As our nation and our world slowly begins to peel back the protective layers we have been forced to wear to maintain our safety and re-enter public life once again, many—especially pastors and church leaders—are wondering whether the world we will re-discover will look anything like what we once knew.
For many churches, it has been a year or more since your church met together, in-person and indoors for worship and while many were enthusiastic and upbeat about all the new opportunities and advantages that would come with online church, must of that energy has dissipated. Your regulars are tired, visitors are no longer interested, and many are yearning for a return to “normal.”
Yet, what is that “normal,” or better, what will the new “normal” be? Amidst all the cultural, social, and economic upheaval over the last 12 months, what seems certain is that we cannot count on things being the way they were or the same things working like they once did. While this time of upheaval and change can be scary, it also presents a unique opportunity to re-imagine and re-invent what your church will be.
Kathy Escobar, a trained spiritual director, speaker, writer, group facilitator, and advocate joins the pod to tell the story of The Refuge, a Christian community and resource center, while also sharing some insights on future models of church and what churches can and should do to respond to the changes brought on by Covid.
If you are a pastor or church leader trying to figure out what to do or what is next, listen in to hear these words and wisdom from a leader who has been on the leading edges of future Christianity. Kathy is passionate about those on the margins of life and faith and creating brave, safe spaces for healing and transformation in community.
The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.