What are You Doing to Thrive and Serve in this Changing World?
Tennessee Baptist Mission Board staff
Our history shows that the church thrives in times of adversity and crisis. It’s what we were created to do. It’s been astounding to see how Tennessee Baptists have stepped up to the plate over the past few weeks to make sure that the Gospel continues to be shared and that people are receiving spiritual care. Here are just a few:
1. Good Friday or Palm Sunday Lord’s Supper – Provide individual Lord’s Supper packets available for pickup at the church at particular times. Invite participants in online Palm Sunday worship to participate together. Participants could substitute juice and bread from their own homes.
2. Video Bible Study Roundtable Lessons – Gather several teachers and video Bible study lessons to be made available online. Check out Zoom.us website. You can host your own one-hour Bible study with everyone in your small group listening and interacting.
3. Social Distance Praying in the Parking Lot – Open your church parking lot for community members to come and pray. This could also be accomplished by setting up a prayer tent in the church parking lot. Signage could remind those attending to maintain proper social distance. Hand sanitizer could be provided for further safety. Social distance doesn’t mean spiritual distance.
4. Drive-in Worship – Individuals and families participate in worship in their cars while worship is transmitted through a low power radio transmitter. Here’s a workshop link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQoJI-o5b9E
5. Movie Night in Church Parking Lot – Use a big screen and radio transmit to the car radios. Bring your own popcorn.
6. Daily Devotionals – Provided online by church staff or members at a particular time, plus recorded so they can be retrieved later, as well. A great free way to do this is through Blogger.com. It’s not the most glitzy solution but it’s a free and very simple way to do this.
7. Family Discipleship Series – The pastor’s family gathers at home and videos a lesson, “From the ___ Family to your Family.”
8. Minister to Your Health Care Providers – Donate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), water, money, and prayer from a distance.
9. Provide a Daily Message on Your Church Phone System or Answering Machine – Updates are provided for members, many of whom are isolated and simply appreciate hearing from their church.
10. Be There for Prayer! Prayer Line – Church members answer prayer calls. Many phone systems allow for forwarding to members’ phone numbers to prevent members from traveling to the church facility.
11. Outside Worship Service – Worried about what you’ll do about your Easter Service? Plan an outside worship service in an open space with careful planning for social distancing.
12. Record Your Worship Service – Finding it difficult to manage live streaming of the service? Record the worship, even portions of it at different times and places, to be edited together and provided as if it is live on Sunday morning.
13. Capture Decisions – Provide direct access to a phone number or e-mail address so that decisions made during an online worship service can be tracked.
14. Meet Physical Needs! – Church members can take food and items of need to senior adults, not because they need them, but because the church cares. Leave at the front door and ring the doorbell. Concentrate on the elderly. Pray at a distance.
15. Develop Online Giving – TBMB provides this service through a link on our webpage www.tnbaptist.org.
16. Use GroupMe and Remind Apps – Develop church ongoing contacts with the whole congregation and small groups using simple technology.
17. Allow Direct Giving – Plan times of the week when members can drive by and drop off their offerings curbside. Use caution when taking and handling the offering. Have two persons stationed to receive the offering.
18. Pair Younger Members with Senior Members – This provides encouragement and increased personal contact. Train and remind members of safe distancing to reduce transmission of the virus.
19. Call Assisted Living Facilities – Ask how you can support and pray for them.
20. Record or Stream Worship – Churches with greater technical skills and abilities can help churches with less experience.
21. Utilize Techies in Your Church – Help your Senior Adults with their computer needs and with connecting online.
22. Parents! Register for Free Kids Movies, Family Devotionals and More – https://digitalpass.lifeway.com
23. Stumped? – We Serve Churches. Call Us!
Pastor Support:
Randy C. Davis (615) 712-0382
Roc Collins (423) 863-1292
Steve Holt (615) 371-2019
Sing Oldham (615) 308-0106
Minister Wives Support:
Jeanne Davis (865) 406-9643
Sunday School or Small Groups:
Mark Miller (615) 476-5564
Finances and Online Giving:
Rick Workman (615) 371-2035
Youth Ministry:
Jay Barbier (901) 592-9929
Children’s Ministry Ideas or Help:
Vicki Hulsey (615) 417-0105
Compassion Ministry Consultation:
Joe Sorah (423) 895-1481
Evangelism Ideas:
Steve Pearson (615) 587-9057
Media or Crisis Communications help:
Chris Turner (615) 371-2075
Share News:
Lonnie Wilkey (615) 504-2892
