The Post-Quarantine Church: Six Urgent Challenges and Opportunities That Will Determine the Future of Your Congregation by Thom S. Rainer

The Post-Quarantine Church: Six Urgent Challenges and Opportunities That Will Determine the Future of Your Congregation Reviews

• 
  Scott Poirier

  Unlike a lot of books in this genre, The Post-Quarantine Church didn't waste a lot of space, which I appreciated. Unfortunately I found the six challenges to be kind of 'meh.' If you are in church leadership and hadn't been thinking about these things already, I don't know what you were doing for the past 7 or so months. Although, I thought the last chapter was excellent, as it spoke of the mindset that leaders (of all industries, I would say) are going to need to have going forward. Projecting 5 years out is gone for the time being, we are going to have to be ready to adjust quickly to our circumstances. Overall, this was not a bad read, just not as revelatory as I had hoped.
• 
  Nathan

  Helpful in parts, especially the emphasis on neighbourhood churches and thinking through ways to connect with, serve and pray for the local community.
  
  Definitely tied tightly to an American context and for churches with their own building. Felt he overplayed the magnitude of the changes faced by churches in the post-pandemic world.
  
  Useful read, provocative in parts, but could have been 2-3 blog posts rather than a book.
• 
  Colin

  Timely and straighforward, this is a great book to assist pastors in thinking about the future of their churches, their vision, expectations, plans and programmes.
  
  Rainer’s tone is one of Christian consultant, someone whose energies are spent on observation, consultation, analysis and recommendation. His priorities are stated clearly - the church of the first century existed, in obedience to Jesus, to go into all the world and, by the God-ordained means Word and prayer, to build Christ’s church. That priority, Rainer asserts, remains.
  
  However the pandemic has put a bomb under church practice and this book is a helpful mix of question, answer, observation and recommendation. Rainer doesn’t provide a Silver Bullet way forward for church leaders, rather he probes fresh ways we might respond, how the future might be a more focussed version of New Testament Christian community and gives examples of ways churches are responding to the post-pandemic epoch.
  
  The author is clear - “back to normal” is not an option. He calls for creative, faithful reflection, clear communication, courageous innovation, wise consolidation, humble re-orientation (not everything will work, we need to be nimble) and Rainer pushes us to think about the digital realm as a way of making genuine missional and pastoral connections with real people.
  
  There are lots of great insights, helpful ideas, timely exhortations and a refreshing sense of strategic level-headedness in Rainer’s short book. Read it, pastors. You’ll be done in a couple of hours max and the benefits may last a VERY long time for you and for your congregation. Whether you love this book or not, it’s gift will be critical time spent pondering the why and the what and the how and the where to of church leadership and Christian ministry in a season of profound generational change.
• 
  Lauren

  completion note: On the whole, it gets bogged down with problematic seeker-sensitive ecclesiology, to the point where I wouldn't really recommend it to people despite there being some really good sections interspersed throughout.
  
  ★★★☆☆ | 3.00 stars | RTC
• 
  Shaun Stevenson

  It's no secret that 2020 has been a difficult year in many ways. One way 2020 has impacted the world has taken place in our churches. As a Children's Pastor, I've seen the way that COVID-19 has specifically affected kids: delaying crucial social developmental steps, creating distance between families and friends, and introducing a low-simmering trauma into their lives. That's not even to mention the kids who have gotten sick from COVID-19, and even those who have died. This has been a tough year all the way around.
  
  In the midst of 2020, Thom S. Rainer brought us The Post-Quarantine Church. This short book is trim and packed with thoughts, reflections, and steps forward for the church (specifically in the United States) as it seeks to look at what comes next. Rainer focuses on six different challenges for the church including: what it means to gather now, the impact of the digital world on the church, the local community and its connection with the church, prayer, facilities, and the business of fast-paced change during this season.
  
