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How can you virtually deliver a sermon?

Cartoon of a man holding a tablet computer. He says, "I'll just hold the screen while our guest pastor delivers the sermon!"
Copyright © 2020 Kevin Spear for Church of God Ministries

Churches have enough challenges these days. One of the many obstacles has been how to virtually deliver a sermon to congregants who are staying home. COVID-19 has made life and ministry quite interesting!

Pastors and churches have found some incredible, creative ways to get their sermons out. Some have made use of Facebook Live while others have used YouTube. Others have polished up their web sites and made them more user-friendly. One great thing about these challenges is it has brought about innovation. We have all learned to use technology in ways we never would have dreamed of this time last year.

One of my goals for the coming year is to help pastors and Christian leaders use the Internet and social media more effectively. This continues to be the way many people get their information. Google has become the oracle many turn to. After all, when we have a question, how many of us type that question into Google to see what the results bring?

When it comes to public speaking and sermons, pastors are great communicators. However, it’s a totally different communication method to distill a sermon into a tweet, Facebook post, or blog. But since search engines depend on text, it is a vital part of today’s effective communication.

I feel for the church as it faces more challenges in the coming weeks. COVID-19 cases continue to climb as we get ready for Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. November 2020 is beginning to feel a lot like March 2020. What will Christmas look like this year? Are all of the events canceled? Should they be?

We can still give thanks even when the event doesn’t look like it normally does. We can still celebrate and commemorate Christmas even though the annual choir extravaganza has been canceled. The holidays are about more than events.

I drew this cartoon for the November 2020 CHOGNews.

Cartoon of a man holding a tablet computer. He says, "I'll just hold the screen while our guest pastor delivers the sermon!"
Copyright © 2020 Kevin Spear for Church of God Ministries
Categories
motivation

Just Start, End, Restart

Cartoon of a grandfather and grandson on a roller coaster.

We’re all scared to start something. The fear of starting is often more terrifying than the action we dread. We spend too much time fretting whether we can do it right than actually doing the work.

We’ve all been there. To tell you the truth, I’ve been shell shocked since my wife stepped away from ministry this year. Apparently, he wanted to get her out before COVID-19 hit. Who would have thought this year would be such an upside-down, topsy-turvy roller coaster ride? I hope no one was eating before the middle of March 2020. We’ve all had motion sickness since then.

Cartoon of a grandfather and grandson on a roller coaster.

I took a leap of faith five years ago. We made a journey of two thousand miles when she had a job offer and returned after a year. And then we took a leap of faith when she ended her employment in December 2019. We are still determining what’s next.


It’s been difficult to think about restarting. But the alternative is to find a nice little corner, get in the fetal position and decide which thumb to suck (since I’m left-handed, I prefer that right thumb, so I can draw at the same time). Hey! Who hasn’t done that this year? This was a lousy year to stop the thumb-sucking habit.

So today, we restart again. It is better to say a little something than to keep quiet and never start. It’s time to joke again, laugh again, and to be unashamed of shedding a tear or two. After all, living happens between the star, restart, and finish. It’s a shame to never start, and as a result, never live.

Categories
church cartoons

Contactless Tithing

Cartoon of two men. One is about to catch a paper airplane. He says, "Look! There's another contactless tithe!"
Published in the October 2020 CHOGNews.

Welcome to the wonderful world of contactless tithing! There are things we used to take for granted that has now been complicated by the coronavirus. It has also generated some new phrases like…

  • social distancing
  • flatten the curve
  • contactless giving (also known in churches as contactless tithing)

We are all looking for various ways to avoid spreading the coronavirus. One advantage of the Internet is we can do various tasks without the need to be in contact with anyone. It even makes it possible to tithe without darkening the door of the church building.

Hi-tech Giving

Hi-tech giving in the church has been around for at least five years. I drew a cartoon about five years ago about the awkwardness of giving online when the ushers pass around the offering plate. How can you say, “I already gave,” without being obnoxious? Well, why not have a t-shirt proclaiming your actions?

Of course, with any new technology, some find a way to misuse or abuse it like this cartoon shows:

Electronic Giving is NOT E-Waste!

Strange New World

Just like other businesses and organizations, churches are learning to adapt to new ways of operating. I have to admit, it is very strange to visit a church now and not have an offering plate being sent down each pew.

