What has become undeniably clear over the last months, and especially the last weeks, is that a return to pre-COVID church attendance is not happening anytime soon. We’ve discussed possible reasons why in previous posts. But what we didn’t completely anticipate was how the re-opening process would happen in fits and starts. In many places, […]
Every church I am in conversation with has seen a setback in their in-person weekend attendance this past year. Typically, I’m hearing between 20% to 50% of pre-COVID attendance. Currently, here at Nativity, we are consistently seeing 35% of our previous attendance at our reduced weekend Mass schedule (three Masses down from five). In case […]
In one recent national poll, respondents were asked to identify their mindset towards the next step in what I have come to call the COVID ordeal. The poll found that people fall into four distinct categories: 45% Vaccinated and ready for a return to normal 25% Vaccinated but not ready for a return to normal […]
Recently I was reading one of my favorite “church” blogs, Pastor Tony Morgan (The Unstuck Church Group) and came across this striking aphorism: “My church is for me, but it’s not about me.” I am often asked what was the single most important thing we did, decision we made, or turn we took, that had […]
In my last post I argued the ongoing importance of our online presence, including live streaming weekend Masses. It will be more important post-COVID than it was before. At the same time, this in no way suggests that attendance, physical presence, and, of course, the reception of Holy Communion at church are unimportant. They’re critical. […]
This past week we celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The gospel read at Mass takes us back to Holy Thursday, to the Last Supper and we hear again the words we hear every time we come to Mass: He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, saying,“This is my body.”Then […]
The season of summer can be a quieter time at many parishes. Unless you’re in a resort community, attendance inevitably drops as faith formation programs end and parishioners go on vacation (or just sleep in). While summer should be a time of rest and refreshment for pastors and parish staff, it is also an important […]
At Nativity, we preach in “series”, using Scripture to explore inspiring and life-changing themes over multiple weeks. This is a practice that we originally adopted from our Evangelical friends but one that is right at home in the cycle of the Lectionary and the seasons of the Liturgy. This week we kick off our last […]
The COVID ordeal of the last year has impacted us all in many ways and raised many concerns. One of the most widely shared concerns is the negative impact it’s having on our children and young people. School closures, sports cancelations, social distancing; everything else they’ve experienced, everything else that’s been taken away from them […]
Influence is force. It is compelling force, effecting actions and behaviors, opinions and thinking of others and, eventually, the outcomes they experience. Regardless of anyone’s religious beliefs, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant influence on the history of Western Culture for almost twenty centuries. In some ways, our biggest challenge actually comes in appreciating […]
