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9 Best Practices For Digital Ministry
Digital ministry skills to get you started during COVID-19 quarantine
Kelsey Galyon
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With the spread of coronavirus, many campuses are headed to digital classrooms and canceling events on campus.
With this move, are you in need of some ideas or thoughts to jumpstart your digital ministry to still have impact on athletes in the midst of the isolation?
Over the past several months, I have been serving in the role of Director of Digital Discipleship for Athletes in Action Basketball. Here are a couple of tips that can get you started with meeting digitally.
1. USE GOOGLE MEET
Invite your athletes to meet you via video chat so they can still see you and interact with you more than just on a regular phone call. They don’t need a gmail account to be on the call. Click here or watch below for a tutorial video on Google Meet.
FIND A COMMON TIME (IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE A STANDING MEETING TIME)
a. I suggest using Google Forms (or something similar like Doodle) to create a survey when trying to find a time for larger groups. It can be a basic form that takes a couple of mins to fill out with different time options. Once the form is filled out, you can view results in a spreadsheet and decide which time works best for the most people to join. Here is a link to a tutorial and you can watch it below.
b. Isolation can be lonely. In addition to formal meetings, consider doing informal or impromptu meetings to connect with one another and literally hangout.
RECORD THE MEETINGS
Once it is recorded, you can send the link to those who couldn’t make the meeting and they can watch it when they have time. Make sure you let everyone know that it will be recorded and have their consent.
TREAT IT LIKE A NORMAL MEETING
a. Have a start time and finish time and communicate that up front.
b. Study whatever material you normally would. You can watch videos together, screen share documents or webpages to read together, etc. You don’t have to switch up your content just because it’s digital.
BECOME FAMILIAR
Become familiar with all of the features of google hangout. You can share your screen and show videos or documents, send links or write comments in the comment section, record, and others. (Youtube has many tutorials that can help).
BE PATIENT
a. Sometimes technology doesn’t work. Sometimes someone’s internet isn’t good and they break up or drop off the call randomly. If their internet isn’t working well, it may be necessary to add them in on their cell phone.
b. People don’t always view these meetings the same as if they were in a physical meeting. Be patient with interruptions from roommates or friends that may not know they are on a call, and with people showing up late or dropping off.
KEEP THE GROUP SMALL
When the group gets over 4 or 5, it can be hard to have everyone’s voice be heard. It is possible to meet with more, but I think smaller is better.
HAVE EVERYONE ON MUTE
Have everyone’s microphone muted so that when they are not talking, the background noise from in everyone’s video isn’t picked up.
CURATE CONTENT
Here are some links you can consider sharing with your group:
a. Missing Church? Pursue God in the comfort of your own home.
b. Some good conversation starters on topics like emotions, relationships, etc.
More Questions? Please contact Kelsey.Galyon@athletesinaction.org or Jodi.Hasbrouck@athletesinaction.org. We are happy to help in this transition to the digital space!
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