Coronavirus and Social Distancing Resources
This list of carefully curated content will be updated as often as necessary to make sure you have the most current resources available. Please bookmark this page and check back regularly.
Horizons Stewardship is praying and standing with you in this season of social distancing. Our goal is to provide you with practical ideas and updates to help you lead well during this crisis. The church building may be closed, but the church is alive, well, and on the move.
If you want to stay up to date on FREE church resources that will equip you to lead strong during this time, please sign up for a FREE Giving365 account. When you do, you’ll get access to an on-demand library of church resources designed to help you make disciples and fund ministry. Subscribers will also receive our special “The Generosity Advantage” series that is full of practical ministry ideas, webinars, eBooks, and other materials designed to help you know how to manage through this unprecedented time of ministry.
A Library of Ministry Links Carefully Curated to Help You Minister Today
Paycheck Protection Loan Program Information
From Horizons
The Generosity Advantage (previously known as Resilient Leadership) Email Series Editions
- September 9 - Update #27 - Seven Challenges to Funding Ministry in 2021
- August 26 - Update #26 - Funding Ministry in 2021 Will Be More Difficult than Ever
- August 12 - Update #25 - Pastor Spotlight: Tithes and Offerings Won’t Be Enough
- July 29 - Update #24 - 5 Troubling Trends in Church Giving, PPP Loan Forgiveness, and Lake Institute Research
- July 16 - Update #23 - Churches Report Increased Giving, Lake Institute COVID-19 Survey
- July 1 - Update #22 - PPP Status Update and How Churches Eliminated Debt to Do More Ministry
- June 23 - Update #21 - Ready for you - New Website and Giving365 Experience Now Available
- June 11 - Update #20 - [Case Study] Three Churches Use Debt Campaign to Fund More Ministry
- June 3 - Update #19 - [Webinar] Ministry Funding and Financial Strategies to Help You Thrive
- May 28 - Update #18 - PPP Loan Forgiveness, Free Pastor Resource, and Managing Cash Flow
- May 20 - Update #17 - Seven Shifts that will Define the Church’s Future
- May 18 - Update #16 - SPECIAL EDITION - SBA Publishes PPP Loan Forgiveness Application!
- May 13 - Update #15 - [New] Pastor Spotlight, Future Church Webinar, Free eBook, PPP Loan Forgiveness
- May 5 - Update #14 - Moving from PPP Loan Funding to Forgiveness
- May 1 - Update #13 - A New But Different Normal
- April 30 - Update #12 - SPECIAL EDITION - New Guidance from the SBA on PPP Loan Forgiveness
- April 23 - Update #11 - Pastor Credits Recurring Giving for Fully Funded Ministry During Social Distancing
- April 21 - Update #10 - Special PPP Loan Edition
- April 14 - Update #9 - Three Vital Areas to Invest Your Time to Grow Ministry Funding
- April 7 - Update #8 - Leading Through COVID-19 and Easter Sunday
- April 1 - Update #7 - Act Now to Take Advantage of the Payroll Protection Loan Program
- March 31 - Update #6 - SPECIAL EDITION - Major SBA Press Release on the Payroll Protection Loan Program for Churches
- March 31 - Update #5 - EXPERT INTERVIEW – Your Church’s Next Steps to Secure a CARES Act Loan
- March 27 - Update #4 - The CARES Act Special Edition
- March 26 - Update #3 - Free Webinars to Help You Lead During Coronavirus
- March 24 - Update #2 - Church Giving, Coronavirus, and Social Distancing
- March 20 - Update #1 - The Only Response in Times of Fear and Uncertainty
Public Health
Around the Web
- One in Three Practicing Christians Has Stopped Attending Church During COVID-19 (Barna)
- The Unstuck Church Report: Benchmarks + Trends in U.S. Churches (The Unstuck Group)
- Optimism Outweighs Uncertainty Report (ECFA)
- National Study on Congregations’ Economic Practices (Lake Institute)
- 5 Reasons Why Some Churches Won’t Recover (Carry Nieuwhof)
- Church Financial Health Index (CapinCrouse)
- What Church Leaders Are (Really) Thinking in 2020 (CareyNieuwhof.com)
- 4 Leadership Reminders for Pastors as Church Re-Openings Begin (The Unstuck Group)
- ‘Things Will Never Be the Same.’ How the Pandemic Changed Worship (NPR)
- Guide for Christian Funerals During COVID-19 (Massachusetts Council of Churches)
- 8 Ways to Lead in The New Digital Default Church (CareyNieuwhof.com)
- How Churches are Positioning for the Future (The Unstuck Group)
- Safe Sanctuaries: Supporting a Shift to Online Youth Ministry Meetings(UMC Discipleship)
- Moving Forward (The Unstuck Group)
- Why Your Church Outreach Needs a Digital Strategy (Outreach.com)
- Do Americans Replace Traditional Church with Digital Faith Experiences?(Barna)
