Because I’m not teaching at Bethel University this semester, I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to migrate my entire class online in a matter of days. However, as the acceptable size of gatherings kept shrinking, I realized I had a bigger challenge. Move two churches online, one of which did not yet have a website.
A day into our mad scramble to go digital last week, I told my husband I felt a bit like Queen Esther in the Old Testament—that I was born for a time such as this. Rather than being daunted by the prospect of moving online, I felt pumped. Waking up feeling more focused than I have in years. Seeing how my spiritual gifts and varied job and life experiences have prepared me for a time such as this.
In his video study If (on RightNow Media), Mark Batterson describes what has driven his ministry for 20+ years: “There are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet.” Batterson believes “the church ought to be the most creative place on the planet.” In my experience, it often isn’t. “But we’ve always done it this way” seems to be a frequent refrain in many churches.
Even before I heard Batterson’s ideas, they were the underlying motivation for how I feel called to serve churches. I’ve driven pastors, including my husband, crazy by constantly asking “why?” Why do we always do it this way? Why can’t we ask someone else to try it? Why can’t we experiment just a little?
A time such as this, an unprecedented time in churches, forces us to ask, “what if?” and “why not?” A time such as this calls for experimenting, making mistakes, and learning from them. A time such as this gives new methods and people a chance to shine. I’m more than ready—how about you? What gifts and life experiences do you have to share in such a time as this?
A day into our mad scramble to go digital last week, I told my husband I felt a bit like Queen Esther in the Old Testament—that I was born for a time such as this. Rather than being daunted by the prospect of moving online, I felt pumped. Waking up feeling more focused than I have in years. Seeing how my spiritual gifts and varied job and life experiences have prepared me for a time such as this.
In his video study If (on RightNow Media), Mark Batterson describes what has driven his ministry for 20+ years: “There are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet.” Batterson believes “the church ought to be the most creative place on the planet.” In my experience, it often isn’t. “But we’ve always done it this way” seems to be a frequent refrain in many churches.
Even before I heard Batterson’s ideas, they were the underlying motivation for how I feel called to serve churches. I’ve driven pastors, including my husband, crazy by constantly asking “why?” Why do we always do it this way? Why can’t we ask someone else to try it? Why can’t we experiment just a little?
A time such as this, an unprecedented time in churches, forces us to ask, “what if?” and “why not?” A time such as this calls for experimenting, making mistakes, and learning from them. A time such as this gives new methods and people a chance to shine. I’m more than ready—how about you? What gifts and life experiences do you have to share in such a time as this?
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14
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