  Part of the downfall of this book is that even though it was released in September 2020, some of the language sounds as though Rainer thought the quarantine and perhaps even the pandemic might have been completed by that time. He often uses "While we were in quarantine..." types of sentences, when the reality is that even as of the writing of this review in December 2020, many places across the world are still in a quarantine mode or even returning to their homes due to the rise in cases in many areas across the globe. However, if one you can set this aside, you'll be able to see some very helpful advice, thoughts, and questions that certainly lead to self- and church-reflection.
  
  Perhaps one of the most important chapters here is the chapter on managing change during this season. Even in my own ministry, we have had to pivot multiple times as we moved from in-person services to online services back in March 2020 and then in April 2020 talked about drive-in services, and then in July 2020 moved to in person services with social distancing and masks in place, and then navigated the space issues, quarantined volunteers and staff, and continuing digital presence for families at home Sundays and Wednesdays. Rainer lays out the fact that this is a time of fast-paced change as information constantly comes at us, as we navigate the difficulties of all the feelings and theories surrounding the pandemic, and even what moving forward in the short term looks like.
  
  Also relevant for many here is the literal instant expansion of online ministry that has taken place in 2020. Children's ministries around the world suddenly adapted to a new online format they had never used before. Even as some churches returned to in-person services, figuring out ways to do online content for families at home has been challenging in the Children's ministry realm. It is much more difficult to livestream an in-person kid's service with kids present due to seeking to protect the privacy of kids in relation to the internet. This has brought double work to many Children's Pastors seeking to create online and in-person content each week.
  
  I wish Rainer had looked at Children's and Youth Ministry in particular within the church as those two have had to create many new ways of doing ministry during 2020 in order to accommodate social distancing and in some places capacity guidelines. Rainer is certainly focused here on lead pastors and the church as a whole rather than zeroing in on any specific types of ministry.
  
  All said, this is certainly a helpful book and a very quick read. If you're in ministry at a church and still struggling with how to move forward into 2021, this is worth a read.
• 
  Garrett Marshall

  While the book uses the pandemic as a springboard, it really didn't need too. To me, the main message of the book was that its time for your church to look outward, instead of inward. This is a great message, and one many churches could take more seriously. Rainer basically uses the pandemic as a way to say, "Don't let a good crisis go to waste!" meaning, while your members are already adjusting to all these new things, why not change these things as well? Maybe he is right, that the pandemic can ultimately be used as a great excuse to change your church's outlook, but if you are looking for a comprehensive guide to navigate post-quarantine, you might be disappointed.
  
  The good news is, that since it is not a comprehensive guide, it is quite a small little book, and an easy read for those who are not bookworms. All that to say, its a good book to recommend to friends, even those that don't read much.
• 
  Benjamin Murray

  Thom Rainer knows the ebbs and flows of church health. Do not purchase both Post Quarantine Church and Autopsy of a Deceased Church and think that you will be receiving a vastly different and new amount of information. Choose one of the 2, and go from there. The final 20 pages are full of good reminders and thinking points for folks in leadership at their churches. This book is worth reading, but do not purchase it alongside ADC with the hope of 2 building blocks. The 2 are highly overlapping in content.
• 
  Andrew Hadley

  Helpful but too long and repetitive. Main ideas could have been condensed into a long article or a booklet. Still worth reading. Take oppurtunity that Covid has brought. Don't return to normal too quickly assess what you are doing and why. Evaluate gifts in the church. Big focus on Neighbohood and community, considering them, praying for them and making connections. Another big focus was use of buidlings, in fact Ch.1 and 6 were almost the same chapter written twice on this issue.
• 
  Dave Betts

  A year after its release, The Post-Quarantine Church is already showing signs of age, which is to be expected in these rapidly changing and uncharted waters. However, there are some really helpful insights that still hold up. I finished the book inspired and excited about what we could use in our own setting.
  
  (If I could offer one constructive comment, I would have loved higher quality data to accompany an awful lot of anecdotal evidence. Given Rainer's context, it seems like a reasonable request.)
• 
  J.J.

