3 Important Things to Consider Before Your Church Reopens

Is it time to reopen?

Do we stay online only?

Do we open our kids ministry?

How can we help people feel safe?

Will people come?

There are strong opinions all around, and as a pastor, you’re feeling the pressure to meet the spiritual needs of your church and greater community.

Because rushing in to minister to people in their time of need is what the Church does.

As you make the decision to reopen, here are three things to think about:

 You’re not the church you were.

As much as we all look forward to “going back to normal,” things will look different when you reopen your church. As leaders, let’s make sure we set the right expectations for ourselves and those we lead. Attendance may not be the same for some time. Work with your team to redefine the “win” for your worship experiences. As you plan to reopen, learn how Life.Church worked to create a safe, touchless experience.

 Your attenders have new habits.

 Just because the doors to your church are open doesn’t mean people will return. Depending on the situation in your country, families have had weeks to months of a new habit: not attending church. So, remain relational as you reopen. Follow up with your attenders, check in on them personally, and invite people to your church. At Life.Church, Pastor Craig Groeschel encouraged our staff to think like church planters. We’re not just reopening our churches; we’re building them back up.

You have more people to reach. 

As you reopen, you’re likely to welcome people who already know and love Jesus. But, what about the people who aren’t ready to attend in-person? And the people who are far from Christ that you can only reach online? Church online remains one the most effective ways to reach people no matter where they are.

Reopening Kids Ministry

Knowing when to reopen your kids ministry can be a hard call. As you prepare, check out this Facebook Live with the kids ministry team here at Life.Church to discuss all they learned from their first week back to in-person kids services.