pastoring a church in my world

Sometimes I feel like churches or pastors that are "plugged in" have to apologize for being as such.  There is this assumption that because we are technologically proficient, we lack understanding or connection to other ways of being church and community.  Boo.

Now I have posted on this phenomenon before and some reactions to the whole technology and church thing, but this first few days of the week has provided me with some good examples of how folks are and get connected to our particular church community.  This is just Monday-Thursday @ Noon and covers everything from MBCC Administrative issues to global mission to personal crisis.  Tech friend or not, this is pastoring in my world.  I LOVE and THRIVE in it!

• IM'ing Conversations: 5
• Facebook Events: 2
• Blog posts written: 4
• Blog posts of MBCC'ers read: 7
• Facebook App interactions: 35
• Organizational eMails sent/received: 33
• Pastoral eMails sent/received: 21
• Coffee Talks: 5
• Hours in a Cafe: 12'ish
• Link suggestions from members: 4
• Conversation about faith in secular setting: 3
• Traditional Meetings: 2
• Cups of coffee: 3 hot, 6 iced
• The New Visitor Plan: Someone meets me via a blog, we have coffee, he blogs about us, visits us, yelps us, friend knows him, contacts us, we IM, he comes to church . . .

Now I know some folks will see this list of my pastoral duties and think, WTHeck?!?!?  This is NOT church!  This is NOT pastoring!  This yahoo has sold his soul to the technology Gods!  Release the hounds!*

If this is your reaction, it's okay. I'll survive.

The purpose of this post is not to defend pastoral leadership in my context, but to give voice to a growing way mainline church has and can be done.   While some can find the same energy and nourishment in more historical/traditional church contexts, I know I would not be a good pastor in that setting because it would be a bad fit or "call" if you will.   We would be fools to think that in today's world there is ONLY one legitimate or even ULTIMATE way to experience Christian community and thus only one true way of being a pastor.  That is just crazy talk.

An openness to a variety of church contexts that foster appreciation and solidarity should be an easy step to take for connectional mainline churches.  One way to get there is to be able to fully understand that, even if this would not be your way of being church, you can appreciate that folks will hear and be connected to God in different ways. 

If we can do that imagine the possibilities.

Comments

[Rodger Sellers]

Couldn't agree more; one of the reasons I don't "miss" having a traditional office -- I don't need one, a laptop for the coffeehouse and a study at home suffice -- why use our (severly) limited funds for a place that has no usefulness to us whatsoever?

Although you are WAY further than I am on this!

Peace,

RPS

[jeremy z]

amen! Well said. I loved the break down. You are probably doing more pastoring than the pastor sitting in his office carefully writing his sermon manuscript for his gray hair congregation.

[john c.]

Love your post. Think the office is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Sending a guy from the Oregon area to your church. Think he'll enjoy what you're trying to do in your community.

[José M. Capella-Pratts]

A huge AMEN to what you have written. I'm doing web-email-blog-podcast ministry as part of my pastoral duties. So much people can be reached this way! Go on!

Peace.