Conclusion

Looking back, 2020 is one of those years that many of us are thankful to be past. e Corona Virus, that still ravages the world as of the time of my writing, has taught us many things: the fragility of human life, the interconnectedness of our global community, and perhaps also how much our values have become misplaced. e constant rush of the pre-COVID world has given way to a forced change of pace; certain cultural idols have been shaken; the inequalities of our Western society have become more obvious.

Speaking as a student of the Christian church, there have also been many aspects that we, institutionally speaking, have taken for granted, which this virus has brought into question and focus. Should the church be dependant on physical structures or activity-based programing? What is to be the role of social media and the online world? How are we to de ne “church”? What practices and rituals have we taken for granted, which we nd ourselves missing when they are taken away? How do we adapt our rituals and practices to a di erent context, ie. the online world? What is to be the church’s response to government mandates, particularly as it relates to the health and safety of our communities? What even is the church’s role in the surrounding community?

is collection of student essays, though not explicitly asking these questions, de nitely show that these are some of the queries that come to the foreground, along with certain theological quandaries, such as how to interpret the pandemic in light of God’s goodness and sovereignty; the struggle with evil in a good but broken world; and the ironic timing of the shutdowns to the holiday that we all know as Easter – one that Christians point to as central for our faith. is annual holiday reminds us Christians of the fact that our hope is centered on the very real shameful su ering and death of our Lord, Jesus, on the Cross, and then the amazing news of his resurrection – a hope that we may also look forward to on the day when he returns in glory. Yet, how does the church represent this hope in a world that seems devoid of hope,

that wrestles with a potentially deadly disease that is both unfamiliar and unknown? It does so by pointing to that greater story: that hope is possible, even a er the curse of sin and death has done its very worst. is was one of the reasons why each of the essays – even if the timing of when students studied the churches was much later than the actual holiday itself – focussed speci cally on the celebration of Easter 2020 and the weeks following.

eologically speaking, though representing di erent denominations, worship styles and relative experiences based on location and level of exposure to the COVID pandemic, the churches surveyed seemed to agree that though God did not cause the pandemic to spread, He allowed it to happen for our good – though many were struggling to imagine what that good will be that may come out of this situation; and that God will see us through it. Whether or not COVID was directly mentioned, themes of perseverance and God’s grace in the midst of trials were common themes in the messages given. Another common theme was how much humans crave community and intimate relationships. Congregants mentioned missing one another and desiring the chance to hug one another, or at least meet face to face, once again. Pastors mentioned the increased stress from not being able to visit their members who were isolated or in hospitals. Yet, there was another trend that was interesting: while many of those interviewed expressed longing to return to in-person services, several more expressed a preference for the new online format. Could this be a sign of the way churches will need to adapt in the future, or is this a further sign of hyper-individualism and an indicator of those who may not be as serious about faith? Honestly speaking, I believe this is something that only the passage of time will reveal, though speaking as one who has toyed with the idea of online church before this, I do believe that this is a topic worthy of further exploration.

In addressing the practical questions of ministry, each of the churches analyzed in this study came to recognize the need for adaptability and innovation early on, o en utilizing the tools available to them, though limited and di cult to implement at rst, to develop means to stay connected with one another and to continue o ering ministry to their congregations. In several cases, these methods needed to be adapted and improved upon as time progressed, and most mentioned that these new

technological methods have enhanced already existing ministry. Smart phones and social media were used for pre-recorded messages; multimedia was incorporated in the Sunday morning experience; chatrooms, video calls, and forums were introduced. Across the board, the use of social media was seen as a bene cial tool for continued ministry e orts, though many found this inferior to in-person gatherings. Among some churches, this was something completely new; among others, there was an online presence previously, but it was under-utilized before the pandemic. Some churches also featured drive-through communion or outdoor services, similar to a drive-in theatre – something that churches in my Canadian homeland got in trouble with our government for attempting.1

Additionally, there was also a level of increased intentionality in doing ministry. Some churches enhanced their outreach or social service e orts to the community around them as a direct result of the needs that became apparent with the evolving situation of the pandemic. Others became more intentional about direct member care, organizing teams to contact at-risk members of the church via telephone on a more regular basis than prior to the pandemic.

