This blog represents the thoughts of the author. While they may reflect the theological position of The Renewal Fellowship, they should not be seen as an official statement.

Anniversaries are a great opportunity to press pause and take stock. We look back and note how a watershed moment has changed our world. Sept. 11 is the big one. There’s also Nov. 22, if you’re old enough to remember.

And now we have March 11, the day in 2020 when the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 global pandemic. One year later, we have countless news stories about our successes, our failures, how life has changed and what might lay ahead.

It’s always healthy to take a pulse. The church is no different.

Last fall, I took part in a survey of 1,269 pastors and church leaders representing 108 different Christian faith traditions, conducted by WayBase, in partnership with a coalition of Canadian Christian organizations. The purpose was to see how churches and congregations were adapting to the pandemic. The data was collected just as the second wave was starting to hit.

The study, “Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian Christian Charities”, found that churches are adapting. To the secular world, that might appear surprising. Aren’t we just a collection of dying, irrelevant and self-serving institutions? Those whose lives and careers are enmeshed with the Body of Christ know better.

Here’s the quick glance at the study’s findings:

• “The negative financial impact of COVID-19 continues to be felt strongly across all provinces in Canada.” (No surprise.)
• “About 75 per cent of churches now offer in-person gatherings, although many still choose to participate online.” (We bounced back after the first wave.)
• “Higher levels of in-person re-engagement is correlated with better revenue.” (Sad, but true.)
• “There was a significant increase in the use of technology, with 80 per cent of churches now offering online services.” (An unexpected response, in my view.)
• “As churches and ministries continue to adapt, many are turning their attention to the needs in their community.” (Amen.)

It was that final point which hit me. Could it be that the church is on the verge of a new awakening in which our eyes are turned outward? I don’t mean feeding and clothing the least of these, although that’s a beautiful thing. We have social service agencies and governments which are well funded for that; churches merely fill in the cracks.

When I see “needs of the community” I read “spiritual poverty.” Christendom, for what it was worth, is dead. True believers – defined as those who genuinely accept that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God and are devoted to the discovery and establishment of an authentic church – are a small minority in our culture. Those who truly accept Christ are called to go into the world, to baptize and to teach everything our Lord taught us. We are the farmers who plant the seed, night and day, and watch as the Holy Spirit makes it grow. We don’t understand how it happens and we aren’t meant to understand. We are called merely to scatter.

No government agency, no secular school, and no service club is ever going to do this. But it is the primary job of the church. Far too many churches have lost sight of that and have become glorified service clubs.

Buried within the 49-page WayBase report is an amazing nugget of truth which should provide hope for the small church – which is actually most of us.

“Overall, small churches have a much higher level of engagement at in-person services this fall when compared to larger churches. Similarly, rural churches are re-engaging in-person to a greater degree than their urban counterparts. Collectively, the majority of attendees are still choosing not to attend in-person worship services.” (page 49)

That’s right, rural churches are leading the way. Nothing against multi-staff congregations – we do need them! – but small congregations can respond faster as needs change. They have a hyper local culture because they are not as tuned-in with that industry of bloggers and opinion makers who point to “Big Church Trends” and are prophets of “The Next Big Thing.” Small congregations (many of which are served by part-time or multi-charge pastors) are sometimes dismissed. Sometimes, it feels like it’s all about the megachurch.

Never mind all that. We are called to bloom where we are planted. In the same way that “all news is local” (a journalistic truism) so is the church. One person, one story, one opportunity to plant the seeds of faith. Rural roads or suburban streets, it doesn’t matter.

This is something to think about as increasing numbers of urbanites cash in and retire in quieter climes, and younger first-time home buyers plant roots far from the commuter chaos.

For the first time in many generations, the local church can provide the community what’s so lacking in our wired worlds. We are invited to be prayerfully focused on our neighbourhoods and towns. Be attentive to our local cultures. Just be there. It could be a sandwich board sign on the church sidewalk, a post in the neighbourhood Facebook group – all peppered with prayer for an opportunity to witness Christ.

The Next Big Thing could be something that’s been right in front of us all along.