U40 MINISTERS WEIGH IN: HOW DID THE CHURCH BEST & LEAST SHINE IN 2020
Journey Pastoral Coaching surveyed U40 ministers (ministers under 40 years of age) on the health of the American evangelical church and its pastors. In a two-part study, we asked them to reflect on the health of the Church in 2020 and then project ahead on the health of the Church in 2021.
You can click and read the results in these two articles:
In this and our next article, we dig deeper, asking U40s to further explain their reflections on 2020 and their projections for 2021. We asked them four additional questions:
- Question #1: Looking back at 2020, how did The Church best shine, i.e., best fulfill its New Testament reason for being?
- Question #2: Looking back at 2020, how did The Church least shine, i.e., least fulfill its New Testament reason for being?
- Question #3: Looking ahead to 2021, how will The Church best shine, i.e., best fulfill its New Testament reason for being in 2021?
- Question #4: Looking ahead to 2021, how will The Church least shine, i.e., least fulfill its New Testament reason for being in 2021?
In this article, we present the results of questions #1 and #2, looking back at how U40s think the Church best and least shined in 2020.
In our next article, we will present the results of questions #3 and #4, looking ahead to how U40s think the Church will best shine and least shine in 2021. In that article, we’ll also share their thoughts on the prospects for church revival, church persecution, and the continuation of a “COVID mentality” in the Church in 2021.
HOW DID THE CHURCH BEST AND LEAST SHINE IN 2020?
We posed the above question to respondents, placing no limits on how they answered (except length). We then grouped individual responses by category. Categories are in bold below; respondents’ individual answers/comments follow.
QUESTION #1:
Looking back at 2020, how did The Church LEAST shine, i.e., least fulfill its New Testament reason for being?
1. CHURCH COMMUNITY WAS WEAK
COMMENTS:
We failed to come together and be the community God created us to be. We allowed an element/essence of the church to be taken away from us in failing to meet together in any fashion and relying on technology for connection.
The loss of voice in the culture and also with the youth in the church. Too much posting on SM and talking politics and not enough personal connection with the culture and the youth in the church. Yelling at a screen of empty space changes no one for the better.
The church has left many in the cracks of connection and had a hard time keeping tabs of people in their flock. We have provided alternative services and live stream but have we connected with them?
In many ways, the Church stopped gathering. Even if churches met online, people were not connected to each other–while there may have been preaching, there was very little discipleship.
Lack of unity. Many trivial arguments segregated people in the church due to preferences.
It seems some churches continued to maintain a strong focus on how to do Sunday morning “stage church” rather than seeing the opportunity to build strong community during this time of crisis.
Focusing too much on Sunday attendance and services about community and the Church.
We have shined the least in follow up. A lot of churches I had contact with said that many members who were regulars that left during the quarantine/shutdown never came back because of a lack of communication when church reopened.
2. THE CHURCH WENT POLITICAL
COMMENTS:
Politics! I saw Christians being divisive on social media, with politics at the core.
The Church was too concerned with the political parties of the world and it weakened our witness. Many now feel that the Church’s true allegiance is to a political agenda other than the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Many churches do not realize that the Lordship of Jesus is the political message we are to be promoting first and foremost.
It clung too tightly to a politics for hope rather than citizenship in Christ
Too closely aligning politics to the Gospel.
Politically, things got out of hand
Politics – few churches were a voice for the gospel alone and instead traded that voice for political gain only (on both sides).
Being political, trying to pander to people instead of just giving the word of God and loving people period.
The church least shined by letting politics create disunity among our congregations and forcing a divide among two different parties; both in the church and in the world.
Too much posting on SM and talking politics and not enough personal connection with the culture and the youth in the church. Yelling at a screen of empty space changes no one for the better.
The Church in 2020 was most hindered by its political preparation. Some churches chomped at the bit to talk politics and lost sight of the gospel message. While other churches, through years of avoiding politics, were categorized as irrelevant by society.
Got far too concerned about politics.
Through the election, riots etc., the church allowed itself to get distracted and divided.
3. THE CHURCH FORGOT ITS REASON FOR BEING
COMMENTS:
The church moved the Gospel off-center to focus instead on other issues. The eternal life of souls became secondary at best to the church focusing on social issues.
