The Post-Pandemic Church

In a world rocked by COVID-19, Churches of Christ face new — and old — challenges.

In this special project, The Christian Chronicle explores “The Post-Pandemic Church.”

Find links to all the stories and columns below.

Amid COVID-19, one family built a chapel on a slice of pastureland about an hour southeast of Oklahoma City.

Part 1

• A ‘redefined’ church will emerge from the pandemic: The Chronicle asked ministers and members of Churches of Christ across the U.S. to share thoughts and plans for the post-pandemic future. By Erik Tryggestad.

• Youth ministries learn to slow down during pandemic: “I don’t want to go back to the way things were,” one minister says. By Bobby Ross Jr.

• Tape on the pews: Let’s not repeat a failed restoration. By Erik Tryggestad.

• The virus hit us were we ain’t: Satan used Douglas MacArthur’s strategy to divide us. After a year of COVID-19, how can we reunite? By Don Prather.

Part 2

• A simpler church: It’s abundantly clear, thanks to COVID-19, that the church is not a building. In a post-pandemic world, some ask: Why have a building at all? By Erik Tryggestad.

• Moving during a pandemic complicates hunt for church home: For relocated Christians, virtual worship options help bridge the COVID-19 gap. By Bobby Ross Jr.

Part 3

• Be rivers, not reservoirs: As in-person Bible classes resume, some churches hit the “reset button,” hoping not just to impart knowledge of Jesus, but also to help students take him to their communities. By Erik Tryggestad.

Part 4

• ‘Rip and sip’ communion cups may be new normal: The COVID-19 pandemic brought changes to the Lord’s Supper. Some could be lasting, two surveys find. By Cheryl Mann Bacon.

Part 5

• Ministries emerge from pandemic with hope: For over a year, flagship nonprofits, schools and publishers walked the gauntlet of remote work, sick employees and layoffs. By Cheryl Mann Bacon.

Part 6

• Church volunteers hard to come by: Congregations struggle to restart programs after months of hibernation. By Allison Brown East.

Part 7

• Watch: Expert panel contemplates the post-pandemic church: See the special “Christian Chronicle Live” discussions at Harding University’s 98th annual Bible Lectureship. By Bobby Ross Jr.

• ‘What God will do … will blow your mind’: Five takeaways from a panel discussion on the future of the church at Harding’s Bible Lectureship. By Calvin Cockrell.

Got feedback or ideas for this series? Email the editors at [email protected].

Filed under: church and covid Coronavirus COVID-19 Features International National News Post-Pandemic Church Youth ministry