Planning for our re-entry into the new things Father has for us…

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Thinking Phases of Re-Entry: Initial ideas- assuming restrictions start to loosen

As I sit here today, scientists are busy trying to calculate if they can launch. The latest estimated time is 4:33pm. They have been tracking the weather pattern of a tropical storm that has already disrupted the original time line. If the launch is postponed, SpaceX and NASA can try again on Saturday and Sunday, with a 60 percent chance of being able to begin the mission on those days. You can imagine all the data they are looking at and the way that they are scrambling to assess the time to launch. The conditions need to be right for the rocket they have so carefully engineered to have a successful launch.

As I have been thinking about our church, the astronauts and space travel metaphor has made a lot of sense to me. I feel in many ways that we as a church have launched into outer space, and it is time for re-entry. We believe that the church will re-enter the atmosphere of being physically together. We believe that our days of wandering in the outer space of social distancing and isolation is coming to an end. That is exciting news for many and scary news for others.

Our plan for re-entry will not be like Jlipping a switch, where a light was off and now it is on. We will not go from shelter in place to a giant worship service. There will be phases, and with each phase, I believe that our Father has something special for our church family.

Phase 1 - The Scattered Church-(we are currently in Phase 1) Phase 2 - Open Sky Worship
Phase 3 - A City on The Hill
Phase 4 - The New Normal

If there are 1000 factors to consider on re-entry, there are twice as many options on how to do it. Just like a space craft that has left earth’s atmosphere and has gotten accustomed to the conditions of space travel, it must prepare itself for re-entry into the atmosphere of our planet. Re-entry is going to be exciting, but it is not going to be easy. Why is re-entry so difficult? Robert Walker, Science Writer and Software Developer, wrote in Forbes magazine that there are two key factors in re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere from space. You can enter too fast or you can enter too slowly. He says it is easy to “penetrate the atmosphere quickly, and burn up like a meteor.” I am not a rocket scientist, but that doesn’t sound good. The other problem is if you enter too slowly, it will take too much fuel and you can run out of gas. I have run out of gas on the PA TurnPike less than a mile for the rest stop, and I was nervous. I would not want to run out of gas in the stratosphere, 15 miles above the earth’s surface.

The same is true for our church. We don’t want to re-enter into large group gatherings too fast and be reckless and cause harm, and we don't want to go too slow and be stalled as a

church family. What we want is to make decisions with these Jive points of consideration as we discern the leadership of the Father.

  1. What has God been teaching us as a church during Covid-19 that will help shape the future of our movement as a church family? We believe three things are shaping God’s invitation to our future.

    1. He is inviting us to new levels of relationships with one another.
    2. God is increasing our resolve to listen for and hear God’s voice personally and

    corporately.
    3. God is leading us to new pathways for the Kingdom of God being advanced in our

    local community.

  2. What are the CDC recommendations, federal, state and local guidelines, and denomination recommendations, and how do they impact what we do? As those different points of leadership conflict, we will err on the side of caution and honor the most immediate form of authority over us that is closest to our particular situation.

  3. As we re-enter, how do we maintain a strong online presence? Our online presence allows those who cannot be with us physically to access to the Gospel truth and our worship together.

  4. How can we help our people to be loving and gracious in the face of diverse responses to lifting restrictions? Some people are ready to come to church and hug it out, while others will be very reluctant. We want to love and encourage each other in the diversity of our responses.

  5. How will we utilizes phases of re-entry? We will balance the benefit of coming together with the cost to safety and leadership.

What I have listed below is a general outline of our four phases of re-entry. It is the product of looking at what God is saying to us as a church and assessing what opportunities for growth are, while honoring the boundaries that are currently in place and will be in place due to the health crisis.

1. Phase 1 - The Scattered Church

  1. Trigger: The end of the shelter in place mandate or the ability to gather outside in groups of 25.

  2. Objective : It is an opportunity for us to go deeper in our relationship. People in response to the voice of God is the central element of the church. Let's use this time to strengthen our relationship. We are not going to spend all our energy rushing back to a large church gathering; we will spend our energy spending time together developing our relationships.

  3. New Initiatives

    1. Scatter together:

    2. Initiate gatherings of all our different expressions of community outside practicing social distance with groups of 25 or less.

