I have three simple thoughts today for our COVID-19 world and the muddled mess of leading a congregation!
- There’s a deep longing to go back to what used to be, to put it all behind us and return to normal. We want to escape the anxiety and ambiguity and go back to what we used to know. It’s helpful to simply name it! “You want to go back to feel better.”
- There’s a tendency to react “against” what we’ve been doing to do something new, different, undefined. Having failed to do the difficult work of clarifying how we might be called forward, we react against what we’ve known. It’s helpful to simply name it! “You want to react against what you’ve known.”
- There’s a third, and fundamental, thought. We are bearers of the Gospel that can change the deeply broken world around us. The Gospel! It’s not advice on what should be done. The Gospel! It’s a proclamation of what God has already done through Jesus. It’s helpful to simply name it! “In the midst of it all, there’s grace and acceptance. We are loved.”
So, for you, dear leader in the PLI family!
This is no advice for what to do, but simply a reminder of what’s been done. The Gospel!
A few weeks ago Dr. Michael Newman put this all in historic perspective.
The burden on most congregation leaders and their marriages and families is heavy. Many are finding aid and assistance from brothers and sisters and others from the care of a Christian counselor. If you don’t have ready access, take a look at GracePoint Institute for Relational Health.
GracePoint has been a partner with PLI and has an excellent team available via Zoom to meet with you anywhere in the world. Concordia Plans and maybe other insurances provide generous partial coverage of telehealth.
Thanks for leading.
