Book of the Month - January

The Post Quarantine Church

Thom Ranier - ISBN: 978-1496452757 - 2020

Author:

Thom Ranier served for many years as the CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources. More recently, he founded Church Answers and serves as CEO. He wants to bring health to churches and help them to work through difficult times. These last few years have seen huge challenges and hopefully, someone with 40 years of experience can help us all grow in a Post Quarantine environment.

Brief Synopsis:

Mr. Ranier identifies 6 Challenges and Opportunities for churches as we exit the quarantine caused by the COVID virus.

• Gather Differently and Better

• Seize your Opportunity to Reach the Digital World

• Reconnect with the Community near Your Church

• Take Prayer to a New and Powerful Level

• Rethink your Facilities For Emerging Opportunities

• Make Lasting Changes that will make a Difference

He takes each of these challenges and encourages church leaders with practical wisdom about how to use them as a springboard for the future.

Insights:

What if we asked the community how our church facilities could best serve them? - pg 17

At the core of many of these plans is a realization that churches must deal with three groups: what we’re calling digital only, digitally transitioning, and dual citizens. - pg 31

Two other early changes were obvious. First, more churches decided they could have worship services at times other than Sunday morning…Second, the online services that either began or were augmented during the quarantine are not going away. - pg 82

Should I read it or skip it?

I think this book provides a ton of insight in so few pages. At a little over 100 pages, Thom packs suggestions into every page and gives us a lot to consider. I think this would benefit every level. However, smaller churches might benefit more from reading together. Smaller or older churches tend to need encouragement in growing outside their norm. I think anyone would benefit from reading this book.

Missions Trip to Costa Rica

In the Summer of 2021, I received the opportunity to lead the Cross Mountain Missions Team to Fraijanes, Costa Rica. We thought we would be a bigger team. We thought we would be doing something amazing and hard. We were prepared for almost anything. We weren’t prepared for how this trip would impact us or how COVID would shape the team.

Before we ever left we ran into COVID. The team shrunk in the days before we left. People would call in and we would begin to make adjustments. Our church’s version of VBS the week before left us decimated. Kids and families showed up with the intent of getting out of the house. A year of not leaving drove everyone to find places where they could interact and have fun. We didn’t count on members of our team being exposed and not wanting to develop symptoms in a foreign country.

Senior Ayres, my fellow team lead, and Myself

We came for the opportunity to do something amazing. What we didn’t know was how we would be impacted by the events God conspired to create… Over the last few years, our church has developed a relationship with Pastor Roy Soto from Comunidad Cristiana Shalom. He has a vision to help kids in foster care and mothers reunite after they had come to know Christ and healed up. We found ourselves in Costa Rica following a sister church that had worked really hard to build the structure of the house where the foster kids would live.

What we didn’t know was the depth of sorrow we would see before we left. Pastor Roy received a call from the government asking him to take in a young lady from Nicaragua. She had crossed the border with her baby and had been found by the authorities. They brought her to the location we were staying. Our team got to eat with her and her baby. Our translator got to know her and for about 36 hours she found herself in limbo. In the end, the government separated her and her baby. We don’t know the end of the story but we do know, if the house had been ready, the baby could have stayed there while the mom was working through the process the government laid out for her. We were heartbroken for her as we watch the separation and the departure.

I am more convinced and believe in Pastor Roy’s ministry more now than ever. I also realized my need to learn Spanish and not have to depend on a translator. I cannot wait to go back and experience life with a group of people who are serving their community and making a difference!! Pura Vida!