The high price of COVID we may not see coming

 COVID has taken a high toll.

People have died.

Others will have long term health consequences.

Businesses have gone under.

Mental health conditions have been exasperated.

Relationships have been strained.

Really, what I post about below may seem somewhat minor compared to the above. In many ways it is.

Nonetheless, the more I think about the cost of COVID on churches, youth ministries and schools, I suspect there is a hidden obstacle just waiting to emerge.

The loss of routine.

People are now used to not attending church services.

Teens are now used to not going to youth group.

Students are now used to not applying themselves at school.

So, attending church will become increasingly optional.

Teens will be more comfortable skipping youth group.

Students will struggle to work in the same way they did two short years ago.

All because of the break in routine.

How will it be overcome?

I’m not sure.

Do we just lower expectations for a while?

Do we just proceed in exactly the same way we did pre-COVID?

Do we employ incentives to draw people back to churches and schools?

For a while, I fear, the hangover from COVID will linger until we find the right balance while routines are re-established. 

But, what do we do with the large chunk of people who never reconnect in the same way?