The Church in 2020 was most hindered by its political preparation. Some churches chomped at the bit to talk politics and lost sight of the gospel message.
Politics – few churches were a voice for the gospel alone and instead traded that voice for political gain only (on both sides).
The Church in 2020 was a needle’s width away from fulfilling its New Testament reason for being. Distracted by politics and technology it missed on the opportunity to be the church in a way that has not been seen for decades.
The loss of voice in the culture and also with the youth in the church.
Allowed fear to distract us from our purpose.
The church moved the Gospel off-center to focus instead on other issues. The eternal life of souls became secondary at best to the church focusing on social issues.
It did not hold a good clear direction for the world to see.
4. THE CHURCH WAS WEAK IN DISCIPLESHIP
COMMENTS:
Discipleship was lacking as the Church struggled to find ways to connect with people in a socially distanced and virtual environment.
In many ways, the Church stopped gathering. Even if churches met online, people were not connected to each other–while there may have been preaching, there was very little discipleship.
We have shined the least in follow up. A lot of churches I had contact with said that many members who were once regulars that left during the quarantine/shutdown never came back because of a lack of communication when church reopened.
COVID/conspiracy theories – Christians defend truth in the handling of scripture but seem incapable of using those skills in how they consume media and shape their worldview.
Discipleship disappeared as the church went all in for online sermons with little depth and even less missional community. The church in history found a way to do discipleship during times of plague or persecution, but we didn’t. If the Epistles of Peter are right, we should be stronger in Jesus and more like Jesus because of 2020 (difficulties), but we’re not.
5. THE CHURCH WAS FROZEN BY CIRCUMSTANCES
COMMENTS:
Playing the waiting game. Waiting too long to be the Church during the pandemic.
The church struggled in 2020 to adapt to a new environment for ministry, focusing too much on maintaining routines and not enough on reinforcing personal connections.
Parts of the church struggled to conform to the new era we have entered. I noticed an attitude of wanting to keep things as normal as possible or go back to normal. Normal isn’t working anymore and I’m not sure we’ll ever go back to church as we knew it.
6. THE CHURCH WAS DIVIDED
COMMENTS:
Through the election, riots etc., the church allowed itself to get distracted and divided.
Many churches became divided over the issues at hand rather than being Jesus to each other and the world.
The church least shined by letting politics create disunity among our congregations and forcing a divide among two different parties; both in the church and in the world.
Letting things in this world divide us, instead of just letting God’s love flow through us.
Division within the body over nonessential issues.
The church least shined by letting politics create disunity among our congregations and forcing a divide among two different parties; both in the church and in the world.
It seems some churches continued to maintain a strong focus on how to do Sunday morning “stage church” rather than seeing the opportunity to build strong community during this time of crisis.
Lack of unity. Many trivial arguments segregated people in the church due to preferences.
7. THE CHURCH WAS ISOLATED AND SELFISH
COMMENTS:
Not being available in the midst of worldwide pandemic.
Lacked focus on being a serving community. They tended to focus more on themselves and maintaining rather than how to be selfless and serving the town they are in.
In some instances, people were too concerned with their freedom in regard to being able to meet in person. So much so, that they were willing to exercise that freedom at the expense of others around them.
The church didn’t lead as well as it could have through racial issues. It could have shown much greater compassion through COVID in regards to being more sensitive to the seriousness of the disease, seeming to care more about getting back to in-person than safety, and setting a poor example in keeping people safe.
We struggled to walk the line between defending religious freedom and coming across conspiratorial and more interested in our own buildings than our neighborhoods. It was a hard position and we got it right and wrong.
8. THE CHURCH LIVED AS DEFEATED AND POWERLESS
COMMENTS:
The Church least shined in its response to a health and economic pandemic. I feel that the Church as a whole had a spirit of defeat and limitation, not of hope and opportunity.
Unfortunately, the Church too often mirrored the anxieties and fears—ultimately, the hopelessness—of the world around us. I’m not talking about the debate over in-person services or online-only worship gatherings; I’m simply referring to the general mindset of believers. We had to fight way too hard to resist the compulsion to look to the government for support, rather than trusting God, first and foremost.
