At the end of 2019 — before anyone gave a thought to a global pandemic — Mission to North America (MNA) Coordinator Paul Hahn and his leadership team decided that MNA needed to be more nimble and that it had to more quickly adapt to the denomination’s needs. Months later the coronavirus forced the ministry to make good on its goals, well ahead of schedule.
By increasing digital events and making behind-the-scenes improvements, MNA has positioned itself to better serve church planters and churches, while extending its influence to the broader Reformed world.
Virtual Excellence, Virtually Over Night
When Paul Hahn became MNA coordinator in 2016, he took the helm of a sprawling organization. The ministry is involved in nearly every aspect of church health and growth in North America and serves as the umbrella organization for 22 niche ministries. The committee is also responsible for approving church planters and helping churches through a revitalization process.
The seminars address issues pastors are wrestling with in real time: the logistical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of reopening churches, prayer, evangelism, current events, and church planting during a pandemic.
In 2019, there were 348 church planters in the PCA. About 16 churches particularize each year, roughly the same as the number that dissolve.
Early in his tenure, Hahn decided that MNA must prioritize church revitalization, giving it the same attention and urgency as church planting. The agency moved from two large annual events — one for church planters and one for church revitalizers — to several regional events. While the transition increased attendance from 150 to 400 people annually, Hahn knew in-person events wouldn’t be enough. “We realized we had to become excellent virtually in order to effectively serve the church,” he said.
And since March, virtual offerings have been MNA’s only option. Hahn has increased MNA’s online presence and kept resources flowing to pastors who desperately needed them as they navigated an exhausting barrage of challenges including online worship, an economic downturn, escalating political tensions, and racial divisions.
On most Mondays, MNA posts a “Ministry Moment,” a short video devotional of encouragement for viewers based on something the Holy Spirit has placed on Hahn’s heart. MNA has also started hosting weekly webinars for pastors and church leaders. The live webinars attract about 100 viewers each week, but hundreds more tune in later to see the videos on Facebook or YouTube. The seminars address issues pastors are wrestling with in real time: the logistical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of reopening churches, prayer, evangelism, current events, and church planting during a pandemic.
“We keep them intentionally broad to ask, ‘what does the church need from us right now?’” Hahn said. Hahn’s extensive network, and his resourceful staff, means he can invite a variety of expert panelists to join by Zoom. After George Floyd’s death in May sparked mass protests and riots around the country, Hahn assembled pastors and leaders for a series of panels titled “Racial Brokenness in America and Our Gospel Response.” The three seminars in the series have received more than 10,000 views.
The purpose of the online resources is to increase MNA’s reach to pastors and parishioners who might not come to an MNA event, if the coronavirus had not canceled large group gatherings. Before the pandemic, Hahn would have considered a regional event with 150 attendees to be a smashing success. Now MNA reaches a hundred times that number.
Building Up, Reaching Out
While Hahn serves as the face of MNA, Chris Bolton works behind the scenes to build the structure and implement the vision that Hahn casts. Bolton has served as MNA’s operations director since 2019, and his job is to wrangle the sprawling organization and build in order.
MNA’s increased digital presence is part of a three-prong strategy. The other components are improving the donor experience and creating a central database for information from across all the ministries under the MNA tent. Until recently, all information remained siloed or stored in separate agencies, making it difficult for MNA staff and pastors to get a reliable picture of what is happening across the denomination.
And with 348 churches in the mission stage, improving fundraising was key. Bolton calls individual fundraising “the PCA Way” but acknowledges that it is a lot of work, and pastors need real-time information to know where they stand. Bolton said, “The new system should help fundraisers feel less stressed by having better access to their donation data,” and allow for better planning.
“Longer-term, we will try to streamline that by asking what will really help multiply ecosystems for planting and renewal that are burgeoning, blossoming, and blooming. It’s all here to help the church,” Bolton said.
Hahn notes that the entire MNA team has contributed to increasing MNA’s online content and presence. Associate Coordinator Fred Marsh and Business Executive Assistant Tracy Hall have been instrumental in developing content and in finding panelists for these webinars; Karen Swartz offers administrative support on all MNA virtual and web efforts.
Pastoring is a lonely, arduous task under the best of circumstances, but the pandemic has taken a toll on spiritual shepherds trying to care for a socially distanced flock. MNA’s resources help pastors remember that they are not alone, and there is help for whatever they are facing.
And Bolton and Hahn are excited to get out more stories of what MNA is doing and the incredible ministry happening at PCA churches. By expanding its online presence, MNA can tell more of those stories to encourage the church.