Abstract:
This article reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic gives the church an opportunity
to reconsider what the centre of God’s mission is for the congregation. It will engage
on the implications of its reflections for public practical theology and congregational
development. Spurred by an electronic opinion poll carried out by the author on six
focus groups on WhatsApp platforms, averaging 200 participants each, during the
lockdown days in Ghana, the question was put, “What one thing do you miss about
church during the lock down period?” Majority of respondents mentioned communal
fellowship (Konoinia) as the most missed aspect of congregational life. This article
reflects on suggestions engendered by this observation and how it helps congregations
to discern what makes them relevant to their members. Thus, helping congregations to
envision the future, invoke dreams of a new creation where a return to normality will
birth a world in which the church would take a new shape, presenting a fresh sense of
missional community able to bring God to the people of our day.
