ReImagining the Beloved Community
@breyeschow | | #APCE2021

● Pastor for the past 25 years:
planter, interim, called, and
Moderator of 218th GA.

● Pastor for the past 25 years:
planter, interim, called, and
Moderator of 218th GA.
● Pastor, First Presbyterian
Church of Palo Alto (80%)

● Pastor for the past 25 years:
planter, interim, called, and
Moderator of 218th GA.
● Pastor, First Presbyterian
Church of Palo Alto (80%)

● Pastor for the past 25 years:
planter, interim, called, and
Moderator of 218th GA.
● Pastor First Presbyterian
Church of Palo Alto (80%)
● Consultant/Coach/Speaker:
planting, tech, leadership,
Gallup CliftonStrengths

● Pastor for the past 25 years:
planter, interim, called, and
Moderator of 218th GA.
● Pastor First Presbyterian
Church of Palo Alto (80%)
● Consultant/Coach/Speaker:
planting, tech, leadership,
Gallup CliftonStrengths
● Decade+ of online ministry

● Pastor for the past 25 years:
planter, interim, called, and
Moderator of 218th GA.
● Pastor First Presbyterian
Church of Palo Alto (80%)
● Consultant/Coach/Speaker:
planting, tech, leadership,
Gallup CliftonStrengths
● Decade+ of online ministry
● Almost empty-nested.

● Pastor for the past 25 years:
planter, interim, called, and
Moderator of 218th GA.
● Pastor First Presbyterian
Church of Palo Alto (80%)
● Consultant/Coach/Speaker:
planting, tech, leadership,
Gallup CliftonStrengths
● Decade+ of online ministry
● Almost empty-nested.

Todays Slides
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Questions and Response
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@breyeschow on all the things

I / From Enduring to Embracing:
This COVID19 Pastoral
Leadership Journey
II / Our Post-Pandemic Life:
Discerning options for our
communal life together.
III / From “Here” to “Hybrid:”
Practices and postures for
expanding the table.
Question and Response Time

A Generous and Expanded Table
ASSOCIATION OF PRESBYERIAN CHURCH EDUCATORS |
@breyescchow | #APCE2021

Pandemic.
Racial reckoning.
Political upheaval.
Personal loss.
Communal journey.

Immediate action!
Deep care and concern for the
people we serve.
Trying any and all things
whether or not folks asked for
them or not.
We manage the heck out of this!
Grace, patience, and
understanding abound.

We overfunction.
Get overextended.
Feel overwhelm.
Try not to panic.
We Crash.
We commit to self-care.
REPEAT

Deeply embrace this time as a
real new normal.
Reflection on how you have
modeled adaptive leadership
and practices.
Begin to reimagine and dream
about the future.

What keeps you grounded?
How are you feeling today?
How is your community doing?
@breyeschow | #APCE2021

A Generous and Expanded Table
ASSOCIATION OF PRESBYERIAN CHURCH EDUCATORS |
@breyescchow | #APCE2021

“Once online community is no longer
the only option for you and your
congregation, will have the
willingness, energy, and capacity to
birth, curate, nurture, and sustain a
long-term digital space?”
or more succinctly put, “What now?”

How congregations meet for
committee meetings and other
small gatherings will be forever
changed, but the desire for
worship to return to “what it was
before” is strong.
“Church” is more than worship,
but worship is still central to
most congregations.

Worship is not a competition,
numbers are only a
measurement, and engagement
will be evaluated differently in
every space.
There is a spectrum of options,
context matters, and leadership
must assess and translate for
their particular spaces.

Expanding the table in a digital
age (Hybrid Worship) requires
much more energy and resources
than may be assumed, so we
must all enter this time of
dreaming and discerning with
cautious optimism and deep
personal and communal
reflection.

We have stood behind physical,
wooden tables and spoken
metaphorically about the expansive
nature of the Body of Christ. We now
have the opportunity to act, live, and
love as if we believe this to be true.
The Reimagined Table.

● In-Person Only
● Zoom/Remote Only
● Streaming
● In-Person and Zoom
● Hybrid

IN-PERSON ONLY
What most churches
did before the
pandemic, only
meeting in person at a
geographic location.
Why Yes?
“We get to see one
another
face-to-face again!”
Why Not?
“Because I do not
live in the area, I
won’t be able to
worship with you
anymore.”