  This felt very oriented to older congregations IMO.
• 
  Drew

  Some useful nuggets here, fine for a quick read.
• 
  Ricardo Rufino

  Não costumo tecer considerações públicas sobre as minhas leituras, mas neste caso tenho necessidade de abrir uma excepção.
  
  Gostei da leitura, e estive indeciso quanto à minha avaliação entre 3 ou 4 estrelas. Não é um livro de 5 estrelas, e daria 4 se não se tornasse repetitivo a partir de uma certa altura. É um bom livro como ponto de partida para a reflexão que deve ser feita quanto à igreja pós-quarentena e pós-pandemia.
  
  Recomendo a sua leitura aos líderes eclesiásticos, e que sirva de rastilho para boas e importantes reflexões.
• 
  John Dobbs

  I like Thom Rainer and the warmth he generates as he speaks and writes. He has managed to maintain a fairly contemporary outlook even though he has been a part of Southern Baptist ministry systems for decades. I admire that. I like that his sons are a part of his writing / podcasting ministry. So I do have high regard for Mr. Rainer. One of the first church growth seminars I attended was led by him, close to 30 years ago. I don't want you to read anything I write as a look down my nose at Thom Rainer.
  
  If you have not read a Thom Rainer book before (and if not, where have you been hiding?), you will be rewarded with a lot of fresh ideas and practical thoughts in this book.
  
  If you are a familiar reader and listener, you will recognize these ideas and perspectives. The good thing about that is that Mr. Rainer is consistent and he believes what he teaches and practices. But let's face it, anyone who is writing "post quarantine" or "post pandemic" or "post coronavirus" is shooting in the wind. We are not "post" anything. Some of the ideas presented here are impossible with states all RED with high coronavirus infection rates. But one day that won't be true, and those ideas will still be here. So, is he writing for the future even while admitting we can't see far into it? I don't know.
  
  But, there is encouragement here. And in Rainer's folksy way, he makes us feel better about not knowing exactly what to do next or how this is all going to turn out. If someone of his depth and wisdom doesn't know, then we can feel good about serving and reaching out as much as we can while we await the new cultural setting toward which we are racing.
  
  It's not a big book, and it's definitely worth reading. I feel sure another book is coming next year that will say, "Ok, now I see what we need to do." That's ok. One thing I've found is that I'm never sorry I've read a Thom Rainer book. (Well, except Autopsy of a Dead Church - very depressing, as it should be).
• 
  Heather

  I read this book as part of a training that I've been asked to take part in this coming weekend. It was an easy read and I found most of the thought questions at the ends of the chapters helpful. In fact, I found most of the information in the book helpful and thought provoking.
  
  The one thing that kind of... annoyed(? not sure that's really the word I want)... the author assumes that most congregations are struggling with growth because they've got this country-club attitude and don't really reach out to the community and that attitude is the biggest thing we need to let go as we move forward with church...
  
  The simplicity thing is actually the biggest problem in my church. We have meetings nearly every night for one committee or another. As we start going back to church... those meetings picked right back up. There are people in my church pushing for everything to "go back to normal" even as we're hearing how we need to be careful of variants. Those people are the ones that are going to fight change every step of the way.
  
  As to the problem of not reaching out to the community... again and again, the author asked how we could work together with government agencies to use our facilities, assuming that the church sits empty 6 days a week... My church might have been the oddball one, but we had a Head Start program using the church 5 days a week. We have a dance studio using the facilities 3-4 days a week. We have/had community organizations meeting at our church building nearly as often as we have/had small groups connected with the church meeting there. I'm not saying that we couldn't reach out to the community more - we definitely should, but... we're not an entirely inward focused congregation.
  
