Surviving the Covid Ice Age

You have probably all heard the frigid metaphor being used to define our experiences with Covid 19, whereby “we thought we were in a blizzard, then we thought we were in winter, but it turned out that we had entered a new ice age.” Not really encouraging. Unlike most of you, I was happily ignorant of that depressingly accurate description until one of our Fellowship staff brought it to my attention. If you are interested, we can probably work out a trade of staff member for staff member that will be to the benefit of your church.

This update will have less to do with “how-to” through Covid, because you can find the most recent documents for churches available on our website. Instead, I would like to mention a couple of unfortunate realities affecting most of our churches as we slip further into the Covid ice age. Get it? Slip further into the ice age. I amuse myself, if no one else.

The first reality is that more church leaders than normal are settling into a feeling of malaise. In the last week alone, I talked to more than five lead pastors who describe themselves with words like “depressed,” “burned out,” or “unmotivated.”

The fact is that the majority of church staff entered the Covid blizzard with an energetic and positive desire to see the mission fulfilled. They began to transition to an extensive online presence and to look for innovative ways to help people. They have sought to develop deeper and more meaningful home groups, missional communities, or at-home worship experiences. These leaders have done a great job and we should be pleased to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

However, as the weeks of frozen weather have stretched on, these same leaders are beginning to feel the Covid version of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Week after week they preach to a video screen or to a restricted, spaced, masked, counted, and ticketed audience. In normal summer fashion it feels as though the numbers of “attenders” is diminishing. But this is not a normal summer. It turns out that the video camera gives very little immediate interaction to sermons that are poured out from the heart. And the responses we are getting are primarily opinions about how to improve our online production. Naturally, there are as many different opinions as there are emails we receive. There is a real and legitimate fear that the people of the church are slowly frittering away and we don’t know what our church will look like when “normal” resumes. Some church people are merely finding other things to do, while others are finding preferred places to watch Church TV. We may not want to verbally acknowledge it, but most people are checking out other Sunday morning “shows” or are viewing more than one. Another painful truth is that it is very difficult to get people to begin involvement in a small group or micro church network if they have never done so before.

From the Fellowship perspective, it is important to realize that as leaders, we are not alone and we are not defective. Most of our church leaders are fighting the same discouragement and face the same reality. Second, it is critical that we address this in a significant way—practicing some of the sermons we have preached or heard in past eras. This means things such as talking to others, getting some encouragement, counselling or coaching, taking time for spiritual renewal and retreats, and connecting with other church leaders while being transparent and vulnerable. I hope it is obvious that we must practice spiritual self-care, giving due consideration to our own time with God in Scripture and prayer. The easiest thing to do when the cold breath of winter whistles down our neck is to simply close ourselves in our own little warm cocoon. Don’t do it. God is up to something, and we can be encouraged as we explore that together.

There is another painful reality that is also showing up as the Covid temperature stays well below zero. Any weaknesses, stresses, or cracks that have existed in church are beginning to widen. The ice is wedging its way into these small crevices and creating a much bigger problem than we had anticipated.

Within our Fellowship Pacific world, this means that we are having a number of conversations with people about issues within the church. It is part of our Fellowship responsibility to try and help when these cracks appear, so we usually feel a bit of the icy wind. I was thinking about this in the last few weeks as I prepared a sermon for one of our churches for their series in 1 Peter. Peter tells a church that is enduring some persecution to be “like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing” (1 Peter 3:8-9). It seems that separation and distancing have not only increased our desire for people to be together, but have also provided unhealthy opportunities for people to express themselves in less than humble, compassionate, or blessing kinds of ways.

It is probably not a surprise that when most of our communication is via email, messaging, or zoom that there is miscommunication and conflict. People who didn’t like to work out interpersonal stress prior to Covid are certainly not leaping to do so now. If they do enter the fray, it tends more towards an email missile than a legitimate reconciliation. Add into this mix the stress everybody feels regarding bubbles, job certainty, income, lost vacations, unvisited family, and very real health concerns, and it becomes clear that we should have expected some cracks to appear. The longer the virus maintains its hold on our world, the more virulent these issues will become.

So what should we do about that? Again, recognize that you are not alone. Second, acknowledge that even if it hasn’t happened yet, some problems are bound to show up. Third, see Covid as a diagnostic tool, in that it is mostly revealing what was already there. Fourth, grapple with the truth that as long as people are in the process of sanctification (or, to put it another way, still dealing with sin-induced dysfunction!), then so will the church. The beauty of the church is Christ’s transforming and powerful work in and through us. All the Covid winter is doing is giving opportunity for that to be dealt with. Fifth, as you would in any other season, use Biblical reconciliation patterns to address the issues, trying to find in-person connection where possible and safe. Finally, remember that Fellowship Pacific exists to serve you. This includes helping to mediate and medicate where necessary!

A number of years ago I read a book from James Houston entitled The Heart’s Desire, in which he wrote about our individual walk with God. He held a view that all of us go through periods of life which include time in the garden and time in the desert. I would suggest that as individuals, churches, and a family of churches we also go through seasons of summer and seasons of winter. We need both in order to be our best. Right now, we might need winter in order to clarify what matters. We may experience a long frigid blast in order to focus on what real worship looks like. We may have extended cold in order to refine our view of what church can and should be. There is a lot of learning to be done in winter.

So here is my Fellowship update. We are all experiencing some of the stresses induced by a prolonged exposure to Covid-19. You are not alone. And whether a lay leader in a church or on a pastoral staff there are some steps you should be taking to address these issues for yourself, others, and your church.

Second, don’t undervalue what you are learning. Most important, take the time to actually learn and change. God will do what he needs to in order to teach and grow his people. But none of us want an ice age.

David Horita
Regional Director