Common Good COVID-19 Fall Re-entry Plan
While we are eager to meet together again in-person for Sunday Gatherings, the safety and well-being of our church family and surrounding communities are our highest priority. As such, we are following the safety guidelines set by our local officials for religious gatherings, which not only limits the number of people that can participate in gatherings, but requires a lengthy list of other safety protocols. For full details on our Governor's guidance on Phase 2 and Phase 3 Faith-based and Religious Organization Requirements, click here.
Given the significant restrictions we would need to follow and the amount of care, caution, and resources that it would require of volunteers and staff to enforce these guidelines, our Leadership Team has decided that it is not prudent to attempt to have in-person Sunday Gatherings at this time until further notice.
That being said, we also understand the importance of community and a deep desire and need for in person contact. As such, to help us move forward as a church in this season of much uncertainty, rather than asking “when we can get back to normal?”, we want to instead ask a different question, “what do we want our new normal to be, in light of the new normal of our cultural context?” In other words, with the world in a very different place than it was six months ago, how can we see this moment as a catalyst to become more authentically who we want to be (our vision) and how can we still effectively fulfill our mission as Common Good Church?
After much prayer and discernment, we believe the opportunity God is inviting us into as we slowly emerge from COVID-19, is to merge Co-ops, the Sunday Gathering, and Fourth Sunday Serve together, creating what we’re calling CO-OP 2.0 (aka House Church)!
Starting in September, Co-op 2.0 will become our primary means of gathering and scattering as a church and we couldn’t be more excited to lean into the heartbeat of what makes Common Good what it is. Co-op 2.0 allows us to go back to our roots of how our church started six years ago, before we had any sort of Sunday Gathering. It will enable us to continue to live out our mission and vision as a church that connects deeply with God, experiences community with others, and work for the common good of our neighborhoods and cities.
Co-op 2.0 Overview
Co-op 2.0 is for everyone, everywhere. It’s gathering in person with others wherever we live to watch weekly Common Good virtual worship services, connect with God through music and scripture, have meaningful conversations, enjoy fellowship and laughter, and to reach out and serve our respective neighborhoods and communities. Co-op 2.0 reimagines spaces for face-to-face connection during this pandemic so that we’re not limited by church buildings and geography. It creates an inviting and inclusive place -- one that’s accessible to everyone, no matter who you are, what you believe, where you come from, or who you know. Co-op 2.0 is encountering God in community, and being the church right where you are!
Starting this Fall, whether virtual or in-person (depending on what reopening phase our state is in), Co-op 2.0 becomes the all-in-one gathering for Common Good Church combining co-ops, Sunday Gatherings and Fourth Sunday Serve into a single weekly experience.
What does this look like practically speaking?
All co-ops will move from a mid-week time slot to meeting on Sundays for their primary gathering. In other words, co-ops double as the new regular “Sunday Gathering.” Meeting regularly on Sundays will be the most effective way to integrate as many people into co-ops as possible, as this is when many people are free/available to meet, and are culturally conditioned to “go to church.”
Co-ops will gather primarily based on geography/neighborhoods, and can happen anywhere in our nation/world, and will not be confined to solely Seattle or the Eastside.
Co-ops are smaller groups of 6-12 people to meet health and safety measurements, and to cultivate greater intimacy. Groups larger than 12 people should consider multiplying.
Co-ops can meet in homes, coffee shops, or outside/in parks, etc. If government guidelines do not allow for in-person gatherings in the Fall, co-op will start by meeting virtually and transition to in-person when safe and appropriate. As co-ops transition to in-person, they will continue to leverage technology to allow those not yet comfortable for in-person meetings to continue to participate in the group.
Content for co-op gatherings will be provided via our virtual Sunday church at home worship experience, which will include musical worship, a sermon, communion, and a post-sermon study guide. Co-ops will watch the sermon together, and then engage in post-sermon discussion, sharing, and application. When meeting in person, we encourage co-ops to make it a practice of sharing in a meal together to foster community and relationship.
For those desiring additional community touch points and bible study throughout the week, accountability groups and mid-week bible studies can happen through our more intimate 2-3 person Meetups that may be facilitated within or across co-ops.
Co-ops also become the vehicle for Fourth Sunday Serve. Given our current context in which smaller is safer than bigger, Fourth Sunday Serve implemented by our co-ops will be logistically easier to manage, more scalable, provide greater focus/ownership amongst co-op members, and have greater impact for the common good as our church is scattered in the different communities/neighborhoods that we already find ourselves in.
We will continue to leverage technology & our digital platform as our centralized Common Good HQ and resource hub for content/discipleship, ie: Sunday sermons, classes, workshops, onboarding, training, mentorship. This model allows us to continue to resource, empower, and train those gathering in person through co-ops, while still serving and reaching those outside of our church who choose to engage digitally.
Interested in being a Co-op 2.0 Host?
If you’re passionate about being on mission with Jesus, loving your neighbor, sharing the good news of Jesus with people who haven’t heard it before, creating safe spaces for people to explore their faith and gathering in community to experience and encounter God, then you can be a Co-op 2.0 Host!
Who hosts? A host is anyone who loves people and shares in the vision, mission and values of Common Good Church and feels called to this mission!
What do hosts do? A host opens up a space (virtually or in-person); invites friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances to join them in community; creates a warm and welcoming environment; plays the Common Good virtual Sunday worship experience for everyone to watch together; and helps facilitate Christ-centered community through hospitality, discussion/sharing, prayer, community service and fun activities.
Where do they host? They host Co-op 2.0 in their home, apartment, at a cafe, or in any other convenient space that makes it possible for people to gather together safely.
When do they host? They host Co-op 2.0 on Sundays during any one of our regularly scheduled service times, unless there is another day that makes sense to better reach and serve those they want to invite to be in community with them.
Why do they host? They host because they love God, love people, and are passionate about helping people hear the story of Jesus, explore questions of faith, grow in their discipleship, and experience belonging and acceptance in community.
How do you become a host? Complete and submit the Co-op 2.0 Host Application below!