Do you remember that time EVERYTHING CHANGED in a matter of minutes, days and weeks? Yeah, that was a week or two ago. Those were the days where students who previously were attending classes moved to online and/or a homeschool scenario. 

For those in the ministry-world it became a week or two of major adjustments, ideation and creation as we figured out the best ways to move ministry from on-location to online. 

I love the innovation I see as digital natives teach us how to better engage them. 

Home-schooling is not just for students. Now is the time for those in ministry to homeschool as well.

What does that look like for you?

I have three suggestions for ways you can get better in the middle of COVID-19.

1. Start a Spiritual Discipline: Where are you not as spiritually disciplined as you’d like to be? Reading? Prayer? Memorization? Practicing your gift? Sharing about Jesus? Perhaps now is the time to begin a spiritual discipline you previously have not practiced or not practiced enough. My suggestion: keep it simple. For me- I plan to create a prayer log (journal). I want to look back at this time and see what I was praying about and how God answered.
2. Get Mentored: Many of us in ministry are mentoring (or discipling) others. But are you being mentored? As we practice social-distancing many of us have some discretionary hours we didn’t have before. My suggestion: identify a person you look up to spiritually and simply ask them if you can spend 45 minutes with them on a weekly basis for the next 4, 6 or 8 weeks. When you make the ask, let them know what you specifically admire about them and what you’d like to develop in your own spiritual life. If they aren’t available, ask someone else.
3. Intentionally Interview Others: There are MANY people I look up to in ministry. I have watched their ministry at a distance and even implemented ideas that I’ve seen him or her do. What would it look like to use this time for one-off interviews for the purpose of learning from them? My suggestion: identify ministry areas you’d like to better execute (i.e. creative games, best practices in missions, better stage-presence, message delivery, etc.). Simply reach out to other people in ministry just for the purpose of interviewing them about their best practices. Keep it short (30-45 minutes) and protect their time. Think outside the box, it doesn’t need to be the “known” person, in fact, thinking regionally and people in your local network will have many advantages and if nothing else encourage them as you share what you admire.

It’s time for homeschool. Let the classes begin.