Pastoring God's People

For all those who have been commissioned to pastoral roles of all kinds.

Linking with the congregation

by Sylvia Shirk Charles

Though Facebook has not replaced the Good Book and the hymnbook in the life of our congregation, technology plays vital roles in enhancing my pastoral ministry. Our congregation has the challenge of being scattered across an urban landscape of eight million people, many of us living more than an hour’s commute from our gathering place. The majority of our attenders join us for Sunday worship only once or twice a month, though some regularly see friends from church during the week. Fortunately, almost all our congregants use electronic media.

How does a pastor use technology to connect with the congregation?
E-mail, websites, and cell phones are among the technologies I find useful as I reach out to the congregation. From a sister pastor I borrowed the idea of sending out a weekly e-mail to the congregation. Each Friday afternoon I compose a short "welcome to worship" message highlighting the upcoming Sunday service and other weekend events. I include a short calendar of future church events and a link to the congregational newsletter, which is posted on the church website. I try to keep my total message to fewer than 150 words because I know most people will not read a lengthy e-mail. The message goes out with my prayers to a list of those who have asked to receive our regular updates. We occasionally use the e-mail list for urgent prayer requests or time-sensitive announcements.

Technology helps us sustain a scattered community in a large city

The art of using technology in pastoral ministry includes knowing who will want messages in what format. As I send my Friday e-mail message, I am conscious of the handful of attenders who don’t have e-mail or don’t read e-mail. The church treasurer, I learn, is most accessible by cell phone and fax. One older woman especially enjoys receiving the worship bulletin in the mail if she has missed a Sunday. Someone else loves to send and receive forwarded stories and messages of affirmation. Certain young adults prefer cell-phone text messages to voice messages. I stay current with some members by browsing their blogs. It becomes a challenge to budget my time and energy as I seek to communicate widely and include the total congregation.

Does technology help in maintaining contact?
Technology is a tremendous help in sustaining our scattered metropolitan community. Being able to phone, text, or e-mail fills in the gaps between the times when we are physically present to share a smile, a handshake, a hug. Posting the weekly worship bulletin on our website provides an opportunity for connection with those who have not been able to attend the service. The newsletter, an old stand-by for keeping a congregation connected, has new effectiveness now because congregants may choose to read it on the website, find it on paper at the service, or receive it in an envelope in the mail.

Can technology supplement face-to-face pastoral care?
Technology is an extremely valuable aid to my ministry of pastoral care. I use e-mail to follow up and check in with people, and to offer encouragement. I remind myself, however, that even those most up-to-date with technology appreciate the pastoral care that is more effective on the phone or possible only in face-to-face contacts. In times of special celebration, such as birthdays, I choose to send a card in the old-fashioned mail because it has become such a rare thing for most people to receive anything in their mailbox that is personal or positive.

What about privacy concerns?
Pastors need to guard the privacy of the congregation by being vigilant about how we use e-mail. I remind myself that an e-mail can be even less private than a postcard because anything I send in an email can quickly be forwarded to readers I was not addressing. In most cases I find that e-mail is not an effective way to deal with conflict or to deliver sensitive messages.

Pastors who use technology should know who will want messages in what format.

And as for Facebook, we shall see! At the urging of a young woman in my congregation, I recently set up my own account, and I’m eager to discover its ministry potential.

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Sylvia Shirk Charles is pastor of Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship in New York City.