  One thing the author never really explained was multisite churches... He mentions it several times, but I'm not clear what that even is. That might be because I'm from a relatively small church, though.
• 
  Zak Schmoll

  I was not quite sure what to expect from this book. Given the author, I was expecting something on church leadership, but I thought that it might be a little bit more involved in the psychology of how churches adopt to what will be probably some form of "new normal" (I hate that phrase, but it seems to apply here). I thought that might be interesting and applicable to me.
  
  The book largely centers on facilities which I thought was a different perspective. How can we make use of our church spaces in a way that benefits the community? One of the side effects of this pandemic and our inability to travel to a variety of places is that many people have gotten more in touch with their communities. This causes the author to suggest that churches need to reclaim their former position as community hubs and get to know their geographical area.
  
  Another interesting emphasis of this book is on technology. There are dual temptations. Some churches, when this all is over, might neglect technology because it is no longer absolutely necessary for functioning. This would be a mistake because different technology has made a difference for people during this time, and it is kind of a new mission field. At the same time, other churches might conclude that digital is working so well they don't even need to worry about physical. That would also be a tragic mistake. The church is meant to meet in person.
  
  This is a very short book. You can read it in a few hours. I don't know that there is anything that is earth shattering, and it was not really what I was expecting when I picked it up. However, if you are in church leadership, I think you might find some value here. If you are like me and are not in church leadership, a lot of what he talks about might not necessarily apply to you, but it is still a thought-provoking book anyway.
• 
  Rob O'Lynn

  Deeply rooted in research (as has become standard with Rainer's work), this quickly digestible summary of said research presents a starting point for the local congregation that seeks to move forward in a post-pandemic world.
  
  If you are looking for specifics, such as what are the safe distances for worship leaders or how should you offer Communion, this is not that kind of book. If that is what you are looking for, you are better off following the blogs of Carey Nieuwhof, Ed Stetzer or even Thom Rainer.
  
  This book is big picture, telescoping all the way out in an attempt to just make sense of where we are in the moment. And Rainer holds to two truths in this work: 1) Everything has changed and we cannot go back, however 2) the Church will continue to adapt because God is leading it.
  
  As some have already noted, much of what Rainer notes is common sense, moves that we have already seen some early-adopters take. However, now, due to the urgency of the pandemic, church leaders must heed seriously these challenges. "Change or die" is no longer an idle threat; it is the clear and present reality. And this little book provides the talking points for the first conversations.
• 
  Eileen

  3.5 Stars
  
  This book was a selection of my church conference book club. It's a brief little book but how it was done in our book club; talking about and discussing one of the six chapters each week really made the book a foundation for our conversation and provoked a lot of questions and sharing of ideas.
  
  Rainer poses some interesting questions and because each of us was from a different church, in one of the many various communities in our conference, all with distinct congregational makeups, our experiences and approach to the pandemic have been different. The group became, as a result, a source of ideas and encouragement over the six weeks.
  
  Churches like other community focused organizations and businesses have had to make some quick decisions and radical changes during this pandemic to be able to continue serve their community and be a part of it. This little book helps to put some of what's happening into perspective so those involved see the opportunity to make successful changes and create a new vision.
• 
  David

  This book is Thom being Thom with ideas about leading in Covid written before Covid was even over. Personally I find much of Thom's writing and books lacking. This book probably should have just been a blog and a shorter one at that.
  
  It's funny reading this a year after it came out. The book really does not have great insight, or help. It is mostly filled with a couple questions and challenges that are apparent to any church leader. I find it frustrating that Thom has done all this consulting, but only has stories instead of numbers to share. There is no data, or larger analysis. Most of the advice comes down to "well one church did this and it was awesome!" That's about the most unhelpful advice I find as a pastor.
  
  Overall this book was premature and already dated by the time it came out. The other reviews I read seem to give you a clear picture of it. I will say that if you love Thom's writing and find him brilliant than you will probably enjoy it more than I did.
• 
  Timohty M Sewell

  This is a good book for a leadership team to read as they navigate the new world.
  
