How would you like a way to leverage the difficulties of this pandemic into something that could make a significant boost in discipleship and relationships in your congregation? 

Last month I wrote about the various technologies people are using to get through the pandemic. In this article I am offering a modest proposal for a way to have safe, in-person worship in small groups. Such groups can bridge the loneliness caused by isolation, with all its negative side effects. At the same times, as we already know, groups like this can forge stronger bonds of friendship and love between members, while increasing faith.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it probably is. This could just be another harebrained scheme, but I’m hoping that there’s something really valuable here. Have faith. Read on.

This pandemic has revealed our deep need for community. The urgency with which people ask, “When can we come back to in-person worship?” is palpable. The fact remains, however, large gatherings in crowds are an enemy to us, and a friend to the virus, which preys on the aged and infirm. A congregation-sized worship gathering of 100+ people is not the only way to do church. Throughout the centuries, Christian community has taken many forms. Some of those might be useful to us today. 

Long before there were church buildings, the early church met in small groups in homes, in cemeteries, and in cemeteries. As someone once quipped, “Jesus only had twelve, and apparently that was one too many.” In the first centuries of Christendom, a church was the number of people that could meet in a home. That could be one person or two dozen people. 50 would have been considered a very large church. It would have required a very large home, if everyone was going to meet together in the same room.

The small group movement has often pointed out that the congregation-sized church of 100-200 people is too large for intimacy, and too small for full-blown roaring-crowd celebration. 

Last week a retired pastor reached out to me. “How about social bubbles?” The pastor talked about the NBA bubble and Tyler Perry’s housing bubble for his production studio. Neighbors can create bubbles so their kids can play together. These families can even eat together. 

Then the topic came up with an active pastor. As this outbreak continues, many have not had communion for months. Quite a few are seeking the bonds of community. What would it require to do worship bubbles? A covenant perhaps: an agreement on how we will do to keep our families safe.  What size groups? How often would they meet? What would the “liturgy” look like? To make sure we were no barking up the wrong tree, I did some reading on social bubbles during a pandemic. There is plenty of information out there. See this summary of social bubbles.

What follows is the outline of a plan that would allow for a simple small-group weekly worship service, that could sustain us until the pandemic subsides. It would effectively resume weekly worship, but in a different way. Smaller services. Much smaller. Groups could have communion, maybe once a month at first, then maybe every other week, once a rhythm was established. These groups could stay in place after the pandemic, even when public, in-person worship resumes. 

We know that bubbles/cohorts/quaranteams work. If someone is infected but not yet showing symptoms, and she goes to church with 100 people, 100 people could potentially be exposes. If, on the other hand, she attends a small group with 10 people, only nine others have potentially been exposed. 

Definitions

Bubble Church: A model for having several small worship services happening on the weekend or during the week.

Bubble Church Coordinator. Oversees the organization of the program.

Bubble: A group of 12 people or so that meet weekly for church.

Bubble Leader: The leader of the weekly Bubble, who participates in the monthly huddle. 

Huddle: A monthly gathering of Bubble Leaders, led by the BC Coordinator.

Pastor: Supports the BC Coordinator, and oversees Word and Sacrament ministry.