9. THE CHURCH DID NOT HAVE UNITY WITH THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
COMMENTS:
The church did not give itself to the things the early church gave itself to, primarily, the Word and prayer.
Believers, and pastors too, did not call for prayer gatherings or respond to prayer gathering opportunities when they were given.
People freely expressed their opinions about what the church should be doing about Covid, politics and everything, but did not come together to read the Word and seek God together in prayer. When I read the New Testament, this is what I see the church doing when facing difficult times or questions. Not us in 2020.
We navel-gazed and watched TV. Instead of giving ourselves to the Word of God and prayer, pastors moaned about our situations and then turned on the TV.
QUESTION #2:
Looking back at 2020, how did the Church BEST shine, i.e., best fulfill its New Testament reason for being?
1. THE CHURCH SERVED ITS LOCAL COMMUNITIES
COMMMENTS:
By doing service projects to help in need. e.g. Food distribution, paying bills, donations, etc.
Reaching out to their communities and helping during the height of the pandemic.
I saw people serve and give to others they didn’t know.
The Church demonstrated care for the community during the COVID crisis by distributing aid.
The church shined in 2020 by caring for the communities it is a part of.
I saw the Church as a collective look into their local communities to discern the needs and offer solutions to meet those needs–both spiritual and physical. In this way, people saw the Gospel in flesh–activated, real, alive, and relevant.
Members meeting needs by donating to food banks, staying inside and online when cases spiked in areas, serving in frontline areas, supporting pastors, healthcare workers, government officials, and others.
The church showed its heart toward communities by providing for basic needs.
Christians were inviting neighbors in their homes.
I was so thrilled to see the Church look outside herself, to meet the tangible, felt needs of people in their communities. Feeding programs, pop-up clinics, field hospitals, clothing drives—the list could go on and on! I truly believe that 2020 was a year when people EVERYWHERE got to see the HOPE that the local church has to offer to the world!
2. CHURCH MEMBERS MINISTERED TO EACH OTHER
COMMENTS:
Encouraging one another on social media. There was some rallying with each other.
The church demonstrated love for each other in times of crisis.
It cared for and lifted people up as they grappled with COVID.
The church showed its heart by assisting families in their own flock.
The church was stripped down and persevered under difficult circumstances. Many churches were creative in their approach to continue gathering as well as to meet practical needs within their communities.
The church best fulfilled its New Testament role by adapting and finding new ways for people to get connected and to share the gospel, even during the pandemic.
3. THE CHURCH STAYED ON MISSION: PREACHING THE GOSPEL
COMMENTS:
The Church never lost its Mission and desire to be a witness. As soon as Covid hit, churches were asking and exploring what it meant to be the Church, as well as working to make sure they had a presence in the world (though many different conclusions were drawn).
It remained faithful to sharing the gospel through online ministry.
It shined best by its relentless pursuit to make sure the Gospel went forward.
Prioritizing the gospel over partisanship.
It kept preaching the word in manners that were reachable to everyone in the midst of a time when it could have been easy to just take a break while buildings are empty.
The church best fulfilled its New Testament role by adapting and finding new ways for people to get connected and to share the gospel, even during the pandemic.
4. THE CHURCH MADE ADJUSTMENTS IN MINISTRY METHODS
COMMENTS:
It was willing to shift to meet a need. It pressed on despite knowing what was going to happen. It went back to its roots of relationship and focus on Jesus.
Getting creative and being forced to recognize that the church is more than a building
The church was stripped down and persevered under difficult circumstances. Many churches were creative in their approach to continue gathering as well as to meet practical needs within their communities.
Pastors worked hard to adapt in an uncertain world situation (health and politics) and a church that was not only shaken by the uncertain world situation but divided in how it thought it should respond.
The church best fulfilled its New Testament role by adapting and finding new ways for people to get connected and to share the gospel, even during the pandemic.
Churches all across America were forced to find ways to have fellowship and community despite all of the Covid regulations.
The Church best shined in 2020 in its ability to respect the governing authorities of the land while also finding ways to keep the Word of God going out and the people of God in fellowship.
