Going back to church
As the summer unfolds and we’re all slowly emerging from isolation and pandemic living, I wonder if you feel like I do: unsure about social interactions, weird without a mask, rethinking the pace and content of life pre-pandemic? Our entire world was turned on its head, and even with vaccinations, life won’t be the same moving forward.
There’s some grief and introspection involved in a readjustment like that, but there’s also so much opportunity. We’ve been forced to reevaluate the way we’ve done life together. We've experienced a different kind of connection (thanks, ZOOM); we’ve had to use resources we didn’t know we had; and we’ve gained the kind of distance that has allowed us to see more clearly the parts of our life together that need to change, too.
For traditional institutions already struggling to survive dwindling attendance and limited resources even before the pandemic, there are important decisions to be made as we return to in-person church attendance. In this critical moment there is a unique opportunity to either cling to what we know and agonize over diminishing resources, or to think outside the box about how the assets of our communities can continue to have impact and even stand as a legacy to the faithful witness our communities have lived for so long.
Over the next few months you’ll meet our first round of Invested Faith Fellows, people doing the work of healing the world outside the walls of a traditional church. Getting to know them and letting their work spark your imagination for what God can do is my invitation to you.
As we walk into this new world, we have walking with us a God who is an expert at creating new things and inviting us to step out in faith. If your community has begun to think in new ways about how to use your assets moving forward, I would love to talk with you! In the meantime, stay tuned for exciting stories of God at work in the world.
Don't forget to order your copy of Crisis and Care: Meditations on Faith and Philanthropy, available July 1, with a chapter by Rev. Dr. Amy Butler.
Book Summary: Crisis and Care: Meditations on Faith and Philanthropy:
"A deadly pandemic. Civic unrest. Economic uncertainty. The years between the 2016 and 2020 Presidential Elections exposed the vulnerability of our institutions--and ourselves--like never before. In the wake of uncertainty, the authors in this volume offer wisdom to make sense of the changes brought by these past four years. Reflecting how faith and philanthropy converge, they imagine alternative economies for faith communities, academia, and nonprofits, while also marking the unshakable encounter with grief and crisis. Authors linger in the space between what was and what will be to ask: what do we leave behind, what do we bring with us, and what possibilities exist where crisis and care converge? Their words and wisdom kindle philanthropic imagination in this moment of transition and change."
Preorder Crisis and Care: Meditations on Faith and Philanthropy here:
https://wipfandstock.com/9781725297890/crisis-and-care/
published by Wipf and Stock Publishers
While Invested Faith seeks to support social entrepreneurs who are working to create community, do justice, and address systemic problems, we recognize that each of us as individuals have a responsibility to work together to create real change in the world.
Every month, we are suggesting one small act that each of us could take to create change in our own sphere of life and influence. Each one of us matters. Every step forward matters. The healing of the world happens at the most granular level through human connection.
July Challenge:
Have a hard conversation with someone important to you. Talk honestly and openly with your partner, children, family members, friends, or co-workers about topics that have been considered too scary, too unpleasant, too political, or simply unacknowledged.
Spread the word! Help us build our audience by using your social media presence and word of mouth to tell others about this important work. Join us on Facebook and LInkedIn.
Support the ongoing development of Invested Faith through a tax-deductible gift. Click here to support our work.
Grant a social entrepreneur. If you’d like your gift to go directly to someone working innovatively to reimagine the faith community, your tax-deductible gift of $5000.00 can make that happen.