      1. Pastorates, Ministry Teams, Discipleship Groups: Plan some outdoor activities. (Go to a park, walk the beach, meet at a bird sanctuary, but do not share meals.)

      2. Local missions initiative: some sort of outdoor service projects together. (Like Giving Tuesday.) Let's imagine some others.

2. Phase 2 - Open Sky Worship

a. Trigger: The ability to have at least 10 people in buildings together and being able to assemble in groups larger than 50 outside, (maintaining social distance). I hope to see this phase happen by July 1.

b. Objective

i. Praise God together. We miss praising our Father together and listening to His voice together.

c. New Initiatives

  1. Summer Ministry gets launched Covid-19 edition: smaller and more mobile units.

  2. LIVE Worship service - Online at 9

    1. Incorporate live worship into the service - so teaching and worship are live at 9 online.

    2. Encourage people to invite a family or close friend to watch online at 9 with you or to watch the service together outside at a more convenient time.

    3. Include broadcasting live in our parking lot on a radio for people who would want to drive up and listen.

3. Open Sky Worship Night - Have a Praise-Prayer-Worship Night at outdoor amphitheater or our church grounds

  1. Practice social distancing - people on blankets and in chairs

  2. Broadcast for people to stay in cars

3. Phase 3 - City on a Hill

a. Trigger: The ability to meet indoors with groups of 50

b. Objective

i. Gather together for Worship in our Cities: Vineland-Bridgeton- Millville

c. The New Initiatives

  1. City on a Hill worship services: The irony of this metaphor is that South Jersey is so flat! However, we want to gather our people in local communities to come to worship together.

  2. Have four sites functioning that serve whatever number we can for social distancing. (At least 50)

    1. Multi-site model

      1. Live worship (If possible- depending on CDC recommendations, indoor singing may be a problem - perhaps if singing wear a mask - perhaps only have worship team sing. Attendees just listen.)

      2. Live announcements

      3. Live Campus Pastor

      4. Some live teaching, some broadcast recorded teaching

    2. Maintain strong online presence

    3. Maintain radio broadcast for parking lot

    4. Adjust room for social distance

  3. Sites will be Living Faith in Vineland, Glasstown in Millville, and the Bridgeton Church Plant. We are considering a Thursday night service at Living Faith.

  4. No Children’s Ministry for any of the sites- family style.

  5. Lots of safety considerations TBD.

4. Phase 4 - The New Normal

a. Trigger: The ability to meet indoors with groups of 100 or more and the ability to do Children’s classes

b. Objective

  1. Having listened to the Father's voice and adjusting bringing the Gospel to our community, we launch our “new normal.”

  2. We will re-assess City on a Hill and Open Sky Worship to see what will remain as part of our new normal.

I believe we are already started Phase 1. Our expectation is that our sojourn in space has changed us, and the shelter in place has deeply impacted our culture. What I am saying is, we are not going back to what it was. We are looking forward to a new normal. I believe that God has something new for the Living Faith Family, and that is why Phase 4 is called “The New Normal.”

I believe this re-entry plan allows us as a church family to grow into our new normal. We can grow in deepening relationships, and Phase 1 is designed for us to do that. Instead of running back to a large group gatherings with very limited relational interaction, we are opting for smaller group gatherings for deepening relationships.

What it does not include is a timeline. The timeline is contingent upon factors outside of our control, and we will do this in conjunction with all state, local, CDC, and denominational mandates.

So please continue to pray with me for wisdom and discernment to obey, not the 1000 pieces of data and the 2000 opinions, but to consider them while following the example of a leader who was often facing “plagues of his own.” King David said in Psalm 16 that God is his chosen portion and that God holds his lot. Let’s lean into his wisdom as we discern our way forward.

Please join me on June 3 for a Family Zoom Meeting at 6:30. The goal is to discuss and answer questions about our 4 phase plan. I am so thankful for our church family and am excited for what God has for our future.

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Jesus is building His church, and there is no pandemic that will or has ever altered His triumphal procession. He is leading the Living Faith Family to a richer experience of being a kingdom minded community.

greg hill

PS: Questions or Comments?

Just email me: ghill@lfachurch.org

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