During this unusual time in the life of the world, churches are struggling with how to be “the Church.” At the core of the struggle is how to be the Church without being with the people. With “stay at home” orders” in effect in most of the country, very few people are attending church in person. Those that are are infuriating the rest of us because they are risking increasing the spread of COVID-19.

Actually, the lack of physical presence isn’t a new problem. The primary way the church has connected with people for some time now is through gathering, primarily Sunday worship. There are other physical points of contact like bible study, small groups, dinners, choir rehearsals, etc. But what percentage of a church body actually makes a physical appearance each week?

According to one study by Pew Research, 33% of people that identify as mainline protestants claim to attend at least once a week.

According to one study by Pew Research, 33% of people that identify as mainline protestants claim to attend at least once a week. That doesn’t tell us everything. It is possible for someone to miss church on Sunday and attend a bible study during the week. But looking over the data from numerous studies and working as a pastor for years, I think it is fair to say that in an average church in an average week about a third of the people show up. You can argue that stat if you want to. But, my point will be the same. We are relying on physical contact as the primary way of engaging with our people. That model isn’t working as effectively as it once did.

We are suddenly worried about all those people who can’t come to church. Why haven’t we worried about all those people who didn’t come to church before?

That’s not entirely fair. Many churches are making efforts. It is pretty common to have a weekly email or even a mailed newsletter to keep in the loop, though I rarely see content that speaks to people spiritual development or the state of their souls. Some churches even have writing, calling, and visiting ministries. They check on those who haven’ t been in worship for a while. That ministry is pretty rare.

I am not dismissing the distress of pastors who feel cut off from their people. This is a real struggle. However, it is also shining a spotlight on another problem that has been with us for some time. The primary expression of the church for many of us is the corporate gathering for worship. Most of us get that the church is not a place, it is the people, but the most common way we experience that is through being together to worship God. But it is not just the pandemic that is keeping people from experiencing that expression.

Will you visit from house to house?”

John Wesley’s Historic Questions for Candidates for Ministry

When United Methodists ordain elders and deacons, they are asked John Wesley’s historic questions. One of those questions is one that many pastors answer more pensively than the others. “Will you visit from house to house?” Most pastors aren’t too exuberant about their answer to that because it is a practice that has fallen out among most pastors. They might visit the sick and home-bound but a general ministry of visitation seems to be a thing assigned to history. The reasons may be valid. Pastors have much greater demands on their time, and honestly, there aren’t a whole lot of people who want the pastor to stop by their house. People are busy and private, and some don’t want to think that much about church between Sundays.

There are still pastors that do that, but, right now, nobody is visiting anyone. The existence of the practice and the fact that the question remains with us reveals something about what Wesley and other faith leaders knew about the church. It was never enough to just expect people to show up on Sunday and have that be enough. Granted, there was a time when a much more significant percentage of Christians showed up to worship. It was such a high percentage that those who were missing were easy to notice. But the pastor had a role in reaching people in between Sundays. Because whether it is through a pastoral visit, a weekday bible study, daily devotionals, or something else, a life with God requires more than just a couple of Sundays a month.

Maybe this temporary interruption in our regular routine will teach us something about being with our people on a more regular basis.

Even when we are through this crisis, it is not likely that pastors are going to bring back the practice of visiting from house to house. But maybe this temporary interruption in our regular routine will teach us something about being with our people on a more regular basis.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been excited to watch pastors leverage technology to be more present with people. Of course, recording or live streaming sermons and Sunday worship has been important. I wonder how many people who wouldn’t have normally attended worship on Sundays were able to join? Some people who were simply out of the habit found out how easy it is to participate on their TV, computer, or tablet.

We often forget about the people who can’t be present at our preferred time on Sunday morning. Even though Chick-fil-A may close on Sundays many businesses stay open. That doesn’t even count the doctors, nurses, firefighters, EMTs, police, and others who need to ensure someone is available even on Sundays. Or the single mom that works six days a week and just can’t bring herself to get the kids up and ready on Sunday morning. What an amazing gift it has been for them for more churches to finally offer worship in another way.

I have also watched pastors and other church leaders begin to offer something outside of Sunday morning. I’ve seen churches start sending daily emailed devotionals, offer online bible studies, and send out video messages of encouragement. What has been most exciting is watching pastors offering daily prayer times via video, leading God’s people in prayer, not just on Sunday, but every day.

We will likely again forget about those people who don’t show up on Sunday morning. That would be tragic.

I am praying for the day this crisis is behind us, but I am also afraid. I am worried we will just back to the way it was. I know that some churches are already planning on shutting down their live streams when people come back to church. We confuse the fact that a physical gathering is a primary expression of church, with it being the only valid expression. In doing so, we leave a lot of people out.

Many pastors will also get overwhelmed by the demands of the congregations and have to give up daily prayer times, devotionals, and other means of staying connected to people throughout the week.

We will likely again forget about those people who don’t show up on Sunday morning. That would be tragic.