Staying isolated is one of the worst things we can do during a time like this. We need our teams, and we need others.
When things start to get crazy, stressful, or chaotic, it’s natural to put all our energy and focus toward critical things.
There’s less time for hobbies and wish lists, and the most urgent things get our full attention.
For many of us in the church tech world, we’ve been dealing with this as part of our new “reality” for these past weeks.
But since many of us can be somewhat introverted or reserved, how many of us would admit that we’ve found ourselves putting less energy than usual into maintaining relationships?
When things are going crazy, we actually need relationships even more--to help us stay centered, focused, and encouraged. But as we mentally prioritize all the things in life that need our time and efforts, whether with our ministry or at home, we’re likely to subconsciously allow non-family relationships to slide further down the to-do list.
Staying isolated is one of the worst things we can do during a season like this. If being relational isn’t something that comes naturally to us, this means that we have to put additional, intentional effort into staying close and connected with other people.
Here are three levels of relationships we need to prioritize during this time of crisis, so that we don’t fall into a trap of isolation.
1-Connect with leaders
As we have seen over these past weeks, the environment around us can change on a daily basis (or even multiple times a day). This has made it difficult to do much long-term planning--and it means that plans can shift quickly and often.
Perhaps you’re like me and it takes some time to mentally make adjustments to new plans, because I want to think through and process things. That can make it challenging to stop on a dime and pivot.
So, we owe it to ourselves, our leaders, and our ministries to proactively stay engaged with the leaders and visionaries around us. We need to be probing for updates, so as soon as the winds of change start to blow we can begin thinking about how to implement a new plan.
Perhaps you’re like me and it takes some time to mentally make adjustments to new plans, because I want to think through and process things. That can make it challenging to stop on a dime and pivot.
As our organizations begin to settle into some sort of new weekly rhythm, that can make it easier to focus less on the day-to-day and more on the longer-term. By staying connected to my leaders, I’m able to hear more about possible long-term vision changes and can even contribute feedback during the planning process.
Additionally, staying connected with the ministry leaders is the best way to hear real-world testimonies and stories of impact. The world all around us is hurting, and when I’m able to hear about how my ministry is reaching those people, I can share those stories with my team and provide encouragement and reinforcement about the impact that our sacrifices are making.
This, in turn, can create new levels of energy and engagement in people, making them want to stay connected and serve. But if I’m not regularly going fishing for these sorts of stories, my team may miss out on opportunities to learn how much of a difference they are truly making.
2-Connect with peers
We need people walking beside us during any difficult season of life. Whether those are fellow ministry leaders, peers from other churches or organizations, or just friends/encouragers, we all know that we weren’t made to live life alone. As Ecclesiastes 4:10 points out, pity be the person who falls down and doesn’t have anyone to help him get back up.
Cultivate a solid plan for individual contact as well as team contact.
This is where there’s such a tremendous benefit to having a network of peers at other organizations that I can lean on for advice or guidance.
I may be metaphorically “falling down” at work, struggling to implement new ideas or figuring out how to accomplish new vision from my leadership. I may be having a hard time making new technology work successfully or even training my team on how to use it.
This is where there’s such a tremendous benefit to having a network of peers at other organizations that I can lean on for advice or guidance. They can help answer questions or solve problems, and perhaps they can even offer insight into something so I don’t have to spend time digging into it myself.
Or perhaps I’m emotionally “falling down” and struggling with feelings of depression or anxiety. If I’m fighting those battles alone, that makes it exponentially harder to get out of that process. But if I have friends, mentors, encouragers, or accountability partners in my life, those can be people who help walk with me through that struggle and help keep me focused spiritually and emotionally.
If nothing else, I need to maintain relationships with friends just to have a healthy outlet for my energy each week. I need to have people to talk with, engage with, and laugh with so that I remember there’s more to life than work and pandemics.
3-Connect with our teams
There’s no telling what weight our team members are carrying during this season.
Some may have lost jobs or be in a place of financial hardship. Some may have family members who have gotten sick. Others may be dealing with their own issues of isolation, anxiety, or depression.
This is why it’s so important that we prioritize staying in touch regularly with our volunteers. Not only are they the lifeblood of our ministries (and we’ll need them to be healthy and available when “normal” resumes), but it’s our job as their leaders to help pastor them as people. And depending on the size of our church, I may be the only staff member they may feel comfortable reaching out to, or the closest thing to a “pastor” that stays connected with them!
Not only are [our volunteers] the lifeblood of our ministries (and we’ll need them to be healthy and available when “normal” resumes), but it’s our job as their leaders to help pastor them as people.
For me personally, I need to have a plan in place for how to stay in touch with my team, whether on a daily/weekly/bi-monthly basis, just to check in and see how they’re doing, and also to provide ministry vision/updates/testimonies.
Beyond simply connecting with them individually, I can consider creating group chat sessions or Zoom calls so we can interact as a team and keep developing a sense of community and camaraderie.
On Sundays or during service times, perhaps I can consider doing a “watch party” so we can get on a call together to watch the service and then discuss it as a small group. Or if that’s not feasible, perhaps I can do a mock “pre-service meeting” like on a typical weekend, so I can talk through service flow, share updates with the team, and pray a blessing over everyone before they go watch the service with their families.
Regardless of what it looks like, the point is that we need to be prioritizing creating connections with our teams. For many of team members, serving in a production role may be their main way to find enjoyment or relieve stress during the week. And without that, they could really be struggling. Anything we can do to reconnect them to some semblance of “normal” is a win.
Again, it’s natural for us to pull back our energy and focus during times of stress or high anxiety, and then turn our attention only to survival mode.
But instead of focusing just on tasks, let’s also remember to focus on relationships--for the good of ourselves and those we lead.
Isolation is a trap that leads to defeat. But continued community can give us strength to keep moving forward.