The Plan

  1. Livestream of worship continues for the homebound and those who cannot participate in group due to age or pre-existing conditions. 
  2. The pastor or deacon appoints a BC Coordinator, who recruits and trains the Leaders and leads the monthly BC huddles. The pastor meets with the BC Coordinator for advice and support. The pastor needs to stay involved, but the BC Coordinator handles the details.
  3. Start with one Bubble the first month. The Coordinator recruits a Leader for that Bubble. Consider choosing the first group yourself. Choose people who could become Leaders for the next Bubbles. (Later, groups will self-form voluntarily). 
  4. Learn from the first group, then try launching several at a time. Ask those in the first group who show potential to be group leaders for the next wave of groups. Build slow and strong. Form a coalition of the willing. 
  5. Anyone can form a Bubble. All it takes to form a Bubble is a Leader. Train leaders by talking them through the model. The Huddles will provide ongoing training and support.
  6. Ask Leaders to read Sticky Church, by Larry Osborne. Discuss a chapter each mont at the Huddle.
  7. Each leader recruits his or her group, from church members or non-members. Friends, neighbors and coworkers are welcome. 
  8. The BC Coordinator leads the monthly Huddle. The Huddle lasts 45 minutes. The purpose is to pray with and support the Leaders in whatever they are encountering. Provide time for them to check in on how it’s going. Brainstorm solutions together. People are people, so expect bumps in the road. 
  9. Bubbles are populated voluntarily. Some will join by geography, some by affinity, some by age, some by the ages and friendships of their kids. Having friends for your kids to play with may be just the thing to keep you sane. The leader recruits whoever is willing to be a part, and abide by the covenant. 
  10. The BC Coordinator and Pastor should consider who is not present, and could use an invitation to a Bubble.
  11. The Bubble meets the first time online, by video conference, to discuss the arrangement, meeting time, and covenant. 
  12. Everyone signs the group covenant, which has some required elements, but can also have additional elements created by the group. Here some ideas for the Covenant. Required items could have asterisks. Other items could be optional. The group can create any agreements they wish. If one cannot abide by the agreement, a social bubble may not be for you:

Sample Covenant

We covenant to meet weekly together for the next six weeks. For prayer, Scripture and fellowship. 

  1. Our optimal Bubble size is 8-12. If we grow to 16, we will subdivide into two groups. 
  2. *When we are not in the Bubble, out in public we agree to wear masks while indoors.
  3. *When we are not in the Bubble, out in public we agree to observe six feet of social distance.
  4. *If anyone in the Bubble ends up in a risky situation, or uses public transportation (train, bus, plane) that person will step back from the Bubble for two weeks.
  5. *If anyone in the Bubble has symptoms that person will not attend.
  6. *If anyone tests positive sick the Bubble will not meet for two weeks.
  7. If everyone abides by the above items when outside the group, masks and social distancing will not be needed inside the group.
  8. Will we use the order of service below?
  9. How will we agree to treat one another?
  10. Will we share a meal? 
  11. How often will we meet? (Every week or every other week?) What day and time? Where will we meet?
  12. *We will continue to participate in Sunday morning worship online. 

13. Meeting times are not published. Walk-ins are not allowed until they have had time to read the covenant and agree to it.
14. Groups can meet any day of the week, anytime, anywhere. If groups meet in at the church building, rooms can be set up for this purpose, with chairs in a circle and perhaps a small altar for communion. They likely won’t meet in the worship space for several reasons: The worship space is set up for livestream. It is too big. Many worship spaces have fixed seating facing forward, unconducive to small group discussion. If several groups are meeting at the church at the same time, different entrances will be used, to keep groups apart. 
15. The order of service can be simple. You can pick up some hymnals at the church, and pray the service straight out of the hymnal. See some other orders of service below. Feel free to alternate orders. 
16. We don’t recommend singing at this time.
17. People may choose to bring food and share a meal together. 
18. If small children are present, participants may rotate weekly in tending to children. 
19. Still livestream worship for the sick, aged, infirm, and those in quarantine

Sample Order of Service Based on FAITH5

  1. Light a candle.
  2. Opening: Litany of Confession.
  3. FAITH5
    • SHARE: Everyone shares a high and a low. 
    • READ: One of the Bible passages appointed for that week is read aloud. Reading is shared. Participants follow along in their own Bibles.
    • TALK: The group discusses the Bible passage. How does it speak to your highs and lows? 
    • PRAY: Pray for one another’s highs and lows. Pray for all in need.
    • BLESS: People bless one another by making the sign of the cross on the forehead, and say, “May God bless you and keep you.”
  4. Peace: Offer one another peace, and text someone you haven’t talked to a while.
  5. Offering: Take time to text your offering or write a check to mail.
  6. The Lord’s Prayer: Pray together the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.
  7. Dismissal: Close with a sending. Leader: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Group: Thanks be to God!
  8. The candle is extinguished.