But I suppose it is just as weird to see the enforced distancing at churches as well as sporting and community events. It’s also an adjustment to see people worshipping with masks on. It’s become that much easier to sing along without knowing the words. Humming while participating has never been so much more attainable!

On the plus side, electronic giving has now come into the mainstream. It has been around for several years, but now it is a lifeline to churches that have congregants watching from home. A paper airplane may have a limited range for contactless tithing, but texting to give, by app, or through a web site are now great ways to keep participating while we wait for this season to pass.

This cartoon was published in the October 2020 CHOGNewsletter.

Cartoon of two men. One is about to catch a paper airplane. He says, "Look! There's another contactless tithe!"
Published in the October 2020 CHOGNews.
Categories
motivation

The Powerful Leadership Skill No One Wants to Use

Cartoon of two boys staring at a manhole. One says, "Sorry Mister. At least you can say you were part of a home run."

What is the most important leadership skill?

  • Is it the ability to ram your idea through your team?
  • Perhaps it’s Powerpoint skills? (Let’s hope not!)
  • Or maybe it’s the generosity to bring in doughnuts when your team has put in the hours on a big project?

No, one skill is a superpower that many souls value, but very few leaders have the courage to use it.

When I read this article by Josh Aten on Inc.com the other day, it struck me how simple the concept is. Then I thought about how rare of a quality it is. Frankly, many of us are scared to even consider it because we think it makes us appear weak. What is that quality?

it turns out that one of the most important leadership skills is admitting when you’re wrong.

Josh Aten on Inc.com

It’s so simple and obvious. Yet, I can see how it would have a stigma in many workplaces. After all, aren’t leaders supposed to be right all the time? Many leaders think that’s the case. Like my cartoon in 2009 showed, apologies can appear to show weakness and open us up to liability.

We Know Better

But we all know better. Nobody is right all the time. Anybody who has been in a relationship knows there are times they were wrong. We may not admit it, but we know there are times we should apologize, admit we were wrong and move on. It’s good for loving relationships. It’s good for all relationships, including professional ones.

I have had to use that skill recently. My wife and I have had some animated discussions about attitude. I’ve had to admit I can be the problem. It’s humbling when I can see the blind spots everyone else has but have no clue about my own. No wonder Jesus talked about the speck we see in a brother’s eye while we have a plank in our own eye. Yes, I’m guilty of that and I was wrong.

A sincere apology is a leadership skill that we rarely see in a business school curriculum. If we search for a good example in the media, we will probably be disappointed. Don’t expect to find a good example with politicians. We would even be hard-pressed to find a good example with journalists who have experienced a very unfortunate incident with a Zoom call.

Cartoon of two boys staring at a manhole. One says, "Sorry Mister. At least you can say you were part of a home run."
Categories
Christianity

Article: California Churches Rally in Wildfire Response

Churches rally during Creek Wildfire
Photo Credit: Nate Nielsen

I had the opportunity to interview two pastors about the California Creek Fire in Fresno County and how the churches have rallied together to bring relief efforts in the area. The article appeared on the Church of God News Blog on October 1, 20202. Here’s a link.

California Churches Rally Together in Wildfire Response

The fire began over a month ago. As I write this on October 7, 2020, the fire is still only 49% contained. Thankfully, most of the fire is in sparsely inhabited areas. Largely, this fire is no longer in the national news cycle. It’s no wonder. When I checked The LA Times map of current wildfires, there were twenty-nine active California wildfires. That’s a lot to keep track of!

However, the way the churches rallied in this wildfire response inspired me. Here was a group of people that under normal, prosperous times may have eyed each other as competitors. But as the fire endangered their community, they knew they had more in common than not.

So it can be hard to remain an optimist when things are literally burning around you. But it is so helpful to remain positive and to give help where needed. I loved the outlook Pastor Shawn Beaty displayed.

God uses traumas, trials, and transitions to bring people to him.

Shawn Beaty: Clovis Hills Community Church

Some relief workers had to evacuate. No doubt, relief workers were concerned they could lose their own property. In the early days, the fire was unpredictable and it was a very fluid situation. But the pastors observed the members that were in the best frame of mind were those who were helping others. Instead of despairing, the churches were aiding those who may have been in similar or worse situations.

Sure, we can see the troubles all around us as obstacles worth complaining about. Or like the churches in this article, we can put our resources together and do some good in tough situations.