The Personal Experiences of Pastoral Leaders During the COVID-19 Quarantine

COVID-19 proved to be a unique crisis for churches and their pastoral leaders as they were forced to move their worship and work to an online format. This article reports on 33 pastoral leaders in 13 states who identified surprisingly positive experiences to go with the unsurprisingly negative reality of quarantine. It would appear that COVID-19, while brutal in its methods, naturally incubated reflection and positive growth in the lives of these pastoral leaders.

Digital Discipleship: A Study of How Churches in New York Used Technology for Adult Discipleship During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 Pandemic brought unexpected and unparalleled challenges to bear on the adult discipleship ministries of local churches. These challenges were felt sharply early on in New York, the location of the most severe outbreak in the East Coast during the first half of 2020. This paper explores how Evangelical churches in the New York regions of Metro NYC and Eastern New York adapted to these challenges and turned to technology to continue serving their churches. Through the use of qualitative surveys, 21 churches in New York shared how they shifted to continue to minister to their congregation. The research demonstrated that over 95% of churches surveyed engaged in digital discipleship, with half finding it to be effective for their congregation.

A Case Study of Online Children's Ministry in South Korea During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article presents the case of a church in South Korea known for doing effective online children's ministry since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study explored how the church transitioned from in-person to online worship and conducted online children's ministry during COVID-19. Data were collected through interviews, observations, documents, and videos. Results illustrated the process of transition and exposed the positive and negative aspects of online ministry. Future ministry considerations are also discussed.

Youth Ministry and Crisis

Youth ministry is not unfamiliar with crisis. Youth pastors are trained and equipped to manage all sorts of crises. However, conducting youth ministry in the middle of a global pandemic? Well, that is uncharted territory. This article focuses on how (select) youth ministries operated, reached out to youth, and cared for youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. How technology was utilized, challenges faced, and lessons gleaned are also addressed with practical application ideas.

Pandemic Responses of Churches in Southern Vermont and the Surrounding Area

Article presents the results of a survey given to churches in and around southern Vermont regarding their responses to the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic of 2020/2021. The article also presents the reported lessons learned and implications for future ministry from the responding churches with analysis of what those thoughts mean for the church of the future in New England and beyond.