  
  
  Great summary of what to expect post pandemic.Some have complained this book is just a summary of what anyone can read in articles. That us true but Rainer provides a good summary as well as experience as he has talked to hundreds of churches during the pandamic. It is a short but thought provoking summary that will have you realize why you feel things are so different. Even if people are returning the pandemic has changed everything. You might not agree with all of his assessments but you will agree that things will never the same. This is a good book for a leadership team to read as they navigate the new world.
• 
  Mark Lickliter

  Has some helpful suggestions, but tends to overreact to this current situation which pretty much no one will remember 10 years from now.
  
  One such example: "We can't continue to do church the way we've always done it and expect Great Commission results." If we are obeying God's Word then yes we can! Also, I didn't know that we controlled the results! We can only be faithful and do what God asks and God will decide if He will grow and build his church. Pretty sure the gates of Hades won't prevail, so Covid is just an annoying gnat in the grand scheme of things.
  
  How each church decides to proceed during this current pandemic will vary. It would be prudent to seek wisdom from God's Word and direction from the Holy Spirit. God is always faithful. No pandemic will ever change that.
• 
  Ray

  This was a good book. I listened to the audiobook version. It was a little over 3 hours of audio. The first 3/4 of the book focuses on topics of gathering, digital ministry, connecting with the community, prayer, facilities. It doesn't give anything I would say is too applicable. I don't think that was his point. I think he really wants church leaders to think over these topics and he asks some good questions to think about in each. This is going to look different for each church depending on the local culture and demographics. Most will appreciate the last chapter because he does get into some application on these topics and the topic of change. I also appreciated his thoughts in the last chapter. Overall it is a good book, and it is worth reading if you are a church leader.
• 
  Chris

  Pretty good overall. Particularly their analysis of the church needing to shift with digital and cultural trends, AKA use the internet to reach ppl. This seems often ignored but it has potential to be such a powerful tool if used wisely. I have found this to be abundantly true in the last year.
  
  The best chapter is definitely the last, where they list the mindset of leaders who are navigating post quarantine ministry. It is a call to action and a call for those of us who aren’t leaders by name to support elders and help bring about unity and help people to get on the same page of the mission going forward.
• 
  Matt Mangum

  Interesting as a time capsule for how people were reacting in the immediate aftermath of Covid-19, but I'm not sure this will be helpful long term. Rainer seems rather uncritical of the various changes that came out of the pandemic and does not really evaluate them from an ecclesiological standpoint nor whether they will be wise in the long term.
  
  Some of this church growth stuff is very focused on how to keep up with change, but I can't help but feel that tendency is what makes evangelical Christian culture so outdated and transient. Yes change happens, but my feeling is that people are more often looking for stability and something lasting rather constant evolution.
• 
  Kirsten

  This short, well structured book was easy to listen to and at times thought provoking. There were some great takeaways, and I loved the questions at the end of each chapter (great for teams I suspect!). I think it might be too early to talk about the long term implications of the pandemic, and this book is definitely rooted in the American situation (which is not how the whole world is experiencing 2020, or church for that matter!). Even so it is a great prompt for leaders to think about how to respond and lead into the next season.
• 
  Jerod Starkey

  If you're a pastor and have had your ears and eyes open, you've probably experienced, seen, or at least talked to other pastors about what Rainer explains in most of this book.
  However, get to Challenge 6 and take some notes: the future of our congregations and churches isn't clear - but you can still lead well, adapt and accept the changes that are surely heading our way.
  Kudos to Rainer to getting something into the hands of pastors that helps those that need empirical evidence in order to move forward with their teams.
• 
  Jared Townley

  Think of this book as a mixture between observations about culture at large & in the local church, ways that COVID has changed both cultures, and thoughts/ideas for pastors/leaders to wrestle with as they move forward. At times, I couldn’t tell if he was writing about how churches that have fallen behind with the times need to become more like the forward focused churches or if the changes he proposed were because of COVID. Nevertheless, he raises many good questions that are worth discussing with leaders. Easy read.