Contact Work Ideas in a Social Distancing World
The world has changed so much since COVID-19 has hit. That is probably one of the biggest understatements of the year. While it has changed, people, businesses and ministries have done a great job adapting on the fly. It hasn’t been perfect, as it has been a challenge, but it as been a fun adventure where lots of experiments and new ideas have been tried.
With all the experimentation that people have done, there have been a TON of ideas out there on how to do ministry in this primarily online world. While some of them have been very effective, there have been a lot of misses and that is ok. One of the biggest challenges has been ministering to students in an online only world. In particular, contact work. Whereas you used to do a lot of contact work in person with students before the coronavirus, living in a social distancing world creates some challenges to do that.
So what can you do? How can you still be effective in contact work in this social distancing world? Here are some ideas.
Phone Calls. Yes, old school phone calls are still effective! Even though we live in an online world and rely heavily on digital communications tools, a simple phone call to a student can go over really well. Even if you have to leave a message to connect, at least students know that you care and are looking out for them.
Letters or Care packages. Another old school way to connect with students is very valuable here. Here students know that you care about them and are thinking about them. As Chad shares here about what he does for those the Church baptizes, there are some great ideas on how you can use letters and care packages for students here as well. Send them some and let them know you are thinking about them even if you can’t see them in person.
Game Nights. These are fun nights where you just gather students together online via Zoom or Facebook Rooms and play a variety of games. What games? There are a ton of ideas. Just go to Download YM, CIY, or even Jackbox Games to get a variety of free or on sale games that work well on Zoom. These games are great connection points for students. While it may be unfortunate that more students don’t come to Bible studies online, they are more likely to come out to a Zoom Game Night so it’s a great way to connect with students.
“Theme” Zoom Nights. This is different from Game Nights as this could be something non-game centric. For instance, you can do a Book Club Night or a Lunch gathering. Be creative and invite students to what they may be interested in and use it as an opportunity to connect with students.
Parent Zoom Nights. Parents need connection too. And, as a student minister, they are part of your ministry as well. So set up some Zoom gathering times and use it as an opportunity to connect once a month or so. My ministry has been using it since the pandemic hit and it has been very successful. We have been able to connect with more parents online than we ever did in person. We will continue this gathering as a permanent part of our ministry moving forward.
Individual Parent Emails. Zoom calls are great ways to connect with parents but still not every parent will respond to a Zoom call. However, if you send them an individual you are going to get a fairly good response. And, a great conversation and connection can help provide you another opportunity to minister to a family, as a whole, not just the student.
Individual Text Messages. Why focus on “individual” text messages here for this point? Because, while I have discovered that is it is more efficient to “group” text message a bunch of students, it is more effective to text message individuals. I have found that I get such a higher response when I send individuals text messages and chat with them. Feel free to do group text messages but know that if you want more in-depth conversation, text students individually. But be careful, while there are great opportunities to message students and encourage them during this time, there are also some dangers. Make sure you protect yourself and your ministry when you message students.
Conclusion
Ministering in a social distancing world has its ups and downs. There is a lot of trial and error that goes on. In regards to contact work, there are a variety of social distancing ways you can reach out and connect with students still. Some are “old school” ways and some are very new. By mix and matching the different ways, you can find effective ways to help you connect with your students no matter what is happening in the world, but especially in a social distancing world.
What do you think? What other volunteer roles are there or will there be in this digital world? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick when you share.
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