A year ago we had hoped that COVID-19 numbers would come down and that life would return to “normal” by the 2020 National Back to Church Sunday celebration. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite happen. 

And now as we get closer to September 19, 2021 new concerns have risen because of the Delta variant. Many churches are in areas with rising infection rates and new CDC recommendations seem to indicate that wearing a mask indoors, even if you’re vaccinated, is prudent.  But it’s also discouraging – so what are we as pastors and church leaders to do? 

No matter what your view on the virus or the vaccine is…no matter where your church is located… The one thing we can all unite around is our calling to PRAY. 

Pray for our weary, broken world. Pray for those who are hurt, grieving and scared. Pray for believers all over the world to be bold in their faith, to show the love of Jesus in word and deed, and to be obedient to God’s call in our lives. And pray for the Church – our churches – to lean on God’s wisdom, to stay on mission, to remain humble as Christ in the midst of our boldness for Christ, to overcome, to emerge stronger and more unified, all for God’s glory.

I’m going to pray. And I invite you to join me. 

We have been commanded to go to all the world and make disciples – those disciples can be in our buildings, in our neighborhoods, or even online. As church leaders who love people the way Jesus did, we should take precautions, but we should not give up inviting, discipling and encouraging in our communities. 

This September, let’s BE the Church and seek and save the lost.