The 2014 World Cup-winning skipper says German football in particular must protect its core strengths during the leagues' lockdown.
With no prospect of a swift resumption, the Bundesliga season has been suspended until April 30, although that is also likely to be set back.
Lahm, in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, has urged footballers to show a social conscience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of the game's stars have given large donations to charity, while clubs, suddenly hit by a financial crisis, have sought for players to accept significant pay cuts until they can return to work.
The willingness to make sacrifices is one that 36-year-old former Bayern Munich great Lahm believes will be closely watched by fans.
"Football can even emerge stronger from the crisis under one condition: if players and officials act as role models in public through their social behaviour," Lahm said.
"The fundraisers of coaches and players show they have a sense of responsibility. It's a good time to give something back to the society that carries our sport and the people who love football."
Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski and his wife Anna have made a €1million donation to a coronavirus-fighting fund, with a number of team-mates also contributing major sums.
Lahm, who retired from playing in 2017, said: "Football is just at the moment in an existential crisis, so solidarity is needed."
He spoke in the interview of the need to "maintain structures that characterise German football", including its youth development, stadiums, training set-ups and public approval.
Like everyone, Lahm is waiting for the day football can safely resume.
"Football will recover quickly," he added, "as soon as the risk of transmission is contained by an appropriate vaccine."
Despite a 4-2 victory in their final Group E match against Costa Rica, Hansi Flick's side exited Qatar 2022 after Japan beat Spain, ensuring both qualified instead for the last 16.
It marks the second successive World Cup since Lahm guided them to victory at Brazil 2014 where Germany have failed to reach the knockout stage.
Reflecting on their exit, the former Bayern Munich man did not doubt his nation's spirit, but pinned a lack of game management and intelligence upon them as key to their downfall.
"In all three group matches Germany showed passion, commitment and aggression," he wrote in The Guardian. "The opponents sensed there were players with quality.
"But there was a lack of strategy and order; it was never clear who would take on which role. Hansi Flick's team were not organised in Qatar."
Lahm pointed to Argentina, another side who struggled after a shock loss to Saudi Arabia, and how they ensured a rigid formation to claw their way back into the tournament.
"Even in that defeat, you could see that Lionel Scaloni's team were dominant because they were organised," he added. "They then locked Mexico and Poland in their half at some point to score goals.
"The superior boxer sets up the knockout. Germany were not able to do that. They failed to control the game. To control a game you have to develop play from the defence and from the centre. That is a law of football.
"Football is all about the details. A team can only solve risk management problems together, in coordination with each other. Argentina are strong at it.
"Germany lack the structure to do this or to play a game that suffocates the opponent, which inevitably results in conceding goals.
"It will be a challenging task to form a team with a view to the European Championship at home in a year-and-a-half. Germany must reinvent themselves."
Germany, who were expected to reach the latter stages of Qatar 2022, crashed out at the group stage, leading to the departure of team director Oliver Bierhoff after 18 years.
There was speculation boss Hansi Flick would follow him, but the former Bayern Munich coach confirmed he would be staying on board.
The new advisory group includes former Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Oliver Mintzlaff, and former Germany internationals Matthias Sammer, Rudi Voller and Oliver Kahn.
It will be led by Neuendorf and DFB vice-chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke.
"I think this is a group that knows a lot about men's football and the national team," Neuendorf said. "We are not an association in which one person decides everything.
"There will be a first discussion before Christmas. We will give ourselves a timetable there. We have to join forces towards the European Championship in 2024. It has to be a success."
Neuendorf also confirmed there will be a new group that will "take a close look at the entire business area for which Bierhoff was responsible".
This group will include DFB general secretary Heike Ullrich, former Germany international Philipp Lahm and European Championship ambassador Celia Sasic.
"We will see how we set up the area in the future in order to be successful," Neuendorf added. "And we will be self-critical."
Coaches including Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello, Zinedine Zidane, Carlo Ancelotti, Gareth Southgate and Fabio Capello have joined the 24-man UEFA football board, along with superstar former players Paolo Maldini, Luis Figo, Gareth Bale, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Laudrup, Philipp Lahm and Robbie Keane.
There is one non-European on the board, with Inter's Argentine vice-president Javier Zanetti joining a throng that also includes former Germany team-mates Rudi Voller and Jurgen Klinsmann, plus Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman, Rafael Benitez, Patrick Vieira and Eric Abidal.
The noticeably all-male board will hold its first meeting at UEFA's European House of Football headquarters on Monday.
European football's governing body said the group will "give an institutional yet independent voice of experience and expertise on fundamental football-related topics".
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: "UEFA is delighted to see that the very ones who have shaped the game's history with their talents and philosophy through decades are gathered again around our common goal – to protect the game of football and its essential values. As we always say: football first!"
Ceferin is campaigning for clarity on football's handball rules, having recently described the law as "really obscure".
"No one understands it any more," Ceferin said. "So we really need a conversation here, finding solutions and clarifying some issues."
He said that would be an issue for the football board to look at, and it was confirmed on Thursday as being on the agenda for the meeting, along with discussions about the video assistant referee system, player behaviour and medical issues.
UEFA said its technical director and chief of football Zvonimir Boban would chair Monday's meeting, although he is not a member of the new board.
UEFA football board members: Jose Mourinho (Portugal), Carlo Ancelotti (Italy), Zinedine Zidane (France), Paolo Maldini (Italy), Fabio Capello (Italy), Javier Zanetti (Argentina), Luis Figo (Portugal), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Ronald Koeman (Netherlands), Gareth Southgate (England), Rio Ferdinand (England), Michael Laudrup (Denmark), Rafael Benitez (Spain), Roberto Martinez (Spain)
Predrag Mijatovic (Montenegro), Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), Rudi Voller (Germany), Petr Cech (Czech Republic), Juan Mata (Spain), Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland), Patrick Vieira (France), Henrik Larsson (Sweden), Eric Abidal (France), Gareth Bale (Wales).
