The Next Steps for your COVID Family Ministry
Does anyone feel like they are in a COVID rhythm yet? After weeks of frantically trying to figure out how to do church without gathering in-person and being very overwhelmed things are changing again. It looks like restriction may be lifting slowly in the weeks and months to come.
When can we start gathering again? How big can the groups be? Does everyone have to wear a mask? How often will we clean surfaces? Do we still have to stay 6 feet away from each other? How do you run a preschool ministry with so many guidelines? Is it fair to ask a group of kids to gather BUT stay 6 feet away from each other? What if one of my volunteers gets COVID-19 after being at church?
There are so many things that we don't know the answers too but three months ago I bet you didn't know how you would do virtual kids ministry and here we are. We can do this one day at a time.
Now is the time to be thinking about the next couple of stages of this pandemic. To plan for change before change changes your plan.
Ask yourself questions like,
"How can we better stay connected with families if we continue to meet virtually?" "How will we have to change our facilities as we prepare to meet in person?" "What would keep a family from returning to your service once all the restrictions are lifted?"
The incredible team at Ministry Boost has put together a resource they are calling the "COVID-19 Family Ministry Road Map" It is a guide that will help answer some of these questions and guide you through some things that your church can do to be the best they can be in these next stages of this pandemic. They talk through 3 phases:
- Online Engagement
- Preparing for Launch
- Post-launch Retention
Nick Blevins and Gina McClain share their thoughts one these three phases on this podcast which can help give you a greater insight into what this resource is about.
Kudos to all our NextGen leaders. You all have been doing an amazing job. It is not easy when everything is changing so rapidly. When we finally think that we have something figured out, back on go the thinking caps. However, this is good practice: to keep on our toes and never be satisfied with complacency but always dreaming of what can be.
Think you are ready to start gathering in person again? Check out these 3 options.