We’re about two months into this season and it’s been really interesting to watch how different people and organizations have handled it.
I work in the church world, and I’ve had a front row seat to watch how the current season is being handled. No doubt this abrupt transition from meeting in person to online only didn’t FEEL good, but FEELINGS AREN’T FACTS.
When you’re trying to solve ANY problem, you MUST ALWAYS START WITH WHAT’S TRUE – THE FACTS. The truth is that across the board churches are seeing significant increases in online attendance, sometimes 5-10x more than their traditional in-person attendance. That truth, that fact, is huge. And it presents myriad opportunities.
The big question going forward is who is going to take advantage of this opportunity and be successful, and who is going to ignore the facts and fail. Some churches have done an amazing job, have really embraced all of this and turned it into something positive. Others have completely shut down and are living in fear.
Why is that? What’s the difference in these churches? The same question can be asked about people and families. Why are some seeing all that is good and others are completely focused on the negative?
Almost nobody truly loves chaos, but one good thing about chaos is that it reveals some really interesting things about us. In fact there are 4 key things that are revealed by chaos. As I walk through them, apply each one to yourself, your work, your faith, and your family.
Chaos Reveals Character
In individuals, chaos reveals character. We quickly see things for what they really are. Things like work ethic, attitude, how we treat people, willingness to sacrifice, flexibility, etc… When we are confronted with who we really are we can either ignore it and stay the same, or we can take advantage of it as an opportunity to change.
Chaos Reveals Culture
Corporately, chaos has a way of revealing culture. This is big in any organization, a company, a church, even a family. Will this situation pull us together or apart? Will we fight and bicker or cooperate and work together? Can we be flexible? Great culture includes things like being proactive, innovative, being solution oriented, and teamwork. Great culture also includes the ability to see what you’re not doing well and quickly pivot to correct those issues.
Chaos Reveals Creativity
When we have great culture it means we are positive and innovative, looking for solutions, and that leads to creativity. Necessity is the mother of all invention and this crisis has necessitated some major innovations. We’ve seen it in our local schools as they have found creative ways to engage the students virtually. One great example of this that I witnessed was a scavenger hunt for things any home would have. It not only was fun and engaging for the kids, but it also taught them where important things are in their house, like the first aid kit and a fire extinguisher. Churches have responded with creative ideas like virtual choirs. Families have gotten creative with all of their down time, finding new activities to share together and looking outward to serve neighbors and others around them.
Chaos Reveals Christ
Chaos reveals who Christ really is to us. When we are faced with something difficult, we are forced to ask ourselves – what do I really believe? My pastor Chris Hodges says that belief dictates behavior. Another way to say this is that behavior totally reveals what we really believe. John 14:1 says “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me (Jesus).” What is our current chaos revealing about what you REALLY believe?