About 35 or 40 Charis Fellowship pastors and ministry leaders gathered online this morning for collaboration and encouragement as each discussed how they are conducting ministries in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. The meeting was the first of three scheduled gatherings called by Phil Sparling, executive director of the Charis Fellowship, to help pastors with ideas and resources for helping their congregations connect with each other while being confined to home.
Questions ranged from “how do you set up online giving?” to “how far out are you planning?” They also talked about practical ways to help people stay connected while abiding by the guidelines to have no more than 10 people meeting while practicing social distancing.
“We have to mobilize our people to not have the survivalist outlook, but to have an outreach perspective,” said one pastor.
One congregation has set up an online midweek worship time to help feel connected. “It’s one of the best things we’ve done,” the pastor, noting that it might revitalize the midweek service that many churches have abandoned.
Another pastor notes that they have pivoted on the theme for their post-Easter sermon series, choosing to focus on a more timely topic than the one they had previously selected.
There are two more opportunities for Charis Fellowship pastors and ministry leaders to connect with an online call:
| Wednesday, March 25
11:00 am PDT / 2:00 pm EDT |
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/243964853 | (872) 240-3212 Access Code: 243-964-853 |
| Thursday, March 26
1:00 PDT / 4:00 pm EDT |
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/869032677 | (408) 650-3123 Access Code: 869-032-677 |