Engaging in community care via digital media is what the Gospel and Global Media class has been reflecting on and blogging about this week. Caring Bridge is a site that was highlighted this week as well. I have followed several people through their journey's on Caring Bridge over the last several years. I want to address this particular topic in terms of rural ministry.
I don't think that our social media or technology will ever replace our human need to be "in touch" with one another. I certainly don't advocate either for anyone to replace virtual with person to person, however, I strongly believe there is a place for the virtual side of things particularly pastoral care. In the community in which I live there is a small hospital and great care is available, however, it is a small community hospital and does not care for needs of those that need heart surgery, cancer treatments, etc... The next closest hospital is 30 minutes away and another 45 minutes. Most people in our community when they find themselves in need of hospitalization or major surgery are cared for at a hospital that is 90 miles away or even in the Twin Cities (4 hours away) and even in Rochester (6 hours away). It is not realistic that I jump in my car to make a person-to-person hospital visit when the parishioner is 6 hours away. This is where social media comes in handy! Whether it is a Caring Bridge page, a Facebook page or a simple text, I can now be "present" for the parishioner that is many hours away. I may not be able to get to the hospital that is 6 hours away and a pastoral face to face visit may have to wait until 6, 8, 12 weeks when the patient finally returns home. Without social media the only other access to these parishioners would be the telephone.
I really think that each context finds a different place for the use of social media when it comes to pastoral care and I don't think that is a one size fits all or even one size fits most kind of rule we can apply here. Not only each pastor, but each community and each situation will call for a different application of social media care. So for me this week what I take away most is to not assume that each parishioner is in a place (physically and geographically) to be visited in the hospital and that maybe it isn't fair to assume that just because I am posting on Caring Bridge or Facebook that there will be no person to person follow up. We need to be careful not to only see this particular kind of pastoral care from our own box. Open up the box and take a peek outside, you never know what you might see.
Thank you for reminding me about the challenges rural ministry may face when needing to be present in pastoral care. What a blessing it is to be a part of rural ministry however, as you mention, you cannot be expected to drive to these hospitals so social media sites do become your vehicle for pastoral care until they are able to return home. I am wondering how to encourage more social media use by the congregation without sounding like I don't want that "in touch" time you talk about...do you have any ideas for me? :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is a really good question and I hope others weigh in with their ideas as well. The use of social media is such a part of the church because of the nature of our rural location. People in the congregation use it to keep in touch with loved ones through Skype and Facebook in their personal lives so when the church jumps into the realm of social media it isn't new. It is ideal if there was a parishioner who would give permission to the church to connect to him/her via social media during a time of surgery or hospitalization as an introduction to it. I think that as long as the social media doesn't replace being "in touch" the congregation will come to see its value. Starting a church prayer page might be a start too. There are all kinds of ideas, I would say not to let fear keep from giving it a try with a congregation that might not be accustomed to the use of social media and I would guess that most churches have quite a few people who would jump at the chance to "teach" this way of being connected.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I'm well into social media. However there is a drawback, in my mind, in terms of ministry. There are things in ministry that should be, must be, one to one. Social media is, by definition, social. I have, for example, a dear friend who is on Caring Bridge. Her story is there for all to see and to make comments to encourage her. I'm not comfortable commenting on Caring Bridge because I feel I must not be quite as open as I would be one to one. So in her case, I email her because I can't visit her. Sometimes on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media, it is very obvious that people forget that what they put out is for all to see. Some of my relatives have posted things meant for one family member about being away from the house for two days. Or they forget what their settings are. One can forget in a too private direction, as well, as when my sister put out an FB posting about my mother's memorial service, but forgot that her FB postings were set to go to only very close family. It seems to me that it would be good for the hospitals in our very rural, spread out area, to invest in some lap top computers and a person to help the patient use something like Skype. Then the churches/pastors who want to be part of this network can get on board with similar equipment, which isn't all that expensive, and they can talk one-on-one with their patients who have a long term hospitalization. This would be more private, more personal, and with no misadventure into putting private info out in the public. Some older people are into technology, others aren't. But it seems to me that this would be a good avenue to explore within churches. There might be room for pastor "visits" to someone's home in the same manner, especially if somebody was home bound for a long time.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I didn't see your comment until after I posted. We cover some of the same topics.
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