How to Pastor People Online in the Age of Coronavirus
My friend Pastor Eric Johnson put the following on his Facebook page last week and I decided to share it with my readers!
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I’m getting about 37 emails a day about how to pastor people online in the age of coronavirus.
And honestly, the emails themselves are creating more anxiety than the thought of ACTUALLY pastoring online.
You don’t need amazing livestream.
You don’t need to be leading 98 online Bible studies.
You don’t need to be posting cutting edge content on social media at all hours of the day.
You don’t need to lead the charge in your community to make sure everyone has food, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper.
Those are all fine and if they are in your wheelhouse, do them.
But I’m finding that the better approach is to discern what opportunities are actually available based on your context.
And then connect those opportunities to your strengths as a leader.
That’s where breakthrough happens.
For me, I’m really good at connecting with people, fostering conversation, and speaking into that conversation wherever it goes.
So I’m focusing on ways to do that online.
We will still offer streaming worship, online Scripture engagement, and opportunities to serve our community.
But we aren’t going to feel the pressure to crush it in every area, because we can’t.
So, Pastor, if you want to see breakthroughs during this unique time, focus on connecting your strengths with the opportunities around you.
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Eric is a pastor, coach, and consultant passionate about seeing leaders and organizations thrive. He helps leaders align vision and strategy with organizational culture. This alignment brings clarity of purpose and ownership of mission at every level of the organization.
In addition to producing content, coaching leaders, and consulting for organizations through Thrive Solutions, Eric feels blessed to serve as pastor of King of Kings Lutheran Church in Lake Orion, MI.
Learn more about Eric at his Facebook page!
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Pastor Eric Johnson