However, as Hartlen Coats illustrates in his submission, the shutdown has also led to the death of some churches. e number of churches that will permanently shut their doors as a result of COVID are still unknown. However, as could be seen by the example of the church studied in that chapter, much like many of those people who became terminally ill and died from COVID-related causes, there were also preexisting conditions in the health of that particular church that led to the nal demise of that congregation. Even in the case of those churches that are still functional, disgruntled members (and, one could assume,

1 For speci c cases, cf. Austin Grabish “Manitoba church ned $5K for holding service that broke public health order” CBC News November 25, 2020. URL: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/church-of-god- ned-1.5816259; Brittany Greenslade “Decision on Winnipeg Church’s ght for drive-in religious services on hold” Global News December 3, 2020. URL: https://globalnews.ca/news/7499519/ decision-winnipeg-church-drive-in-religious-services/; Mason DePatie “A er $37,000 in nes, court rules Winnipeg church’s drive-in service breaches health orders” CTV NEWS December 5, 2020. URL: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/a er-37-000-in- nescourt-rules-winnipeg-church-s-drive-in-service-breaches-health-orders-1.5218706. 219

pastors) used the stress of the pandemic and the government-mandated shut-downs to leave their churches to search for fellowship elsewhere.

As my colleague, Dr. Danielson, mentioned in the introduction, my work as a teaching intern was done primarily at a distance, as my family and I made the choice to return to Canada in March because of a televised message from our Prime Minister for all expatriates to return home. In the speci c region of Canada we returned to, though there were not many cases of COVID at that time, the government recommendations were followed more strictly there, and because it was a rural area with a less technologically inclined population, many churches shut down completely until restrictions began to be li ed again in the summer. When we chose to return to the United States in August, to continue my studies at Asbury, the situation in that part of Canada was once again gaining a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy, though the o cially closed southern border, the constant media coverage, and population control in public spaces was a reminder that the pandemic was still going on. ere would also be a later surge of cases in October, forcing another shut-down in that part of the country.

As mentioned by Dr. Danielson, none of us really know what will come in the future. We don’t know what the church will look like as it emerges out the other side of this current season. However, a few guesses may be made, based on the ndings of this small sampling of churches. For instance, we may not have the same dependency on real estate. We will probably also emphasize more interactivity (as opposed to passive reception), as well as adaptability and tech-savviness. Greater emphasis will be placed on building relationships because of the isolation that the shutdowns have forced upon us. is is in addition to other changes as well that may not have been as obvious in this particular study. Of course, many churches will seek to go back to the former ways of doing things, but even if these changes that COVID has forced us to practice could be implemented into the wider church DNA, I see that as a potentially positive sign.

Greg S. Whyte PhD Student, Asbury eological Seminary Feb. 17, 2021

About First Fruits Press

Under the auspices of B. L. Fisher Library, First Fruits Press is an online publishing arm of Asbury eological Seminary. e goal is to make academic material freely available to scholars worldwide, and to share rare and valuable resources that would not otherwise be available for research. First Fruits publishes in ve distinct areas: heritage materials, academic books, papers, books, and journals.

In the Journals section, back issues of The Asbury Journal will be digitized and so made available to a global audience. At the same time, we are excited to be working with several faculty members on developing professional, peer-reviewed, online journals that would be made freely available.

Much of this endeavor is made possible by the recent gift of the Kabis III scanner, one of the best available. The scanner can produce more than 2,900 pages an hour and features a special book cradle that is speci cally designed to protect rare and fragile materials. The materials it produces will be available in ebook format, easy to download and search.

First Fruits Press will enable the library to share scholarly resources throughout the world, provide faculty with a platform to share their own work and engage scholars without the di culties often encountered by print publishing. All the material will be freely available for online users, while those who wish to purchase a print copy for their libraries will be able to do so. First Fruits Press is just one way the B. L. Fisher Library is ful lling the global vision of Asbury Theological Seminary to spread scriptural holiness throughout the world.