- Faith and Giving in the Time of Covid-19 (Lilly Family School of Philanthropy)
- The Road to Re-Opening the UMC webinars (The Woodlands UMC)
- Resuming Care-filled Worship and Sacramental Life (Mark Stamm, Professor of Christian Worship at Perkin’s-SMU)
- COVID-19 Church Resources (Acts 19)
- What Relaunching the Church Might Look Like Over the Next 3-12 Months (Christianity Today)
- 3 Things to Consider When Regathering the Church (ECFA)
- COVID-19 and Church Giving: How Does Your Church Compare? (CapinCrouse)
- 5 Great Facebook Live Tips for Churches (ChurchTechToday.com)
- Authenticity Trumps Excellence (Tim Stevens, LeadingSmart)
- How Churches are Responding to the Coronavirus Crisis (The Unstuck Group)
- When Your Church Opens, Here’s How to Meet Safely (Christianity Today)
- The Ultimate Coronavirus Guide for Churches (Church Marketing University)
- Thinking About Reopening Church – In the Age of Coronavirus (ChurchWork)
- Are You Ready for Hybrid Online/In-Person Worship? (PCUSA)
- COVID-19 Young Adult Ministry Guide (Catholic Diocese of Arlington)
- Caring for Souls in a New Reality (Barna)
- Domestic Violence, Mental Health Issues Heighten in Pandemic (UCC)
- 5 Rhythms of Online Ministry (Intervarsity)
- Reality Check: “I’m not seeing an end anytime soon.” (Tonymorganlive.com)
- Online Host Training (Life Church)
- As Pandemic Persists, Churches and Insurance Companies Grapple with Risk (The Presbyterian Outlook)
- 6 Critical Questions for the Rural Church In An Age of Social Distancing (Christian Post)
- Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes (CDC)
- Before We Gather (Brotherhood Mutual)
- Churches Should Not Be the First to Reopen (Christianity Today)
- Churches Consider When—and How—to Resume In-Person Worship as Some States Force Issues (Episcopal News Service)
- Be the Church: Unique Ways You Can Serve Your Community During the Crisis (The Unstuck Group)
- Resource Center: Being the [Virtual] Church (Texas Methodist Foundation)
- Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (Johns Hopkins University)
- Resources for Community and Faith-Based Leaders (Centers for Disease Control)
- Overcoming Pandemic Communication Challenge (The Sharpe Group)
- [Example] Email to Church About Ministry Impact and Generosity (Calvary Assembly, Rochester, NY)
- Do Nonprofits (and Churches) Need to Rethink Sustainability? (Business Fights Poverty)
- Planned Giving Marketing during the Coronavirus: What history Tells Us (hint: Now is NOT the time to Stop!)(Sharpe Group)
- 4 Ways to Engage Major Donors During the COVID-19 Crisis (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
- Overcoming Pandemic Communications Challenges (Sharpe Group)
- What We Have Learned During Crises and What We Can Learn (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
- What is “Essential Communication” During a Global Crisis? (Kem Meyer)
- 10 Ways Churches Have Responded to COVID-19 to Inspire You (The Unstuck Group)
- How to Tap Into the Power of Virtual Volunteers (VolunteerMatch)
- Secret Service Issue COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Phishing Alert (US Secret Service)
- 9 Ways You Can Be Intentional with Your Facility During COVID-19 (Smart Church Solutions)
- Digital Divide Resources During the Pandemic (NTEN)
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for Church Leaders (Church Executive Magazine)
- More Than a Viewer: 10 Tips for Engaging With Online Worship (United Methodist Church)
- Three Big Communication Mistakes Organizations Are Making During The COVID-19 Crisis (Kem Meyer: Less Chaos. Less Noise.)
- Digital Experience Guide for Your Children's Ministry (Orange)
- 10 Ideas for Church Financial Leaders Amid the COVID-19 Crisis (Discipleship Ministries)
- [SPANISH] 10 Ideas for Church Financial Leaders Amid the COVID-19 Crisis (Discipleship Ministries)
- [LEADERSHIP] Virtual Communication: Presenting with Empathy (Duarte)
- Called to Minister in Sacred Moments (Presbyterian Foundation)
- Taking Your Worship Online: A Guide for Beginners and Everyone Else (ResourceUMC.org)
- Virtual Gathering, Real Community (Lilly School of Philanthropy)
- How to Have a Family Worship Experience at Home (Christianity Today)
- How to Work From Home With Kids: A Crash Course (Belay Solutions)
- Pastoring in Unprecedented Times (Samaritan Counseling Center)
- How to Stay Emotionally Healthy During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Psychology Today)
- Church Survey to Assess Needs in the Community (Westwood UMC, Los Angelos, CA)
- How to Take Your Church Online in Under 24 Hours (Faithlife)