The Ministry of (digital) Presence
Big Idea: Reaching out digitally to the students you’re investing in matters.
It’s not about whether they respond, it’s about what your digital presence reminds them of.
One of my favorite people to work with is my friend Jim Cook. Jim is one of those people who speaks in quotes. Every time he shares his thoughts, you feel like you should write them down.
One thing he often talked about was “The Ministry of Presence”. It’s the idea that so often in ministry (especially the most difficult & sacred moments like in the midst of loss, grief, crisis & pain) it wasn’t our words, advice or wisdom that mattered most...but it was our presence. And not even just our presence, but that our presence was the physical reminder of the presence of God in those moments.
That’s not only true for ‘pastors’ on staff at a church. And it’s not only true for situations like hospital visits & funerals. The Ministry of Presence is often some of the most meaningful & effective forms of relational discipleship for students who have volunteer leaders from their church walking with them through seasons of life, showing up to weekly programs (zooms), retreats, camps, games, recitals & more. The Ministry of Presence matters...showing up matters.
In obvious ways, showing up physically is more difficult than ever in the midst of this pandemic. I’d also argue that The Ministry of Presence is more important than it’s ever been.
Before this pandemic even happened, research shows that Gen Z (birth years 1995-2010) is the loneliest generation. As you can imagine, the pandemic has only intensified this loneliness. So even though it’s more challenging to actually ‘be with’ the kids & teenagers we are investing in, we have to innovate to find ways to show up.
In the same way that we can be the physical reminder of the presence of God while sitting with someone in a hospital room, in a circle during small groups or a family in the backroom of a funeral home, we can still be the digital reminder of God’s actual presence in the life of students. Here are some really practical ways to do that…
Text messages
Voice mails (because they probably won’t answer the phone)
Social media DM’s
Random Facetime Calls
Our biggest challenge with this can probably be summed up by this phrase: lack of feedback. Okay, maybe that’s oversimplifying it, but it’s true. I’m sure we’ve all felt it...the feeling of rejection or discouragement when we reach out to the students (or anyone really) we’re investing in only to get no response at all.
Text messages with no reply. Not even a thumbs up tapback!? At best, we might get a “K” sometimes.
Phone calls unanswered & not returned.
That’s not much fun. But here’s my challenge to you - the whole point of this probably-too-long blog…
you reaching out to your students isn’t about how it makes you feel.
Are we still friends?
Yes, when we reach out to the ones we feel like we have a relationship with & who we are investing in, it’s a little painful when they choose to not respond or at least not reciprocate with any amount of interest. But, especially in the case of an adult investing in the life of a student, the purpose of us reaching out isn’t to make us feel better. It is to communicate something to them. Whether they respond or not, it does. See…
your digital presence is a reminder of the presence of God.
What matters most when you reach out isn’t if they respond - it’s what they are reminded of when they receive it. When you leave that voicemail, send that text or whatever else it might be...you are communicating some very important things to that person who belongs to the loneliest generation in one of the loneliest seasons they’ll face in life:
You matter to me.
I care about you.
I’m interested in you.
I’m in your corner.
And hopefully, even if it’s subconsciously, because of our relationship, the ways that we’ve modeled Jesus & pointed toward Him in our relationship with them...they are not only reminded that those things are true of us, but also of God.
So, take heart...the most important thing about reaching out to the students you are investing in isn’t whether they respond, but it’s what you are reminding them of.
