Suggestions for Pastors Ministering in a Covid-19 Environment

Covid-19 has been with us for some time now, and it seems as if we are transitioning from crisis mode to endurance mode. Here are a few suggestions for staying healthy:

1. As always, be sure to attend to your spiritual and emotional needs as you are attending to others! Check out the Pastors’ Spiritual Vitality Toolkit and read recently published guidance from Rev. Dr. Chris Adams: "Leading as a Non-Anxious Presence". 

2. Stay connected to other church leaders! And if you sense that a church leader from your church or another church is isolating then make sure to connect with him/her.  

3. Connect with your regional pastor for support. He is the person that classis has designated to be available to walk with you in times of struggle. Check out the list of classes here to find your own classis and all of the people who occupy special roles in your classis (including your regional pastor).

4. Try to see the opportunities. The environment that Covid-19 has established is easy to see as a threat, but we encourage you to see it as an opportunity. In such environments people in organizations are more open to new ways of doing things. Aim to try new things with your congregation. Create a team of people who are good at experimenting. Experiment, reflect, learn, adjust, and share your learnings with others. 

5. Lean on your council. Invite them to think with you about what should keep happening during Covid-19 and about what happens after our various governments give groups of people permission to gather again. What if government says that only groups of 50 will be allowed to gather for a time? How will you respond?