COVID and the Church

By: ChurchSalary a ministry of Christianity Today
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  • Summary

  • The COVID-19 pandemic impacted almost every institution in America. But how did it impact the American church? Join Aaron Hill, Editor of ChurchSalary, and a team of experts from the Arbor Research Group as they explore the results of their landmark yearlong study on “The Impact of COVID-19 on the American Church” and the unpack the nine common experiences that every pastor and congregation navigated during the pandemic. Download a free copy of the report and follow along at churchsalary.com/covidstudy.
    Copyright 2023, ChurchSalary
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History Ministry & Evangelism Social Sciences Spirituality
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Episodes
  • Full-Length Trailer

    Full-Length Trailer
    Sep 21 2023
    What caused some churches to thrive, while others struggled? Why did some pastors quit or resign, when so many stayed? What can we learn from pandemic that will prepare us for the uncertain future? We all have assumptions and ideas about what happened. But are they correct? What really happened and why? To answer these questions, ChurchSalary, a ministry of Christianity Today, partnered with the Arbor Research Group to conduct a year-long study of over a 1,000 pastors and church leaders from across the country. This podcast, COVID and the Church, will explore the results of this landmark study published in a 111-page report. Explore the 9 common experiences that every pastor and congregation in America navigated during the pandemic—from pain and loss, to fluctuations in giving and attendance, to political polarization, leadership crises, the relentless pressure to rapidly adapt simply in order to survive. Every episode we will discuss and apply the findings from this study with the help of a team of experts from the Arbor Research Group. And we’ll take a moment to listen to actual stories of how COVID impacted pastors and churches from across the country. Full series launches on September 25th. Download a free copy of the full report today at churchsalary.com/covidstudy. Hosted by Aaron Hill, Editor of ChurchSalary COVID and the Church is produced in conjunction with the Arbor Research Group and funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., through a grant from the Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders (or ECFPL) initiative. Executive produced by Aaron Hill, Terry Linhart, and Matt Stevens Director for CT Media is Matt Stevens Audio Engineering, Editor, and Composer is Tyler Bradford Wright Artwork by Ryan Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    2 mins
  • Ch. 1: Pain and Loss (of Presence)

    Ch. 1: Pain and Loss (of Presence)
    Sep 26 2023
    Shepherding a congregation is intensely intimate work. Pandemic restrictions didn’t merely prevent pastors from seeing people face-to-face; in many cases they disrupted both ministry and ministers. In particular, the rush to stream worship services online revealed that many congregants associate church with preaching rather than pastoring. This shook the gospel calling of many pastors and eventually left not just ministers but also members wrestling with an empty feeling, a gnawing pain, after the live feed ended. Jesus speaks of the sheep knowing his voice and of knowing the sheep, a process that takes time and presence. That intensely intimate work happens in many ways: hugs and handshakes, Communion and counseling. In reflecting on the vulnerable, sometimes passionate, stories of pain, three themes emerged: (1) personal pain, (2) pain specifically caused by others in the church (what one person called “friendly fire”) and (3) the pain of the loss of presence. Based on Chapter 1 of the report, in this episode host Aaron Hill (editor of ChurchSalary) sits down with two researchers from the Arbor Research Group, Jon Swanson and Hope Zeller, to talk about the common experience of pain and loss suffered by pastors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring an in-depth interview with Brian Spahr, former pastor and hospital chaplain, about his experience during the pandemic. Hosted by Aaron Hill, editor of ChurchSalary "COVID and the Church" is produced in conjunction with the Arbor Research Group and funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., through a grant from the Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders (ECFPL) initiative. Executive produced by Aaron Hill, Terry Linhart, and Matt Stevens Director for CT Media is Matt Stevens Audio Engineering, Editor, and Composer is Tyler Bradford Wright Artwork by Ryan Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Why and What? Introduction

    Why and What? Introduction
    Sep 26 2023
    The COVID-19 pandemic officially ended on May 11th, 2023. While it lasted only three years, the pandemic impacted almost every institution in America. Research studies have examined the impact of COVID-19 on economics, housing, and secular employment. But how did COVID-19 impact the American church? To answer this question, Church Salary (a ministry of Christianity Today) partnered with the Arbor Research Group (with the help of a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment) to conduct a year-long study of over a thousand pastors and church leaders from across the country. During the course of our research in 2022, we encountered thousands of hurting and wounded pastors and lay leaders who desperately needed to share their distinct stories—some tinged with hope, some filled with heartbreak and pain. This podcast, COVID and the Church, will explore the results of this landmark study published online in a 111-page report. Read the full report, for free, by visiting churchsalary.com/covidstudy. In this first episode, host Aaron Hill (editor of ChurchSalary) sits down with two of the key architects of this study from the Arbor Research Group, Terry Linhart and Jon Swanson, to unpack what actually happened to the church during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why talk about this now? And what nine themes or common experiences did every single pastor and congregation in the US navigate during the pandemic? Hosted by Aaron Hill, editor of ChurchSalary "COVID and the Church" is produced in conjunction with the Arbor Research Group and funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., through a grant from the Economic Challenges Facing Pastoral Leaders (ECFPL) initiative. Executive produced by Aaron Hill, Terry Linhart, and Matt Stevens Director for CT Media is Matt Stevens Audio Engineering, Editor, and Composer is Tyler Bradford Wright Artwork by Ryan Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    38 mins

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