Fall 2021 will be a unique window for ministry. We hope and trust that physical gatherings will be safe and people will be back from summer vacations. Gathering in community will feel like a lost luxury that has been recovered. It will be a special time for our churches and for the unchurched or under-churched as well. 

Now is the time to plan for your church to show radical hospitality and invite your community in new ways. Next month, I will lead a welcome back weekend training that will provide a roadmap for your church to use as you design your plan to engage new people this coming fall.

Here are five reasons to make much of this fall

1. Your congregation will be fully “back” with a fresh appreciation for Christian community. These folks will have a renewed energy and can help you reach out, connect, and invite for the sake of others in your community who are not attenders.  
2. People on the fringe of your congregation—the ones you only see twice a year—will have a fresh appreciation for the community benefits of church. They will likely appreciate an invitation to connect more deeply with your ministry.
3. People in your community who are Christian but not affiliated with any church (that is typically about 40 to 50 percent) will feel an invitation to worship in a very relevant way. They too may be ready for and appreciative of an invitation from a friend or neighbor to actively worship.
4. Non-attending adults in your community will be more keenly aware of needs they have that a faith community is uniquely positioned to meet. If churches are intentional about offering relevant ministries to adults post-COVID, those adults will likely seek you out. 
5. Non-attending students in your community will be more aware of needs they have that a faith community is uniquely positioned to meet. If youth programming provides relevant ministries to students post-COVID, those students will likely seek you out.

Here’s what you’ll get from the 90-minute online training, which will take place at Wednesday, April 14, 12 p.m.  MDT, 1 p.m. CDT:

1. An overall strategy to re-engage your wider neighborhood and community in the post-COVID era.  
2. A five-month preparation “runway” to help pastors and their teams make the most of their launching public worship fall 2021. 
3. Detailed action steps for each month relative to five key teams.
4. Recommended resources and strategies that have been field tested to help leaders effectively engage new people.
5. Affiliation and peer connection with others who want to make much of this unique opportunity.

If you want to explore how your congregation can make much of fall 2021 re-launch, register here for “Make More of Fall 2021: Relaunching Post-Pandemic Public Worship with Purpose.”