Book Review: NORMALIZING NEXT: A POST-COVID-19 RESOURCE FOR CHURCH LEADERS BY: OLU BROWN ATLANTA, GA: CULVERHOUSE, 2022 177 PP. PAPERBACK (original) (raw)

2023, Journal of Religious Leadership

As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic leaders all over the world are asking "what will our new normal look like?" While it is still too early for any leader to fully understand just how much the world, and subsequently the church, has shifted. Olu Brown offers an insight into why some churches survived the pandemic and why others are faltering. He also peeks into the near future to give us practical insight into how we need to shift to embrace our new normal. To begin, part of the power of this book is its rawness. Brown opens his book by outlining both how we find ourselves "living in a new unconventional reality where everything has changed or is changing (10)." He calls this a season of next. While this is a raw season in that everything seems new, it should not be unfamiliar territory for the church. As has been said many times, change is the only constant. Through Jeremiah 29:11, Brown reminds us that "if we take this scripture to heart and understand that God's future for us is dynamic and where we started is not the place where we will end, we can see our lives beyond our current careers, vocations, and stations and know that there is more development, evolution, and growth ahead of us (11)." COVID-19 plunged the world into a generational, seismic period of change. It forced change upon the healthcare industry, businesses, churches, and, most importantly the very world views that we held. Brown likens the shift in the church to that of the Protestant Reformation nearly 500 years to the day that COVID-19 arrived. Just like the reformation, the church suddenly finds itself changed seemingly overnight. We can either see this as "abnormal and problematic" or "refreshing and… a time of great renewal and opportunity (25)." As he outlines in the subsequent chapters, leaders who see the pandemic as an opportunity are best prepared to embrace this new normal. Chapter 1 opens with a review of where we are now. Possibly the largest shift in the church was the move to virtual worship. Churches lost the ability to meet in person. We can see this as either a loss of in-person church or recognize that it was a significant opportunity for the church to reach a new segment of the population. Brown points out that, prior to the pandemic, online church was novel. Now, 45% of Americans say they have watched a Christian church service online, including some who say they don't normally physically attend. New opportunities have been opened for the Church to radically increase its impact on the world as the internet can now reach people in an instant. In Chapter 2, Brown first gives a gentle reminder that vision is the heart of leadership. Simply put, "vision is absolutely essential (32)." I doubt any leader today would deny the critical role of vision. Brown notes that vision gives clarity, provides a path, motivates, and engages people in community. "Churches that had a clear vision before the pandemic continued to press forward during the pandemic, and although they had to pivot and adjust some of the ways of doing ministry, their momentum continued, and their ministries thrived (39)." Inversely, churches that suffered the most during the pandemic potentially lacked vision. But it is not too late for leaders to bring a vision to their church. Brown outlines several steps for not only restoring your vision but reengaging your congregations with that vision. If you read nothing else, flip to Chapter 3. Here, Brown outlines how the nature of leadership has shifted. One important distinction he makes is that this shift was well under way prior to the pandemic. It just took the pandemic for most leaders to finally wake up to the shifted reality in which we now find ourselves. He points out that "the initial trauma of the pandemic was so