COVID, THE RESURGENCE
 

• Current vaccination percentage of the total population as per the CDC:
  St. Lucie      41.9%               Palm Beach       50.0%               Miami-Dade      60.4%
  Martin          49.8%               Broward             51.1%               Monroe            58.8%
• The state accounts for one in five new infections in the U.S. and logged 73,181 cases over the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Florida had 341 cases per 100,000 people over the past week, second only to Louisiana. The weekly total of new cases reported by Florida jumped more than fourfold between July 1 and July 22, reaching its highest point since mid-January.
• Deaths in Florida totaled 319 over the past week, the most among states, with a rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people, the fourth-highest, according to the CDC.Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2021
• As we have said, decisions are more like a rheostat than a on/off switch. The data is showing a marked rise in cases and hospitalization.
  —
• Given the rise in cases and hospitalizations how are you and your session considering what may be between on/off or open/closed?
• As you make plans for fall ministries, have you considered contingency plans in the likely event that COVID continues to worsen?

TECHNICAL VS. ADAPTIVE CHANGE
Perspectives on Change: Ronald A. Heifetz

• Heifetz identifies two types of challenges in change: adaptive and technical. The technical is defined as those that can be solved by the knowledge of experts, whereas adaptive requires new learning. When the problem definition, solution, and implementation is clear, Heifetz calls this technical change. For the adaptive, change must come from the collective intelligence of the employees at all levels. So, together they learn their way toward solutions.
• How have you moved from technical change, to the work of adaptive change? Remember this is not about technology but new learning and discernment.

THE BIG CHURCH LEADERSHIP MISTAKE OF 2021
The Big Church Leadership Mistake of 2021 (That You Can Still Avoid)
by Cary Nieuwhof
[LINK]

The biggest mistake most leaders made comes from the emotional rush to get back into a facility, see everyone again, and assemble their teams and get back to ‘normal’.  That said, it’s just too easy to embrace a model of ministry designed to reach a world that no longer exists.

—

So, what’s the danger as you gear up for full, post-pandemic services in your facility?  Simple.  Thinking that when you walk back into your building things will be just fine. In other words, you don’t really need to change anymore.  Which is the fastest path to irrelevance? Things have changed. Radically. The world has changed. Radically. Getting back to where you were doesn’t actually move forward.

Your innovation curve will come to an abrupt stop.

• But the crisis has shown us that while some churches struggled deeply, others started thriving. Change is hard. I’m tired too. But don’t waste this moment. Don’t waste the progress you’ve started.
• Don’t let a sudden lack of creativity around methods limit your mission.
• Crisis is a cradle for innovation. And the future belongs to the innovators.

—

• Given the reality of being fatigued, how are you fostering creativity in your church’s ministry?
• What are you doing to ensure that you don’t give up on what you have started?

You’ll stop pivoting.

• Almost everyone pivoted since the crisis, and those who didn’t have already disappeared or are on their way out.
• But pivoting is probably here to stay for a while. If you study the history of change and progress, you quickly realize the future almost always belongs to agile leaders who adapt and change.

—

• Have you considered the many places you have pivoted during the pandemic and what traction has come from your pivots?
• What does agile leadership look like in your church?

You’ll see online as an add-on, not the future.

• As you settle into old patterns, all your energy will go back into in-person ministry.
• And in the same way remote work will become the new normal for many people in the wider economy, online church might become a default option for many people. Hating that doesn’t make it go away. Leaders, just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
• Everyone you want to reach is online. It’s time for the church to finally act like it.

—

• Have you embraced the adaptive change of online ministry or is it only a temporary technical change?

You’ll get crushed by unpredictability.

• While it’s amazing to think about the re-opening as a universal, permanent change, it’s more probable that it will be different than we think, more unstable than we think, and perhaps involve quick changes more often than anyone wants.
• That kind of unpredictability will crush those looking for stability.

—

• How do you spiritually prepare your congregation to embrace the unpredictability rather than seek stability?

You’ll miss that legal permission is different than social behavior.

• What’s even more significant, long-term, is that culture shifted.
• Many leaders are discovering that there’s a measurable group of people who have simply ‘checked out’. And another group that hasn’t left but are accessing things online far more often. Even if they’re fine with going to a concert, they’re not as anxious to get back to church. Their patterns and attitudes toward church have changed.

—

• How are you helping your congregation understand and adapt to the new patterns of participation?
• What adjustments need to be made to your ministry plans?