I could not put this book down, from the first page. Natanael’s first chapter beautifully described what my thought processes about COVID-19 and all the lock downs have been since the pandemic began.
We Christians have been playing at serving and worshiping our wonderful Lord and Savior for centuries and he describes how this pandemic is also a wake up call by God to get back to the basics of what it means to be a Christian. Read it at peril of finding that your view of current worship and your definition of “going to church” is changed forever. Praise God.
19 Covid Lessons the Church Cannot Ignore:
Why “Back to Normal” Is Not an Option
Unannounced and unexpected, the coronavirus has crippled countries and churches into restrictions of unprecedented scale. The world has changed quickly. How will the Church respond? Will it grasp the opportunity to thrive—or wait for it to be over and “return to normal”?
19 Covid Lessons the Church Cannot Ignore unravels exciting new ways to honor, serve, and bring God glory. Brilliantly written and thought-provoking chapter content includes:
• Realize the Fear Element;
• Rebuild the Home Church;
• Reinvent in the Digital Era;
• Realign Values;
• Reform Church Governance;
• Rewrite the Narrative;
• Rise to the Occasion.
Never before have we had this opportunity to return to basics. Let’s embrace this season as a realignment leading into renewal, transformation—and reformation! Let’s not miss this chance.
From the Author
Throughout the world we are now in our homes in isolation to prevent the spread. This has been the world’s largest social isolation and the church has been disrupted in an unparalleled way. This lockdown means the church cannot meet in their buildings, nor as groups, except as households. It was a shockwave that unsettled both leaders and church members, characterized by an evident resistance in closing the church doors. But this had to be done.
I believe we have a choice: to merely survive or to thrive, to give in to this pandemic hype by succumbing to fear or to rise above it in faith, to let it drag us down or to allow God to use it for good. The pause button has been placed on church as usual. The world currently speaks of the “new normal.” The church had to adapt to new ways, and it had to do it quickly. It does not feel normal because in our conditioning, it isn’t. But what if this stir up is for our good?
Let’s not miss this chance! Let’s not return to normal! Let’s not slide back into the comfortable and predictable! Let’s embrace this season as a season of reset, restoration and realignment, which leads us into renewal and into transformation. And it might just lead us into reformation.
Please know that I am a pastor and I write to you as a leader who labors responsibly in God’s field. I say this for you to have the confidence that I care deeply as I challenge you in this book. I challenge you because I care. I care for you and I honor you as you serve tirelessly and desire to align more and more with God’s will!
As you embark on this journey of discovering the 19 lessons the church cannot ignore from the coronavirus, may I please ask you to pause and reflect on one personal and one church shift you will take on from each lesson? And as you do that, let it be a shift that will be a game changer for your personal life and ministry life, a shift that puts everything else in alignment, a transforming shift to maturity and completion that leaves you without lacking anything (James 1:4).
Dr. Natanael Costea
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