Sample Order of Service with a 50/40/10 Prerecorded Sermon

  1. Light a candle.
  2. Welcome: Let everyone check in. How are you doing?
  3. Opening: Litany of Confession.
  4. Read the appointed lessons for the day.
  5. Play 50/40/10 Sermon
  6. Prayer: Pray together, either by having one person take everyone’s prayer requests and gathering them together in one prayer, or by inviting everyone to pray their requests. 
  7. Peace: Offer one another peace, and text someone you haven’t talked to a while.
  8. Offering: Take time to text your offering or write a check to mail.
  9. The Lord’s Prayer: Pray together the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.
  10. Blessing: People bless one another by making the sign of the cross on the forehead and saying, “May God bless you and keep you.”
  11. Dismissal: Close with a sending. Leader: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Group: Thanks be to God!
  12. The candle is extinguished.

Sample Order of Service with Lectio Divina

  1. Light a candle.
  2. Welcome: Let everyone check in. How are you doing?
  3. Opening: Litany of Confession.
  4. Lectio Divina:
    • Invite people to mediate on the Gospel reading, considering a word or phrase that jumps out to them. Invite someone to the Gospel lesson for the day. After a time of silent mediation on the text, invite people to share the word or phrase that jumped out to them.
    • Invite people this time to summarize what the text is saying. Invite someone else to read. After a time of silence invite people to share their thoughts about the what the text is saying.
    • Finally, invite people to consider, if we take this text seriously, what would it mean for how I live this week? Have a third person read the text. After a time of silence, invite people to share their thoughts.
  5. Prayer: Pray together, either by having one person take everyone’s prayer requests and gathering them together in one prayer, or by inviting everyone to pray their requests. 
  6. Peace: Offer one another peace, and text someone you haven’t talked to a while.
  7. Offering: Take time to text your offering or write a check to mail.
  8. The Lord’s Prayer: Pray together the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.
  9. Blessing: People bless one another by making the sign of the cross on the forehead and saying, “May God bless you and keep you.”
  10. Dismissal: Close with a sending. Leader: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Group: Thanks be to God!
  11. The candle is extinguished.

Order of Service when the Pastor is present

  1. Light a candle.
  2. Welcome: Let everyone check in. How are you doing?
  3. Opening: Litany of Confession.
  4. Read the appointed lessons for the day.
  5. The pastor may have a sermon, or may lead a discussion of the text using one of the forms above. 
  6. Prayer: Pray together, either by having one person take everyone’s prayer requests and gathering them together in one prayer, or by inviting everyone to pray their requests. 
  7. Peace: Offer one another peace, and text someone you haven’t talked to a while.
  8. Offering: Take time to text your offering or write a check to mail. 
  9. Communion: The Pastor leads the Eucharistic Prayer with the Lord’s Prayer, and distributes communion. 
  10. Blessing: The pastor blesses the people with the Benediction.
  11. Dismissal: Pastor: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Group: Thanks be to God!
  12. The candle is extinguished. 

This plan has some advantages over a larger congregational worship model. People have a chance to build relationships by reflecting together on faith and life. When people share their lives with one another, bonds are built. 

You can have Bubbles send in attendance if you wish. BC Leaders would report attendance to the BC Coordinator at the monthly huddle. This could be a time-consuming task, so decide if it’s worth it. It might also help you track the success of the program. Record attendance under Sunday school or Christian education for now. Track it separately from Sunday morning in-person worship, and Sunday morning online worship. These are three different things. Good to know what’s what. 

Now, you say, this could run the wheels off of a pastor. Yes it could. Here’s how to not do that.  

  • Be sure to recruit a Bubble Church Coordinator, and let that person handle all logistics.
  • The pastor does not need to, and should not attend every group. The pastor should cycle through the Bubbles once a month, bringing and presiding over communion when present.
  • These groups will absorb an enormous amount of care concerns, alleviating the pastoral care load. 
  • Many pastors and deacons have said most of the stress is coming from the pressure to resume in-person worship. Be sure leaders agree that this is an alternative to that for the time being. Get Council buy-in.
  • This plan may be more difficult for pastors in the very large church. A solution is less frequent communion, so the pastor doesn’t get overloaded visiting groups. 

If you choose to go with this Bubble Church model, and need to talk it through, please don’t hesitate to call me. If congregations try it out, we will post about how it’s going, and can create a support system for to provide resources and encouragement for coordinators.