What’s Your Re-Entry Strategy?

There’s a lot of talk right now about how and when to re-open businesses (and the rest of society) while still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And that same conversation is taking place in the church world.  I’ve sat in on numerous webinars, read many articles, and had several conversations about this subject.

But what about you?

Have you thought through how you will “re-enter” society once we’re given the green light – or even a yellow one?

Will you jump right back into your normal routines?

Or, having had the time and space to reflect on life, are there some things you’d like to change?

As you think about your “re-entry strategy,” here’s a few key questions to ask and answer…

What do you want your family life to look like?

Many families have enjoyed the extended time they’ve been able to spend together and have found themselves playing more games together, watching movies together, going for walks together, making ice cream runs (through the drive-thru, of course) together, and having family devotionals/worship together.  How will you keep that going when your work and activity schedules return to normal?

What will your budget look like?

Many of us have had to get more intentional about our finances as a result of this crisis and have had to find expenses we can eliminate.  And many have found that there are things they can live without just fine.  Once you get back to work and full salary again, will you stay disciplined so that you can save more money?

What will your social life look like?

This time of quarantine and social-distancing has created a deep desire to connect with others, revealing our need for social interaction.  So what will you do to create space in your schedule for regularly connecting with friends, family, and neighbors?

What will your church engagement look like?

We are missing gathering with our church families, aren’t we?  And maybe this has revealed to you that you’ve been taking church for granted.  So, how will you be different when we’re able to meet together again?  Will you make church gatherings more of a priority?  Will you be more involved in the ministries of your congregation?  Will you take more initiative in getting to know fellow members?  Will you be more evangelistic now that you have a clearer sense of people’s need for Jesus?

What will your life priorities look like?

This crisis has caused many of us to reflect more on what is most important in life, but it will be easy to lose sight of that once we jump back into the rat race.  How will you handle that?  What will you do to stay focused on your life priorities?  What can you put in place that will help you “keep the main thing the main thing,” as the saying goes?

It’s been said that one should “never waste a crisis” – meaning that there are opportunities to be found even in difficult moments.  This crisis has created an opportunity for us to emerge better, more focused, and with a clearer sense of what’s most important.  But if we don’t have a strategy for staying that way, we will drift.

So, what’s your re-entry strategy?