’re going to radically change direction and focus seems not only unrealistic but insensitive.

It also ignores the reality of grief, demanding those still in shock to “just move on”.

Honestly I think those asking all the questions, wanting to know our answers are just trying to manage their fear the way we always do - by trying to regain some control.

But maybe...just maybe...part of what we’re learning in all of this is that we’re not totally in control.

That we as rhe church are supposed to be followers and servants - not generals, CEOs and landlords.

I don’t know.
I wonder.
I pray.
I wait.

It is enough.