It was the one-two punch of cellphones and email that first pulled clergy into the social-media age, followed by digital newsletters, Facebook pages and constantly changing congregational websites. Even in small churches, the work of the “church secretary” has evolved, from answering the office telephone and preparing an ink-on-paper newsletter to serving as an all-purpose online networker.
“The old boundaries are vanishing and, for pastors in some parts of the country, they’re almost completely gone,” said Vaters, reached by telephone. “That mobile phone is always with you. ”¦ Once your church passes 200 members you have to manage things in a different way. You just can’t afford to be as accessible to all those church members all of the time.”
So what happens today when a member of a congregation rings the pastor’s cellphone? Vaters recently addressed that question in a post at Christianity Today’s Pivot blog for small-church leaders. The blunt headline: “Why Most Pastors Aren’t Answering Your Phone Calls.”