I’m a long-term planner at heart. I’ve got my five-year-plan, my yearly plan, my weekly plan – you get the picture. (Y’all, I finished planning Christmas Eve 2020 on the night of Christmas Eve 2019 because I couldn’t sleep!)
No surprise, the ongoing uncertainty around worship services has thrown a wrench in my usual process. Normally this time of year, I’d be planning the coming program year, but right now? I’m not quite sure what I’m doing in two weeks, much less in two months or ten months!
And here’s the kicker: I’m having a baby this summer. All those nicely laid plans for a tidy little maternity leave? Ha. ha. ha.
I’m guessing I’m not alone in trying to figure out what to do. How can we best prepare without quite knowing what we’re planning for?
Here are the two strategies I’m using to find solid ground. I hope they’ll be helpful for you too!
What’s the Easiest Plan to Reverse-Engineer?
First, what’s the easiest plan to reverse-engineer? I’m taking inspiration from several professor friends who’ve noted that it’s much easier for them to turn an online class into an in-person one, than to do the opposite.
In my case, the easier way to reverse engineer is actually to plan in-person worship like I normally would. I know that we won’t be having typical in-person worship, but as I plan those services, I can identify the elements each week that would transition online.
For example, the choir typically sings about four pieces each week during the program year, but would only do one virtual choir recording for an online service. So, I need to plan about one anthem each week that could transition into an online service.
Where’s the starting point for you? Think through your options to see if you can find ones that can more easily transition into other kinds of services.
Make an If-Then Flowchart
Second, make an if-then flowchart. While the possibilities seem endless (and not in a good way), they aren’t actually endless. In my case, I’m only working with three general possibilities: pre-recorded online services; online services with modified in-person services (e.g. smaller, without sung music etc.); or modified in-person services that are also live-streamed.
So to make an if-then flowchart, I’m thinking about each possibility. What would I plan for all pre-recorded services? How would I modify in-person services if they are live-streamed and if they aren’t?
Making plans for all these possibilities is a lot more work than we’d usually do. But if you’re a planner like me, it might be just what you need to navigate the uncertainty.