Persistence and innovation through media outlets. The church excelled in using what resources it had during this pandemic to reach those in the church and out.
It adapted to meet the needs of people in new ways.
Hard question. In a lot of ways that never make the headlines. Churches found ways to continue serving people and worshiping in spite of the challenges.
It also was creative in fulfilling the mandate of not forsaking the assembly.
Embracing the virtual church concept.
Navigating and adapting to COVID.
5. THE CHURCH BROKE OUT OF THE BUILDING
COMMENTS:
The church shined in that it demonstrated an understanding that community does not revolve around the centralized location.
In 2020, we realized that the church is not a building. We are the church. The Church exercised the muscles of flexibility and creativity like I have never seen in my lifetime.
Getting creative and being forced to recognize that the church is more than a building.
The church become more mobilized. Because of Covid, it was required to come up with new ways to minister and through that opened the doors and they were able to reach people that may never walk into a church building. It made the Gospel way more accessible for people.
6. THE CHURCH MOVED BACK TO RELATIONAL LIFE
COMMENTS:
The church fulfilled that mission by going small again, meeting in small groups and connecting with people on refreshingly personal level.
Coordination/working with one another
7. THE CHURCH MADE GOOD USE OF TECHNOLOGY
COMMENTS:
Churches started online for the first time.
We were able to navigate online and reach a whole new audience
8. THE CHURCH REVEALED CHRIST TO THE WORLD INCARNATIONALLY
COMMENTS:
For the most part, we showed how to have joy in adversity.
I saw the Church as a collective look into their local communities to discern the needs and offer solutions to meet those needs–both spiritual and physical. In this way, people saw the Gospel in flesh–activated, real, alive, and relevant.
FINAL WORD
HOW THE CHURCH LEAST SHINED IN 2020:
Far and away, respondents most often cited the church’s focus on political and social action rather than spiritual solutions as the way it least shined in 2020. Strong numbers also cited division in the church (usually according to COVID, social, and political views).
EDITOR’S NOTE: Much of this politicization of the church’s mission and the division among believers was put on display for the world to see on social media. If someone wasn’t on the “correct side” of the societal issue, discussion among believers became difficult, debate was often contentious, and, sadly, cancelling became a “spiritual weapon” of many in the church. Brothers and sisters in Christ broke relationship over societal issues. Believers left local churches and even the Church. Pastors were left not knowing what to do to shepherd the “body of Christ.” Break bread together? Wash their feet? Hardly. The church laid down “the weapons of our warfare” (II Corinthians 10.4) and picked up the weapons of the world, turning them on each other in self-righteous indignation. One wonders if the great Council of Acts 15 would even be possible today? If so, could we conclude it by saying, “It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us?” Or would we only be able to say, “It seems good to us?” Or “to me?” The day may come when we will yearn and pray, as the Holy Spirit does now, for such an opportunity to unite together around the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
MIXED RESULTS IN 2020
Respondents were mixed in their view on community and relational strength in the church in 2020, with as many respondents seeing it as a weakness as those who see it as a strength. The same can be said for the church knowing its reason for being, and so, fulfilling it by staying on mission. Strong numbers on both sides of the issue cited it, with slightly more seeing this as a weakness than those who saw it as a strength in 2020. Of particular concern were the number of respondents who saw discipleship as a weakness in 2020, saying churches did not respond to the year’s challenges in the manner taught by the New Testament or experienced by the New Testament Church.
HOW THE CHURCH BEST SHINED IN 2020:
On the “best shined” side, the leading quality cited was that of the church’s ability to adapt to difficult circumstances in order to carry out its ministries. Corollaries to this would be the church’s willingness to go digital when physical gatherings were not permitted, and a subsequent redefinition of the church as being more than a building. Strong numbers saw the church as shining best in its service to the communities in which it is found. However, half as many saw community outreach as a negative, saying the church was unconcerned about the needs of people around it. A final strength offered was that of believers ministering to each other. With church services suspended, church members found a way to check on and serve each other.
In two weeks, we’ll publish our article revealing how U40 ministers believe the Church will least and best shine in 2021. We invite you to subscribe to all of our articles @journeypastoralcoaching,com
