The Road Best Traveled: Navigating the Detours of Pandemic

If you’re like me, your mind has been racing since March. When social distancing guidelines were put into place, it became a scramble to adapt and keep moving forward with ministry. It’s been like driving on a long road trip and hitting construction and detours without warning. We want to keep moving forward, but we don’t know the best road to travel or directions to take. As exit signs for fall get closer and closer, there are some questions to ask and variables to consider that can get you and your leaders down the right road.

Remember the “Why” of Your Trip
Many of us have a clear destination in mind. We know “why” we have chosen to go along this journey with our kids and leaders. We desire to make resilient child disciples who belong to a family of faith, believe biblically sound teaching, and become like Christ in every walk of life. This is the place our ministries strive to reach and take our children, no matter the obstacles or bumps in the road. When we keep our hearts and minds on the goal to which Christ has called us, it helps us to make the right decisions and not merely follow the flow of traffic around us.

Determine Your “What” before You get to It.
I’ll be honest, I’m bad about waiting too long to get over in the far lane to make my exit. I always think I have more time than I really do; and this inevitably leads to cutting it close when I merge, or missing my exit altogether. As you plan for the fall, determining your exit ahead of time can save you from last-minute decisions you might regret later. Undoubtedly, many of you have been considering and praying for several months now about what your ministry needs to do this fall. Do you offer in-person ministry at your church? Do you run clubs virtually online? Do you equip parents to take over the wheel at home? Or do you opt for a route that’s a hybrid of the three? As you consider “what” you should do, ponder the following to determine the correct off-ramp for your ministry.

What is my church doing? For some of you, the “what” has been decided for you by your church. If your church is serving completely online, that might be the only course of action you have. For others, your church is meeting in-person; so you have to determine if it is best to have your Awana ministry physically meet, as well.

Consider your destination. It can be easy to cling to what is most comfortable or what seems normal in the midst of a crisis. Now, there is nothing wrong with things being easy or having a sense of normalcy, but those things are not the main goal or destination. The destination is making resilient child disciples. When we keep the goal in mind, we filter our decisions through it, which leads us in the right direction. So, while meeting in person might feel normal for some, it may not be the best overall decision for others when making resilient disciples. And, while virtual ministry might be easier for some churches, it may not be the best route for  others toward making disciples who belong to and become like Jesus. You know your kids and leaders better than anyone. Picture their faces and consider where they are at emotionally and spiritually. Then you can determine the road to take them down that will best lead them to their destination.

Don’t Let the “How” Distract You
Once you’ve decided on your exit–virtual, in-person, or home ministry–then you must determine how you will navigate your club. If you’ve ever taken an exit in a big city, you know the frustration of winding roads and one-way streets. It can be confusing for a newcomer to find their way around. Similarly, some of you have chosen an exit with terrain to which you are not accustomed. Some of you believe in-person ministry is best, but you’re not sure how to run a club with social distancing guidelines and procedures. Some of you know virtual ministry is the route you need to take, but the thought of technology is nauseating. Perhaps, you see home ministry as your greatest option, but have no clue how to encourage and equip parents to take the wheel. If you are lost in the “how,” consider this:

The goal is connection, not perfection. You may not be able to do things at the level or capacity you once did, but that does make the journey pointless or your ministry any less vital. The goal of your ministry is not to craft polished lessons, create rigid schedules or execute perfect activities. Your goal is to connect with your kids, so you can connect them to Jesus. Don’t lose your “why” in the winding roads of the “how.” You never know how powerful and life-changing your time, care, and efforts can be in a child’s life.

How do you want your kids to remember you? Often, the greatest memories of a road trip come from the unexpected stops that come along the way. As the kids in your club look back on their journey, will they remember leaders who fought to love and care for them despite the detours? Will they remember disciple-makers who made space for them in their schedules and hearts? Will they remember a church that did something?

As your kids travel toward their destination, they won’t remember how good your video quality was in your virtual lesson or how perfectly executed your guidelines and procedures were for a game during activity time. Your kids will remember the loving, caring adult who did whatever it took to get them to their destination of belonging, believing, and becoming like Christ.

For more practical tips and suggestions on the “what” and “how” of your ministry, download the Covid-19 Playbook.