How Covid Helped our Church
By Brandon Scroggins
He’s got the whole world… in His hands… He’s got the whole wide world…
The Lord is my Shepherd… I shall not want.
Do we really believe the theology that we teach our children? This is the question that the Lord has been really pressing in on my soul over the last couple of years of major church trials coupled with multiple global crises that have affected our lives.
Our church was birthed out of a very painful church split in February of 2017. And then, devastatingly, we found ourselves in the midst of another even more painful church split again in January of 2020 as we hit our 3-year anniversary. The wreckage and brokenness in my own soul, as well as that of my family and our church, brought me to quite a dark valley as the relentless waves crashed over me with no end in sight. I began to try and recover my bearings, navigate what a season of healing would look like, and shepherd a hurting church of about 45 people who remained in our flock.
We met for 8 weeks, trying to re-group and get back on our feet, and then I found myself on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of news about circulating illness and then the impending decision of whether we should meet the next day as a church. I had told the church on the previous Sunday that we did not intend to cancel services but that it was possible that things could look different for the next couple of weeks (and I can’t help but chuckle now as I look back to that time- thinking that it would take a couple of weeks to ‘flatten the curve.’) We were now facing not only a second church split but also, 8 weeks later, we found ourselves out of all corporate gatherings for 7 weeks. And to be honest, the thought did occur to me during that season: “If the church splits didn’t put the nail in the coffin here, then a global crisis of covid now just may do so.” However, by God’s grace, we pressed on.
In the midst of these challenges I met with Brian Croft, and he ministered deeply to my soul. He reminded me that I am not God, but I do need to look to the One who is and simply take responsibility for what I could do. I felt like ten planets had been lifted from my shoulders with that sobering statement. I was challenged with this: “What if God truly is sovereign … and what if God is planning to use all of these unknowns with covid to do something in your life and church that He wouldn’t accomplish otherwise?” I was struck. And I was reminded that the Lord truly is my Shepherd and that He really does have the whole world in His hands. However, I still wrestled with many doubts.
To my shock, the church banded together with the sweetest and tightest fellowship during that season that I had ever seen. Younger members helped older members learn to navigate online meetings. Members who were on the sidelines began to step up to pray, to start a media ministry, to reach out to those who were ill and anxious, and to minister in a hundred different ways. The projected giving of our budget never decreased (and we’re not in a relatively affluent area, either), fellowship sweetened, prayers increased, testimonies were shared, outreach in the community continued, Scripture was prioritized, and I was simply blown away.
By the fall of that year, we had so many others wanting to join the church that we had to begin a round of membership classes and start warming up the baptistry. I had conversation after conversation about how the Lord was using the state of our church and nation to awaken hearts to their need for Christ and one another, and nearly all of them are still pursuing the Lord now harder than ever.
Due to the increased time at home, families helped one another to learn to practice family worship together on a daily basis. With the normal rat-race of life suspended, we began to help husbands and wives lean into one another and work on their marriages. Families began seeking how to be together more- praying, reading Scripture, laboring, and laughing together as well as ministering to others in and through their homes.
We learned a lot through that season. And we had some members in our church begin to start laboring for human flourishing in our community and throughout our state through various avenues. From ministering at a local children’s home to sharing the gospel with co-workers to starting a state-wide media company to encourage righteous legislation, Aslan was truly on the move and members were glad to pour themselves into serving.
This season also helped to establish my trust and leadership with the church. Before covid, the church was being pulled in several different directions. Many were very hesitant to trust church leadership again. And we were on the brink of making what likely would have been a few different costly mistakes in our future direction. However, the crisis of covid put a pause button on everything and it provided an opportunity for me to be refined, stretched, and positioned to develop trust and lead.
When I say that covid helped our church, I in no way want to undermine the torrential pain that many have experienced in the loss of loved ones, the closing of local businesses, and all the carnage that resulted from such a season. However, I do want to remind us, as the Lord has reminded me, that God truly does have the whole world in His hands. Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd, and He is still building His church so that the gates of Hell will not overcome it. I can say with tears running down my face and a heart swelling with thankfulness for the kindness of God, you can truly trust him.
The depths of Romans 8:28 then moves from an overused cliché to being a profoundly personal experience:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
And that is true even when the story doesn’t end with a bow. We still have much sanctification and maturity needed, but the Lord has shown Himself to be sovereign and good in so many mind-blowing ways up until this point, that surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives.
Brandon is husband to Kristy and father of Harlee, Micah, and Owen. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Auburn University of Montgomery, a Master of Divinity at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Educational Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is pastor of Reformation Baptist Church in Wetumpka, AL and has served in vocational ministry for 17 years.