What is My Pastor Doing

WHAT IS MY PASTOR DOING (NOW THAT THEY’RE NOT AT CHURCH)?

• Preparing worship content (as they always have, except for a different medium): studying scripture, praying, writing/curating liturgy, writing sermons/homilies/meditations, choosing hymns. Pray for your pastor, who like you, still longs for worship.
• Not only is your pastor still preparing worship resources, but if you are streaming worship, there are extra steps involved: Securing the right to stream content or narrowing the choices to public domain. They have suddenly become a digital content producer: creating a home recording studio, editing and uploading video, connecting platforms, sending out links, moderating discussions, and attending to online security. Pray for your pastor, who is learning new skills daily, and will not be an overnight expert.
• Faith Formation: studying, writing lesson plans, adjusting previously written plans for a new medium, writing reflections, offering classes or groups. Pray for your pastor, who is teaching still.
• Extra communications: Are you receiving more newsletters or updates from your pastors? That’s because we know the importance of connection, accurate and timely information, and because we have information to share. We are filtering an enormous amount of information about what is allowable, what is essential, what is best practice – and discerning what we need to bring to you. Pray for your pastor, who is curating information and writing words of spiritual guidance for you to read and hear.
• Attending Meetings: Many of the meetings which previously took place in the physical world are now taking place by conference call or online…and new meetings have been added. Regional church leaders are convening regular calls for their clergy, community and statewide response task forces have ramped up emails and calls, leaders of food pantries and other community services are meeting to address needs. Your own church may have moved its meetings to phone or videoconference. This is in addition to the many organizations offering webinars on how to adapt to the time we are living through, or how to access new programs being offered by the government. Many ministers are being asked to spend much of their days and some evenings, in front of the screen –  yet we are in this work out of love for God’s people, not for meetings. Pray for your pastor, occupied by meetings out of necessity.
• Mission and Service: If your church or community operates a food pantry or community meal, there are many adaptations needed for health reasons. Securing the necessary food, supplies, and volunteers is suddenly even more challenging than before. Making arrangements for someone to check on those living alone, without transportation, is an additional task. Many pastors are also taking on the role of broker of good deeds, receiving phone calls from people who are willing to help, replacing volunteers who must stay home, and directing them where needed. Pray for your pastor, who is receiving “do you know anybody who needs…” phone calls, while worrying how long the meals-to-go program’s stock of containers is going to hold out.
• Administration: Working with church leaders and staff on the business affairs of the church, ensuring the building is cared for, the mail is dealt with, finances are managed, and staff members are connected. Pray for your pastor, who is learning about government programs, executive orders, emergency management and other items not taught in seminary.
• Providing Pastoral Care (by phone call, text, email, instant message, note card, and video conference):  Your pastor is still reaching out, listening amid life’s milestones, hearing your joys and concerns, praying and being present in grief, working on rituals that will help you and the community cope with the extraordinary circumstances of this pandemic. Pastoral care loads have increased as many people are fearful, coping with new realities, and physical occasions where we usually check-in with you (worship, Bible studies, etc) are no longer available. Pray for your pastor, who is staying physically distant out of love for you, but is not spiritually distant. We are one in Christ Jesus, and nothing we do can ever separate us from God’s love.

Have you appreciated or benefited from our crisis response ministry with respect to the coronavirus? Please share a word of testimony, or make a donation to sustain this work, which is helping clergy and churches here in Wisconsin, and across the nation.