Redevelopment in the time of COVID

Redevelopment — facilitating membership and activity at established churches — is challenging in the best of times, much less during a global pandemic. As a pastoral intern in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2021, Brandy Schneck ’23 found purpose and success revitalizing a community of faith at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.

“When my supervisor, Pastor Matt Powell, got there in 2018, they had 18 members. When COVID happened, they had 50,” explained Schneck, who is working on her Master of Divinity. “When I arrived, the goal was to maintain the members they had and make everyone feel part of the worship service, even though they weren’t all there in person.”

The congregation had discussed preliminary plans to make hybrid worship more interactive before Schneck’s arrival.

“Pastor Matt said, ‘We’re going to work on this, figure out all the plans, and we’ll have it running halfway through your internship,’” she recalled. “Then two days later he said,

‘Actually the congregation wants to do it right now.’ So, we got the cameras and started.”

Holy Cross became the first church in the Rocky Mountain Synod with a fully hybrid Sunday service.

“We had people in the congregation and on Zoom, but it wasn’t just like watching on Facebook or YouTube.  Everyone was actually part of the service,” Schneck explained.

Schneck also led a weekly Bible study on Zoom that proved popular not only with Holy Cross members but other local churches.

“The Sunday service was important, but it was just as important for the congregation to be involved with the community and other ministries throughout the week,” she said.

Post-graduation, Schneck plans to continue working in redevelopment wherever she is needed, and she feels well prepared by her experience at Holy Cross.

“I take confidence from solving those challenges, and I also find so much hope from seeing how valuable relationships can still happen, even if we’re not in person together.”