The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and other international development organizations have written about the socio-economic impact of COVD-19 on the economy.
They have provided policy advice and recovery strategies to many countries. I know the Holy Spirit will serve as the policy advisor to many religious leaders including the church.
But which independent organization within the church is advising the church on what to do regarding the administrative part of church activities? The emphasis is on church administration and not which word to preach on.
The Holy Spirit is fully in charge of the word of God that proceeds from the mouth of our men and women of God, so no worries on what word to preach.
There is no doubt, money plays an essential role in spreading the word of God.
Without money, it will be impossible to spread the word of God to the outermost part of the country. I have very close men of God I grew up with.
They spend so much to organize a single crusade in a rural setting. Unlike some city crusades, in rural crusades, the church will end up with so much cost or debts to pay.
If we have rich men like Bill Gate, Dangote, etc in Church who is willing to support the work of missions and evangelism, the word of God will go far without so much burden on religious leaders. In short, money is a powerful tool to spread the word of God. And COVID19 will further reduce church finances, a very controversial and unpleasant truth, many men of God dare not say in public. The public will release their attacking spirit on such a man or woman of God.
In some local churches where the salary of the Pastor and other church members are hinged on how much tithe or offering the church mobilizes in a given period, you can imagine what some rural churches and some city churches will face. This is certainly a difficult period for most religious leaders and the Church.
Some Pastors are really going through a difficult period now. Some of them depend solely on the salaries they receive from the church to take care of their families and if the COVID-19 continues this way, it will affect the anointing of some men and women of God. Like one Pastor will say anointing without money is an annoyance to the family.
So, what are the Policy options and recovery strategies after COVID-19 for the church?
1. Should the Church line up several programs or activities after COVID-19 to make up some “spiritual loss” that some members would have lost due to the ban on church gathering. Or to make up the loss in revenue due to the lockdown and the restriction on gatherings.
This is a very complicated and complex question to answer. It is complicated in the sense that many of us know the answer, but it is difficult to say. It is complex in the sense that no one answer is fit to address the question. The decision to undertake or increase church activities to make up the loss must be prayerfully and strategically thought through so it does not cause further financial burden to the church and that of the members. I do not have an answer to this, as I said, it is complex and complicated.
2. Should the Church be concerned about the spiritual maturity and welfare of church members after the COVID-19? This is less complex and complicated.
So, the answer is yes. My church is doing well, and others can learn this from CMC. It is critical that going forward, church leaders must spend time teaching and ensuring that their church members are matured in the word.
There must be some amount of spiritual Independence among the members. Church members must not run to the pastor or church for every small spiritual issue.
They must learn to deal with it and depend on God for an answer. And not to seek an interpretation of every single dream or spiritual issue from the Pastors. Do you remember the old and the young Prophet in the 1 Kings 13? When you have spiritually matured members, they give in season (non-lockdowns) and out of season(Lockdowns) without any strangle. On the welfare of members. A dedicated team must be put in place to occasionally seek to understand the nature and job of church members.
For those unemployed, conscious efforts must be made to seek to prepare them for the job market. Whenever opportunity creates for business, jobs, etc efforts must be made to support these people.
We must have a database of every single member and organize B2B matching events in the church. Having the name and phone number of church members alone is not a database. It should include all relevant information.
If this level of concern and effort is made, such members will give to support the work of God, whether in lockdown or not.
3. The full-Calling and whether a Pastor or a church worker or wife of a Pastor or a husband of a Pastor should work debate. Another complicated and complex question to respond to. The following passage from 2 Thessalonians 3 is fundamental in addressing this. The passage provides: (6)In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. (7) For you, we know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you
(8) nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. (9) We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. (10) For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
With my physical mind not spiritual though.
It is clear from the above passage that if it is possible for a pastor, wife of a pastor, or husband of a pastor or a church worker to work and earn money aside from the church, such a person must definitely work.
My interpretation of full time calling may be wrong but it is certainly not wrong for such people to seek extra income. Religious leaders must encourage this. I know of friends who are in full-time work and at the same time preaching the word of God with fire. This may not be applicable to all but is definitely worth considering.
4. Stimuli Package to Rural Pastors. This may not be applicable to other churches like the Church of Pentecost.
It is my understanding that in the Church of Pentecost wherever a pastor is posted, his or her salary is not dependent on how much the local church makes. This is an excellent model. But yet a very complicated and complex subject to raise with the leadership of AG.
The rural pastors have a different school of thought from that of some of the Pastors from the Urban centers.
While some of the urban centers will prefer to maintain the current policy of AG the rural pastors think otherwise. I am very much aware of the philosophical basis of this policy of AG, but it may be necessary to open this for discussion.
Back to the stimuli package, I think all the monthly dues and payments from local churches to their HQs should be suspended for some time.
Even the government has halved or proposed to half electricity and water bills, so must the church consider this for the local churches especially those from the rural setting.
Please forgive me in the Name of Jesus, if these thoughts are unspiritual of a church member or not done according to the word of God.
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Written by Stephen Kansuk Esq. of Nakpanduri
Source: Stephen Kansuk Esq.
