A pastor told me the story about his encounter with a person who asked him if he could make his blog posts available to those without computers. "I do not have a computer. I am not going to get a computer. But, I have heard that your writing is something that I should read."
This question puts a spotlight on an issue of service. Most of the members of our churches have computers. Most of our members regularly view their e-mail (though 95% of it in 2007 has been spam).
Most, not all.
Even if a family has a computer, that family may have it because of the needs of the children, work, or membership in an organization. I know of several whose careers mandate the use of computers everyday. One way these persons have chosen to enforce the boundary between work and family time, is not to use a computer at home - even though other members of the family do.
There are many people who choose to use other tools. One person shared with me, "If you want to get hold of me, your best bet is to use the phone. I read my e-mail about once a week, if that." This person is not alone.
The easiest strategy is to employ just one or two tools of communication to connect with people of the church. However, this misses many people. This is another case of the "either-or's." It would be easiest for me to rationalize, "She has chosen not to use the medium that I connect with, therefore, she has chosen not to connect. That's her choice." Easiest, but is this the attitude of Christ?
Connecting with people requires each of us to first look to the needs of others rather than ourselves. Remember the Apostle Paul's words to the Philippians (2:1-12)? If the person has an interest in learning or has already chosen to use a communication medium that you prefer then you can serve by using that medium. But, if that person has chosen another medium, also use that medium that he or she has chosen.
My suggestion to the pastor who was asked to make available the content of his blog to those without computers: Design an attractive header, then copy and paste each blog post under the header, print it out and place each on the church literature rack.
Do an inventory of the communication strategies you are using. Are those who want to make connection with you able to?
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