The Difference Between Could and Will

Another study was released about the impact of COVID-19. Here is a quote,

Up to 1 in 5 churches could close their doors permanently as a result of shutdowns from COVID-19 closure orders, according to David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. While many churches have reopened, he says, fewer people are attending in person, which is having an impact on donations.

Depressing isn’t it? Or is it? The key is in understanding the difference between could and will. I’ll flesh that out in a bit. For now back to the above quote.

Can you not just see the headlines? 1 Out of 5 Churches Will Close. It will be something like that. The head line will be sensational and eye popping. You can almost bet the farm that it will be negative. Negative gets attention. Attention gets eyeballs. Eyeballs improve SEO rankings. I think given how other events have been reported that my headline if not spot on is close to what will be broadcast. But my headline is wrong. And that is where the difference between could and will comes in.

I have to confess that I interpreted the above quote incorrectly at first. This quote was the first paragraph in the article about the findings from a Barna study. We shouldn’t be surprised at church closures as this was happening before COVID-19. Like many things impacted by COVID-19 church closures are picking up. Churches are closing because COVID-19 was the last straw. This study confirms it. Churches are closing.

What is shocking about the quote above is the 1 Out of 5 statistic. That’s 25%. Gone. According to the quote, permanently.

But there is hope and it lies in the difference between could and will. Look at the first part of the quote,

Up to 1 in 5 churches could close their doors permanently

Could not will. Will means it is going to happen. Could means it might happen. There is hope.

How do you avoid becoming a will instead of a could? One key is in the last part of the sentence of the quote that says,

While many churches have reopened, he says, fewer people are attending in person, which is having an impact on donations.

We might not like to admit it, but the main driver behind a church staying open. The difference between could and will, is finances. Almost 100% of the 1 out of 5 that could close their doors permanently, their fragile financial security is the major reason.

Some are focused upon the, fewer people are attending in person, aspect of this. And well they should. We have worked hard to figure out a way to keep engaged with our people and with our community. But have we figured out the impact on donations?

I believe God has given me the path to financial security for churches. My life mission is to reverse the decline in giving one church at a time.

Like it or not, if you don’t solve the impact on donations, you will be forced to close your doors permanently. It’s just a matter of time. However, if you act now you can correct any impact COVID19 has had upon your donations.

The difference between could and will depends upon what you do!

Remember this,

The church that survives into the future is the church that plans for the future today.

Come join my team and start following the path to financial security. Find out more here, https://acts17generosity.com/memberships/

Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach

@stewardshipman