he summer after I finished college I spent most of June through August preaching revival meetings across the state of Alabama. I traveled with a very gifted young singer. He certainly sang better than I preached! We held meetings from Sunday night to Wednesday night, then Thursday night through Sunday morning. Pretty tiring even for young guys.I made a lot of friends during those weeks. I am what Malcolm Gladwell would call a “connector” (if you have read Tipping Point). I love to meet folks and encourage people. I guess that is why i love Facebook so much.After that summer I got a stack of letters weekly from various young people God had allowed me to touch in ministry. I still have some of them. They are precious to me.After a season in seminary where I served local churches, I have spent most of the past two decades traveling and preaching as an itinerant. Well, in addition to my day job as a professor. I have watched the impact of changing technology. The sending back and forth of letters became pretty tedious in a hurry. Then along came email. In the late 90s I had enough sense to start a webpage as another means to keep up. Then a young collegian at Harvard started a social network that eventually became what we know as Facebook. I reluctantly signed on after some strong encouragement by college students I know (thanks Joy). I had no idea the impact it would have on the itinerant ministry I enjoy.Now, when I go to a place, whether a local church or college campus, I make friends and add them on my Facebook (or Myspace, but I like FB much better). Facebook has become for me a constant source for encouragement and maintaining connections. This is especially true when I return to a church where I have been (like my awesome friends at Madison Street!) or universities. In the past if I spoke in chapel at North Greenville University, or in classes at Liberty, or at the BCM at Clemson, I would have kept up with pretty much no one. Now, when I return to places I have been I can put together an event. This allows me to meet up with old friends and make new ones at the same time. It has added unintended consequences such as recruiting opportunities for Southeastern. In the academic world we often employ adjunctive faculty. These professors help in a given area of expertise or teach a class where said institution needs help. Such profs do not have the ongoing relationship with students elected faculty have; however, they can be a vital part of the larger learning experience.I have discovered that being an “adjunctive minister” is one of the most joyful aspects of itinerant ministry. I enjoy the thrill, the newness, the need to depend on Jesus that comes from speaking to a different crowd consistently. But I have a pastor’s heart, and love to be more than a talking head who shows up, backs up the dump truck, and dumps some truth before departing. The new technology helps so much to make personal and ongoing what has tended to be impersonal and transient. Take, for instance, Madision Street Baptist Church in Starke, Florida. Both the band who ministers with me (who got their name, Finding Madison, from the church) and I have been back several times since we first met at their camp summer of 07. A rally here, a DNow there, and before you know it we have made many friends. I have more FB friends from Bradford High, the local school there, than any public school network. Student pastor Jeff Stockdale and I are as close as brothers. We share a common passion and philosophy for young people. I am able to assist his ministry by keeping up with students online and by popping in to speak (and hang out) regularly. A similar thing is happening with me at North Greenville University. Every year for a while now they have been so kind to let me speak in chapel. I love it there! I have recruited students for them. I believe in their mission. Now, I also speak in some classes and to campus groups. I have a lot of friends there, as it is one of my largest college groups. I have seen similar connections happen at Liberty University, Clemson, and East Carolina, to name a few.It seems to me that bringing in a familiar face who connects with a church or a campus, with the added feature of ongoing communication via facebook, becomes a win-win for a guy like me and the given ministry. I do this as well in my primary ministry as a professor, as I have certain people I like to have come and speak to my students.The world is flat. I get FB messages weekly from a dozen campuses and numerous churches, all representing individuals who have everything from questions about theology and culture to personal struggles. I especially love connecting with people through Facebook I will likely see again by returning to their church or school. God has given us minds to use technology for His glory. I will do just that.
Hey teach,
Glad to connect agian and say, “Hello”. It’s great to see you blazing with the same fire you lit in my heart at Southeastern. Just remember if you need to build a fence or have any yardwork I am your guy. I would love to catch up sometime. Your awesome!!