“Never waste a good crisis.”
Lots of people ascribe this quote to Winston Churchill, which makes sense given his status as one of the greatest leaders in a time of crisis in world history. I don’t know if he actually said it, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
With all the news in the past week and calls for “social distancing” in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, it’s clear that we’ve reached a crisis point. Large gatherings are being canceled, worship services and the celebration of Holy Communion suspended or live-streamed, people are hunkering down at home, and most of us are wishing we had bought stock in Charmin and Purell.
But within every crisis is an opportunity, and I really believe that this crisis is uniquely suited for those of us who are classical Methodists–that is, if we are willing to recapture and reimagine the “method” that is in our spiritual and theological DNA. While the world is trying to discourage large groups from meeting, Methodists understand the power of intentional small groups, “field” preaching, and growing in personal and social holiness on a micro scale that leads to maximum impact for the Kingdom.
The class and band meetings were the engine that drove the early Methodist movement, but we often forget that that system of small group accountability and “watching one another in love” was actually born during a time of crisis. As Methodist historian Kevin Watson points out, Methodist class meetings began in 1742 as a response to a problem in paying the debt on the New Room Methodist meeting house in Bristol. A Captain Foy proposed dividing the society into groups of 12 persons, whose “class” leader would meet with each person under his care each week to collect a penny from them as a contribution toward retiring the debt. Foy volunteered to take the eleven poorest members of the society into his class and visit them every week. If they were unable to pay the penny, Foy would make up the difference himself and he invited the other class leaders to do the same.
While making these visits, it became clear that members of the society were struggling with keeping the General Rules (Do no harm, do good, attend to the private and public ordinances of God). John Wesley recognized the class leaders were uniquely suited to address the disconnection between these early Methodists and their method. The class meeting thus morphed from being a debt-retirement capital campaign into an ongoing weekly meeting where, “Advice or reproof was given as need required, quarrels made up, misunderstandings removed: And after an hour or two spent in this labour of love, they concluded with prayer and thanksgiving.” Band meetings were a smaller subset of the class meeting and focused more on dealing with sin and confession. These groups became the staple of the Methodist movement–crisis meeting opportunity.
I believe that we have a similar opportunity now in the midst of the current crisis. People are avoiding large groups, but small ones are still ok for most. The advent of the internet and video conferencing technology has made it possible for people to meet together without even leaving their homes. My own weekly band meeting is all done online and it works exceptionally well since my two band mates live at a distance. “Social distancing,” in other words, doesn’t automatically involve a lack of connection. In fact, we now have the opportunity to enhance it.
It looks like most people will be hunkering down for at least the next couple of weeks. There will be those who are stressed about the virus, to be sure, but many others who are stressed about finances, finding enough food for the kids, missing work, etc. In a time of high anxiety, the church has the opportunity to demonstrate care in ways we previously may not have considered in our highly individualistic culture, and that care can not only lead to quelling physical anxiety, but spiritual anxiety as well.
Here’s what I mean: What if every leader in your church committed to checking in on eleven other families every week over the next several weeks; to not only inquire how they are faring during the shutdown but also to ask, “How is it with your soul?” Chances are that you already have some of these natural connections in Sunday School classes, committees, etc. These leaders could offer help in terms of buying groceries or offering child care for kids home from school, or relay those needs to the pastor or missions team. They could promote any resources your church is using, like online services or Bible studies. The key, however, is to let people know that we’re being intentional about “watching over one another in love.” Wesley and the early Methodists didn’t have the phone (which is that seldom-used app on your iPhone, by the way), nor did they have electronic media, so we’ve got a huge advantage! My hunch is that this kind of intentional focus would plow up the ground for planting the seeds of class and band meetings on the other side of this crisis. Knowing that someone is invested in their spiritual and physical well-being creates a new level of connection that can be contagious (pun absolutely intended)!
Another option is to consider offering online prayer every day during the crisis (and perhaps beyond). Use videoconferencing software to set this up. We use Zoom, which is affordable at about $150 per year and allows you to have up to 100 people online at the same time. Older members or those who lack computer skills can also call in via phone. Do a brief prayer service using a resource like the Book of Common Prayer or the “Order for Morning Praise and Prayer” on page 876 of The United Methodist Hymnal. Then take some time to simply ask each person how their soul is prospering or hurting during this crisis. They can share or not, but it’s really about getting used to hearing the question! The more people get used to hearing someone ask about the state of their walk with God, the easier it becomes for them to begin to answer and, indeed, want to answer. That’s the kind of seed that can grow into a new discipleship small group ministry in the near future.
“Field preaching” was another unique hallmark of early Methodism, and live-streaming worship services and sermons gives us an opportunity to do that to a wide audience. It also provides another opportunity that most of our in-person worship services don’t offer: the ability for people to comment and ask questions! If your church is meeting online during this crisis period, encourage people to shoot you emails during the sermon. Take some time after preaching to answer the relevant questions. Make it interactive. Wesley was constantly interacting with the crowds he preached to in the open air. Sometimes that interaction was dangerous (ever have a raging bull unleashed in your direction?), but it was also a catalyst for creating opportunities for further conversation. I won’t be surprised if this period doesn’t change some of the way we do worship and preaching when we’re able to meet in person again. Sermon talkback sessions, anyone? Don’t miss the opportunity to allow people to inquire of you while you inquire about the state of their souls.
Every crisis brings with it an opportunity. Don’t waste this crisis! It could be one of the sparks that helps ignite a new Methodist revival!
