♦M 7, 2020

Montgomery Bap st Priori es:

The Gospel Above All / The Plan ng and Replan ng of Churches for All People / The Sending of Missionaries to the Ends of the Earth

In Times Like These

On April 28, Governor Ivey issued her “Safer At
Home” order: https://governor.alabama.gov/
assets/2020/04/Safer-At-Home-Order-Signed-
4.28.20.pdf . Governor Ivey’s order gave specific
directions for the church. As people who adhere to
Romans 13:1-7, and do our best to live by the
Bible, we will honor and obey these decisions
passed on by a government authority that has been
ordained by God to assist the citizens. Therefore,
Neal Hughes we must plan wisely for the next steps, not only
Director of Missions
because it is the right thing to do under God, but it
is also for the safety of our congregation and others
who choose to worship with us. In short, we are fighting for our families
in adhering to these guidelines.
You can learn more about the phases of reentry that the governor is (and
will be) following in the return of both business and the church at this
website: https://www.WhiteHouse.gov/openingamerica. You can also
read a full manuscript of the Governor’s Task Force on Churches
Regarding the Reopening of Corporate Worship at https://
mgmbaptists.org/home-2/resources/. Ken Braddy from Lifeway
Research recently wrote twenty-four questions that every church should
be asking regarding their eventual return from the virus crisis. Review
this link for a full examination of the subject (https://
kenbraddy.com/2020/04/18/20-questions-your-church-should-answer-
before-people-return/).
Here is a ten-point summary below to ponder and prepare, with some
minor tweaking for context:
1. What if your worship gathering is initially limited to no more than 10
people? Phase two: 50 people?
2. What adjustments will you make to the Lord’s Supper, baptisms,
small groups, taking offerings, and your choir ministry?
3. How will you go forward with VBS?
4. What are you doing now to sanitize and sterilize your church
building?
5. Are you going to continue offering children’s church or nursery?
6. Are you going to continue hosting special events (i.e., weddings,
funerals, revivals, etc.)?
7. Are you continuing to provide coffee stations on campus?
8. Will you continue offering virtual online worship?
9. Is this the time to suspend or end your church’s “meet and greet”
time?
10. Are you going to postpone mid-week Wednesday night services, With the Safer-At-Home order, we begin to realize that returning to our
meals, and Bible studies? routine will not be immediate and will not mirror the experience we have
always known. The initial response to providing the church experience
Know that I am praying for you in these days of creative recovery. Let within the initial days of the pandemic was to deliver a Sunday morning
the Holy Spirit and His Word guide you in every one of your next steps. worship service. However, we must go beyond delivery and begin with
Use Acts 2:41-47 as a primer for your planning. Remember, the church engagement. See ideas below for reaching deeper within the realm of social
media.
used to meet outside, in homes, and the temple courts, so what about
outdoor services and drive-in services? Be open to the Holy Spirit’s ✚ Engage beyond a singular platform: Use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter;
each one has a different audience, you can post the same messages to
guidance in a day where, more than ever before, we must be about the each and reach a broader audience.
Great Commission and serve our community with the hope of Christ. ✚ Engage with what you know: Be personable, ask questions, expect
Call me if you need additional information from what others are doing responses, use text messaging, Messenger, E-mail, and phone calls.
✚ Engage with new apps: Experience surveys can be created with Google
in their safe return. God be with us till we meet again. Forms, Survey Monkey; To use group texting without group responses
Together WE Can! use apps like Textedly and Text In Church.
Neal Contact Robin Crowe for more ideas at rcrowe@mgmbaptists.org

Montgomery Baptist Association • 20 Interstate Park Dr. • Montgomery, Alabama 36109 • 334-271-6227 • www.mgmbaptists.org
This publication is made possible by your churches’ contributions to Associational Missions.