Online

For about a year now I have had an interesting part time job. I am one of the facilitators for an online class offered by my alma mater, FWBBC. I have guided two classes through the "Introduction To Biblical Studies" class and I am currently working with a group in a class entitled "Christian Ethics."

I think the great value of the virtual classroom is the level of interaction students are required to have to get a good grade. I have spent a number of years in both college and seminary and I know it is possible to be present without really being present. Let me explain what I mean. You don't have to ask any questions and if you are lucky you won't be asked any directly. It may even be possible to borrow someone else's notes or get with a study group of more diligent students before the exams thus allowing you to be present without being present. This kind of hiding in plain view is not possible in an online class. The students have to give their answers or opinions on each issue we bring up. What's more, they are expected to interact with one another as the discussion progresses.

Now, is this better than the traditional classroom setting? The answer to that question is both yes and no. As I have already stated, it does have some positive elements, but can you really know the other members of your class or your instructor in a virtual classroom? I do believe it is a solution for many who can't relocate to a traditional campus and yet want the intellectual discipline of serious study.

All that being said, I would like to meet all of the folks who have gone through the classes I have been the facilitator for. If they stay with the program through graduation and actually receive their diplomas at FWBBC, I want to be there. Online interaction is a good thing, but it does not quite measure up to the real thing, at least in my mind.

The Ghost Of Pastors Past

I am now serving the fourth church of my career. I have been here since February 1995 and when you consider that I began my pastoral ministry in 1982 it means that better than half of the time I have been Pastor Corn it has been here at Bethlehem. Still, I have fond memories of the places I served before I landed in Ashland City. I have been thinking a lot about that in the past few months since one of the churches that I served is seeking a new pastor. I didn't really know their pastor, but he had called me to come for a Homecoming service a couple of years back and I was very impressed with him. It seemed to me that he was a good fit and the future looked brighter than it had for that church in some time. Now, the church is casting about for a new pastor. I have wondered if I could be of any help to them. After all, I do know a bunch of the preacher brethren and I do know some of the people in that church fairly well. I was just about convinced that I ought to call up some of the guys on the board when I stopped myself. Do I really want to recommend someone? What if that person is a colossal flop? I might end up hurting the church far more than I might help them. In the final analysis I decided I could not risk it. Now, if they call me and ask about someone that they are considering that might be different, but I'm not even sure about that.

Pastors seeking churches usually don't have keen perception of what churches really are like. What's more they will put their best foot forward in the interview process. Churches often don't know what questions to ask. It is something of a minor miracle that good pastoral fits ever occur. So, what can be done? I can pray for my former charge. It is the least that I can do and perhaps the most as well.