Churches and COVID-19 #4: The Village Church with Josh Patterson

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Josh Patterson, lead pastor of The Village Church. They discuss the following questions: What current local regulations are in Dallas? What does your Sunday service look like right now and how does that change week to week? What are you doing in different ministry areas? What advice would you share to listeners on how to think strategically during this time? What are the biggest challenges you are facing and what are you doing to overcome these challenges? Where are you leading your team and their focus? How have you adapted roles during this time? BEST QUOTES “Our question as it relates to meeting has not been politically motivated, but it has been pastorally motivated.” “We are in a particular zone where the numbers are going in the wrong direction, and as a church of our size we didn’t want to contribute in anyway to growing numbers.” “This season is pressing us to find new forms of what it means to gather, and, candidly, those forms in many ways look like how the church has gathered since the beginning.” “In a season where there is so much leader fatigue and energy being used to direct in new ways of ministry, just taking weekend services off the table for a season allows our energy to be directed toward getting other ministries up and off the ground.” “How do we do this in a digital/virtual space that is meaningful and connective?” “Our group ministry has been woven into the fabric of our culture for years, and that has helped keep things tight in a time when we are spread out.” “COVID has allowed us to ask some questions that we didn’t feel the same burden to answer before that we do now.” “Leaders have to slow down and begin to do some of the difficult strategic work.” “I don’t want to brush over the need to lament the loss that is present in this context.” “There is a work that is happening right now in me, in us as a staff, in us as a church, in us as a community, and if I simply find myself wishing for a bygone day or a future day, then I miss where the Lord is working and He is working right now in this day.” “The gospel is moving forward, and I want to be a part of that.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Creature of the Word by Matt Chandler, Josh Patterson, and Eric Geiger