John W. Wimberly Jr.
Fortress Press, 151 pages
Published July 20, 2021
In 2020, the world entered crisis mode. As the year progressed, it became evident that the COVID-19 pandemic was not going away any time soon. Businesses, non-profits and churches alike had to adjust rapidly in order to keep people safe while finding creative ways to provide their services, manage employees, and bolster morale in a time of unease and uncertainty. For many worshiping communities, COVID-19 was the proverbial straw (albeit a big one) that broke the camel’s back when it came to technological trepidation. Congregations had to adapt. Many did so quite successfully while others struggled in this “new’’ frontier called the virtual age. The good news is that the tools needed to succeed in ministry during the virtual age are right at our fingertips.
John W. Wimberly Jr.’s newest book Managing Congregations in a Virtual Age explores many of the challenges faced by religious leaders and congregational staff trying to navigate the new world of virtual spaces. With over 40 years of pastoral experience and his current work consulting with congregations on 21st century management, Wimberly provides clear and concise strategies for religious communities moving forward.
Utilizing both real-life experience and recent research in management techniques, Managing Congregations in a Virtual Age seeks to educate, inform and provide tools for religious leaders on how to manage staff and those in congregational leadership. The reality is that working from home, irregular schedules, and transitions to virtual spaces will become more frequent, even sought after, by potential employees in the near future. How do you manage staff virtually? How do you keep people accountable? Are there hybrid model approaches? How do you keep staff motivated and morale up in an ongoing pandemic?
We know that religious communities are typically a decade (or more) behind when it comes to use of technology. COVID-19 didn’t give most worshiping communities a choice — they had to adjust immediately to keep people safe. For many, this resulted in an unprecedented challenge. But as Wimberly writes, these challenges can blossom into something transformational and life-giving. He writes, “As we enter a time when virtual teams will grow in importance in the life of congregations, we need to remember that not everything virtual is good or bad. Not all technology is beneficial or harmful. We need to be analytical and reflective as we become more virtual in our way of being as congregations. With the use of technology, we have an opportunity to shape and reshape congregational culture for decades to come.”
This is a timely book for any in the position of leading or managing a worshiping community. It could also serve as a session/council study guide. The chapters are laid out clearly with plenty of headings for quick reference. Although this book does not go into great detail about particular hardware/software needed to navigate these virtual spaces, it does provide techniques to use these tools in congregations. Wimberly’s expertise shines through in this book and would be an excellent resource for religious leaders across the board.
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