REMOTE ONLY
Worship on Zoom,
Meet, etc.: a remote,
interactive, and
in-the-moment online
worship experience.
Why Yes?
“Yes, my kids, my
mother, and I can
still worship
together.”
Why Not?
“It’s been hard not
to see people every
Sunday and I will
miss that.”

TWO SERVICES
Two completely
separate services,
each able to focus
on and leverage its
own unique setting.
Why Yes?
“We already do
both services really
well, so this will give
us a chance to
reach more people.”
Why Not?
“But I want to be
able to get to know
everyone.”

STREAMING
Sanctuary centered
where remote
participants watch
others worship. Some
online interaction.
Why Yes?
“Wow, so many
more people are
watching.” and “I get
to watch worship
whenever I want to.”
Why Not?
“I miss being able to
interact with
everyone else at
worship.”

HYBRID
In-person or remote,
a service where
people have
essentially the same
worship experience.
Why Yes?
“We are all still
around the same
table!”
Why Not?
“Whoa, this is a ton
of work.” “How will
we create a space
where everyone has
essentially the
same experience?

● In-Person Only
● Zoom/Remote Only
● Streaming
● In-Person and Zoom
● Hybrid

Congregational desire?
Opportunities and Gains?
Obstacles and Losses?
Congregational/Staff capacity?
Technological/Resource needs?
Most faithful decision for the
future of the community.

https://bit.ly/BRCHybridWorshi
pProcess

● Initial reactions?
● Congregational desire?
● Congregational capacity?
● Where is the Spirit leading?
@breyeschow | #APCE2021

A Generous and Expanded Table
ASSOCIATION OF PRESBYERIAN CHURCH EDUCATORS |
@breyescchow | #APCE2021

REIMAGINING OVER
REPLICATION
Take advantage of
the platform to
enhance the
worship experience.
Question?
If you changed
sanctuary seating from
pews to chairs what
would change?
How does your space
impact how you
worship in person or
online?

● Embrace accessibility to and
possibilities for connection.
● What is central and what is
not: communion, offering...
● Simplified bulletin.
● Increased use of visual and
video content.
● Reconfigure physical space.
● Think DJ and Curator.

DECENTERING OF
GEOGRAPHIC PLACE
Place is defined by
theological, cultural
expression, and
beliefs.
Question?
How do you talk about
the “space” in which
you gather? Do you
infer that digital space
is not as “real” as the
physical one or simply
another place where
you happen to gather
in community?

● Resist the desire and inertia
to make the physical location
the ideal experience.
● Worship leadership should
come from various locations.
● Language: “space,” land
acknowledgement, local
flavor, global reach.

INVITATION TO
LEADERSHIP
Engagement and
participation open up
when geographic
boundaries are let go.
Question?
Are there recent grads,
relocated seniors, or
new connections are
showing a desire to
become more
engaged and
connected to the
communty?

● Value voices of remote and
new voices.
● Engage what it means to be a
“member” if remote.
● Invite remote people to
service on committees,
ministry teams, etc.
● Expand teams: Tech
Deacons, onsite, etc.

ENGAGEMENT OF
THE COMMUNITY
Connect by
theology and/or
geography creating
community.
Question
Can you create
enough community
connection points
where having
someone solely
in-person will cause
pause because some
may be left out.

● Create, invite, and support
such a lived and loving
community, that when you
begin conversations about
this new “space,” people have
no choice but to yearn to
include those who are gather
from other spaces.

● Measure/Track emgagement.
● Honor affinities: lifestages,
curiosities, and locations.
● Curate diverse spaces:
online, in-person, hybrid.
● Create intimate interactions.
● Create opportunities for
casual interactions.
● Leverage this time to play.
● Explore emerging and
diverse gathering platforms.

TECHNOLOGICAL
CAPACITY
Determine realistic
ability to embrace
the technological
learning curve.
Question?
More than zoom, do
you have the staffing
or lay capacity to
handle streaming,
video, Customer
Relations Management
(CRM), and other tech
needs?

● Equipment
● Staff
● Training
● Stretch
● Practice
Budget clear time expectations
are indicators of commitment.

Slides
www.slideshare.net/breyeschow
Hybrid Process and Survey
bit.ly/BRCHybridWorshipProcess
Zoom Faith on Facebook
facebook.com/groups/zoomfaith
BRC Contact
@breyeschow on all the things
breyeschow@gmail.com