Posted on May 13, 2022September 19, 2023 A favorite Christian song is “Slow Fade” by Casting Crowns. It describes how people often slowly fade into sin instead of having a sudden fall. The Covid plague of 2019 has been the opposite. It came suddenly upon the entire world, and by the spring of 2022 has slowly faded out of daily consciousness for most people. Unfortunately, its effects on American churches will have lasting effects. Attendance and giving at many churches are up to a third less than pre-Covid. Relationships at some churches remained strained because of differing opinions about the policies taken because of Covid. Many Christians have become much more involved in political discourse, while others have chosen to quit being involved at all. During Covid, most churches had to become adept at having services on-line. Even after the worst of Covid, it seems like online services are still very important. And, that is good news for many people. Online services and communications have become central to the worship life of people who have serious health issues, need to stay away from crowds, have ill family members, have employment issues, or are travelling. At my church, online views made up over 10% of last Sunday’s attendance. A little humorous irony. Almost no excuse for missing church now.
