Pastoral ministry in 2020’s pandemic is a constantly-changing landscape.
From in-person worship one week, to online-only the next week, to a blend of both, to whatever is coming next. Plus, the need to adapt quickly and dramatically isn’t likely to stop when we turn the calendar to 2021.
A lot of churches are adapting really well. But it also strikes me that so much of our adaptation relies on technology that was not in common usage as little as 20 years ago – even ten years for options like live-streaming.
It makes me wonder – how would our churches have adapted if this pandemic had happened just 20 years ago? What would we have done without ready access to internet-based technology? I’m convinced that whatever we would have done then, we should also be doing it now.
While using all the technology we can, it’s important to lean into low-tech ministry, too. Here are some examples:
The Phone Call
Before your phone was a computer, it was a phone. And it still is.
While I’m grateful for all the extras my phone can do, when it comes to ministry – especially small church ministry – there’s no better way to reach out when you can’t be there in person than the voice-to-voice phone call.
The Drop-By
What if, when you were on that phone with your church members, you let them know you’d be happy to drop by their house for a face-to-face conversation? Masked and distanced, of course. For a lot of church members, especially our older folks, nothing will lift their spirits like an in-person greeting.
The Family Bible Study
If your church building is still closed, that doesn’t mean worship and Bible Study need to stop.
In addition to the online Bible Studies that many pastors are offering (including me) we can provide tools to help families read, study and discuss the Bible together.
Click here to read more.
Source: Church Leaders
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