Let me start with the disclaimer that some (or all) of this might not be new to you.
If you’re better at connecting the dots between technology and ministry potential than you may have more to add to this list…
But it struck me this past Monday evening, as I was Skyping with the Christian Student Fellowship staff from the University of Kentucky (while they were on retreat in Gatlinburg, TN), that maybe I wasn’t utilizing this great communication tool to the extent that I could be… and thought that I might not be alone.
Sure, Skype has long (at least as long as we’ve had it) been known for connecting us with distant family or friends for some virtual face-to-face time. And maybe we’ve even been to a conference where one of the planned speakers was unable to make it, but was available to be Skyped in for an interview or something. But that’s been about the extent of my video conferencing experiences… until this past Monday that is.
My virtual time with the CSF staff got me to thinking about the ways that I wasn’t utilizing Skype (but possibly could be) between the extremes of personal chats and professional, large-scale learning.
So here are 4 ways I’ve envisioned utilizing Skype in the months ahead — and I think it has the potential to significantly impact the kind of leadership development I (we) engage in, as well as what we might offer to our leadership teams.
Student Leadership Development — Whether it’s the beginning of the school year leadership retreat for our students, student leaders or even a campus-wide leadership event… Getting 30 or even 60 minutes with some the students highly regard — to inspire and help set the stage (for the event… and even the year) could be easily (and economically) accomplished by arranging to Skype. No worries about the cost of an honorarium (though one might be appropriate depending on how formal the experience) or travel or lodging. The only real concern is on the side of technology working the way(s) it’s supposed to.
Student Leader Training — Leader training can take on a much more specific focus than the broad leadership development mentioned above. It usually involves the exploration of a certain set of skills or ideas or even a specific model. Having the chance to Skype with the “expert” who wrote the book or designed the model could be incredibly beneficial to your student leaders. The opportunity to have some “back and forth” with the expert could dramatically impact a students understanding (and therefore, the likelihood that they will utilize whatever it is). And while some “experts” might be harder to reach or schedule for such an experience, an increasing number of them seem to recognize that this is simply a part of how ministry and leadership happens in the 21st Century.
Staff Development — How great would it be to have Steve Garber, Eugene Peterson, Tim Elmore, Marva Dawn or Scot McKnight at your next staff meeting? Now, I’m not suggesting that any of these folks are just sitting by the phone/computer, waiting for this kind of invite, but my guess would be that we wouldn’t be the first to extended such an invite. There are a lot of “experts” out there that would likely be willing to spend a little time chatting with teams of leaders who are investing in the lives of today’s college students. Sometimes all it takes is reaching out and extending the invitation.
One-on-One Mentoring — Finally, I think there is substantial opportunity for us to build and/or further relationships with “experts” that we meet at conferences or through social media via Skype. Whether it’s a weekly, monthly, quarterly or one-time conversation… the chance to connect, converse and learn from people who are more learned and/or experienced can be had at a very personal level through Skype.
I’m sure there is more that can be added to this list… so please feel free to share your ideas below.
And before I end, allow me this one word of caution…
Caution — I think the one thing we need to make sure we avoid as leaders is “farming out” that which we should be doing. I think there are a number of reasons to Skype in great leaders from around the globe — for unique and specific opportunities — but if we go to this well too often, we may run the risk of losing the kind of leadership influence that God has called us to exercise in these places we’ve been called to… to the people God has put under our care.
So that’s where I’ll end.
What do you think?
How to you utilize Skype (or other mediums of virtual communication) for leadership development?
What challenges do you have with this model of leadership development?
