In my last post, I talked at some extent to what is commonly known as the hybrid homeschool model approach to education. This is the route I think many public schools across our land will end up taking. But hybrid models aren’t only for schools or businesses. They’re also for churches!
Having previously worked in a private school, I became accustomed to teaching via Google classroom and using other technology to educate my students. But at that time, I understood that not everyone wanted to embrace social media or technology. What COVID-19 has done is force many in the older generations to embrace these outlets while forcing many in the younger generations to learn both people and life skills.
The same is true in ministry. Staff who ministered on the platform have had to learn how to minister pastorally. Staff who ministered pastorally have had to learn how to shepherd online. And staff who were the tech experts have had to learn how to educate both platform and pastoral staff and everyone else in between. Data is gold is so is anyone who was an online pastor before the coronavirus hit.
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has said that how leaders treat those in their organization now will define their organization’s brand ten years from now. I couldn’t agree more. A pandemic is no reason to stop ministering. Preaching, teaching, small groups, family ministry, discipleship, worship, etc. must go on! Yes, we may have to alter our approach and do ministry in a different way, but if that is what works, it beats the alternative of not working at all.
We can and must go back to doing old school ministry. Remember those cards, phone calls, and signs in the yard. But, we must also do new school ministry or ministry done in a way “that’s never been done like that before.” In times like these, hybrid ministry is the only solution that works. Hybrid church is the only way to go!
Every church and ministry has a plan for how they are going to re-open (or they should if they don’t) and that is a good thing! Let’s just make sure our plans are proactive and not reactive. For example, next gen leaders, you don’t have to wait on your city or county’s board of education to make a decision before you decide what your ministry ought to do. In an optimal world, it should work both ways. The school can learn from the church and the church can learn from the school. Many churches will be up and running before schools are. It just depends on which region of the country you’re in. What I am saying is that in some places, the church bus can be rolling out before the school bus. You don’t always have to wait to see the “big yellow fellow” (the school bus) rolling and students sitting in their classroom desks before thinking it is ok for your students to come back to church and or go out somewhere.
While many summer camps and vacation bible schools have been cancelled, don’t sit and sulk about what could have been. Be innovative. Do now what you always wanted to try. Give it a shot! Who knows – it might just work! There’s no better time than the present. The reward is worth the risk. And find out what else might be out there! Here is one such online opportunity and there are many others. This may just be next gen’s finest hour! When parents become the primary disciple makers of their children and where this Summer becomes “a summer of outreach” to your local community. Who says the hybrid church can’t make a difference?
