With the effective prevention and control of COVID-19, Christians have begun to return to their churches to worship and praise the Lord. However, inspiring as this may be, the church’s ministry is inevitably affected by the pandemic. How to again begin ministry is an urgent problem.
1. The loss of co-workers. Some church members work in a city, but because of the pandemic, their enterprises have encountered problems and some persons are unemployed. In order to make a living, they have needed to leave the city and return to their hometowns or find a job elsewhere. If they have participated in a ministry, such as singing in the choir or visiting others, then the team will have a shortage of staff due to their departure.
2. The change of church volunteers. Even if some members did not leave cities, the pandemic might have changed their work. Some people have changed jobs, and because of changes in working hours, they have no time to serve in the church. Or because their income has decreased, they have found part-time jobs in order to support their families. This will also affect their ability to participate in ministry.
3.Churches have experienced rapid change in the makeups. All church activities were stopped during the pandemic, and everyone worshipped online. However, since everyone could listen to sermons of other churches, some believers thought that these churches have better sermons, so they left their original church and went to a new church. Co-workers who have become a part of a different ministry will leave a gap as their original church begins restoring its ministry.
4.Some believers were weak in their faith. The pandemic impacted the world and many Christians had difficulty in understanding why the pandemic occurred, especially those whose relatives or friends were infected. What’s more, with no onsite meetings for a long time, the faith of some believers has been without a shepherd and become weak, and their faith has been shaken.
5.Some ministries need to start from the beginning. Due to the pandemic, ministry was interrupted for four or five months, and many co-workers haven't been carrying out their duties for a long time. They need to again become familiar with their ministry. This problem is more obvious for ministries like choirs where practice and technical skills are important for an effective ministry.
After returning, the church should pay more attention to strengthen the faith of believers, and help lead them out of the shadow of the pandemic. Church pastors and co-workers can spend more time visiting those weak members so that they can regain their strength and return to the church under the leadership of the Lord. Mature and stable believers are important in restoring the church. As everyone’s faith restored, there is no need to worry about the lack of ministers.
For believers who have changed to other churches, pastors and co-workers can talk to them, inform them of the importance of commitment, and redeem them with love and persuasion.
If co-workers are unfamiliar with ministry, believers and colleagues should be understanding of their situation. It is important to train and help restore co-workers as soon as possible.
- Translated by Elaina Wu
复堂后事工重建可能面临的挑战
随着新冠病毒疫情得到有效防控，各地教会开始了复堂工作，弟兄姐妹又将回到主的家中，敬拜赞美主。然而在鼓舞人心的同时，教会的事工难免因为疫情受到一些影响，如何做好事工重建工作，是复堂后急需面临的问题。
首先是同工的流动，有的肢体在某个城市工作，但因为发生疫情，他们所在企业出现了问题，有的因此失业。为了谋生需要，他们可能就离开了原来的城市，回到老家或到其他地方寻找工作机会。倘若他们原来在教会里参与某项事工，比如是诗班、探访的成员，团队就会因着他们的离开，出现人员不足的问题，进而影响事工的恢复。
其次是同工工作的改变，就算有的肢体没有离开所在城市，但疫情也有可能导致他们原有的工作生活发生变化。有的人换了新工作，但因着工作时间的改变，可能就没时间来到教会侍奉了。或者因为疫情收入减少，他们为了养家糊口，兼职其他工作，这也会影响他们回到教会中。
再次教会出现重新洗牌，疫情期间所有堂会的活动都停止了，大家都通过网络敬拜、听道。但由于大家可以看到各个堂会的讲道信息，这就带来一个问题，有的信徒觉得其他堂会“讲的更好”，就有可能因此离开原来堂会，到他喜欢的教会。此外，有的非登记聚会点在疫情期间仍然聚会，有的信徒因而流失到那里。假如有侍奉的同工到了其他堂会，就会给事工恢复带来阻力。
再次有些信徒会出现软弱，新冠疫情给全球带来巨大冲击，不少基督徒难以理解为何会出现这样的问题，尤其是那些亲友染上病毒的肢体更是无法接受。加上长时间没有聚会，信仰未能得到牧长的坚固，有些人出现软弱，对信仰产生动摇是正常的。
最后有些事工要从头做起。由于疫情原因，事工中断了四五个月，不少同工难免会出现对业务的生疏，需要重新学习。这个问题在诗班等技术性的岗位表现得较为显著。有些弟兄姐妹长久没练习，肯定会出现生疏的情况。而这多少会对果效产生一定的影响。
教会在复堂后，要把坚固弟兄姐妹的信心放在首位，让他们早日从疫情的阴影中走出来。教会牧者同工可以多做探访，帮助那些信心软弱的肢体，让靠着上主的带领重新得力，重新回到教会中。圣殿重建的基础在于圣徒，只要大家的信心恢复了，就不用担心缺少侍奉者。
对于疫情期间流失到其他堂会的信徒，牧者和同工最好能够找他们谈心，告知其委身教会的重要性，以爱心、劝勉的方式将他们挽回，重新回到侍奉岗位上。
而面对同工对业务生疏的问题，大家需要有充分的理解，不要太过纠结，一开始勉强下也是可以的。但务必做好同工的培训工作，让他们早日恢复以前的状态，让侍奉充满果效。
With the effective prevention and control of COVID-19, Christians have begun to return to their churches to worship and praise the Lord. However, inspiring as this may be, the church’s ministry is inevitably affected by the pandemic. How to again begin ministry is an urgent problem.
1. The loss of co-workers. Some church members work in a city, but because of the pandemic, their enterprises have encountered problems and some persons are unemployed. In order to make a living, they have needed to leave the city and return to their hometowns or find a job elsewhere. If they have participated in a ministry, such as singing in the choir or visiting others, then the team will have a shortage of staff due to their departure.
2. The change of church volunteers. Even if some members did not leave cities, the pandemic might have changed their work. Some people have changed jobs, and because of changes in working hours, they have no time to serve in the church. Or because their income has decreased, they have found part-time jobs in order to support their families. This will also affect their ability to participate in ministry.
3.Churches have experienced rapid change in the makeups. All church activities were stopped during the pandemic, and everyone worshipped online. However, since everyone could listen to sermons of other churches, some believers thought that these churches have better sermons, so they left their original church and went to a new church. Co-workers who have become a part of a different ministry will leave a gap as their original church begins restoring its ministry.
4.Some believers were weak in their faith. The pandemic impacted the world and many Christians had difficulty in understanding why the pandemic occurred, especially those whose relatives or friends were infected. What’s more, with no onsite meetings for a long time, the faith of some believers has been without a shepherd and become weak, and their faith has been shaken.
5.Some ministries need to start from the beginning. Due to the pandemic, ministry was interrupted for four or five months, and many co-workers haven't been carrying out their duties for a long time. They need to again become familiar with their ministry. This problem is more obvious for ministries like choirs where practice and technical skills are important for an effective ministry.
After returning, the church should pay more attention to strengthen the faith of believers, and help lead them out of the shadow of the pandemic. Church pastors and co-workers can spend more time visiting those weak members so that they can regain their strength and return to the church under the leadership of the Lord. Mature and stable believers are important in restoring the church. As everyone’s faith restored, there is no need to worry about the lack of ministers.
For believers who have changed to other churches, pastors and co-workers can talk to them, inform them of the importance of commitment, and redeem them with love and persuasion.
If co-workers are unfamiliar with ministry, believers and colleagues should be understanding of their situation. It is important to train and help restore co-workers as soon as possible.
- Translated by Elaina Wu
Possible Challenges for Ministry after Church Reopening
