The upside of Zoom
These ministry leaders say that meeting in person isn’t always better.
After months of pandemic Zoom meetings, the council members were delighted to gather at the church once more. But when the Chair declared: “It’s so good to all meet face to face again!” I chuckled. Because that wasn’t true. We were gathered in-person around the Council table – but hardly “face to face.” Two members with fragile health conditions still wore masks. Even those without masks were unable to see one another “face to face.” The configuration of the room and the large table meant that only half of the group could easily see the others, and everyone struggled to hear one another. I left the meeting reflecting that Zoom was more truly “face to face” than I had previously appreciated.
Overcoming geography
If your job during the pandemic devolved into hours staring at a computer screen and all your human interactions became a grid of poorly lit faces, you have my sympathy! Long hours of Zooming is miserable. But if you’re someone who continues to meet monthly on Zoom with college roommates who now live on three different continents, you’re not alone. Zoom and other video-conferencing apps (Skype, Google Meet, etc.) have created new ways to keep in touch and new ways to confer with family, friends, colleagues and church members. Good, immediate conversations can happen even when we are not physically in the same place. This creates all sorts of opportunities for deliberations within congregations. So why don’t we like it? Or maybe we do like it? Who is the “we” that we’re talking about? Do we just not want to admit that we like it? At least sometimes. At least for some conversations?
Since November, conversations about a distinctly Canadian Christian Reformed Church (CRC) have been taking place over Zoom. These discussions, initially called “Kitchen Table Conversations” had an open format that invited questions and comments. This opportunity for sharing is one of the strengths of video-conferencing, but there were also challenges (see sidebar at bottom of article). It’s hard to imagine how such Canada-wide gatherings could have successfully taken place in person, though that didn’t stop some participants from wishing for it.
Hearing from the introverts
Some people thrive on fully in-person gatherings. They love schmoozing and small talk beforehand. They are quick to pick up on body language and tone during an in-person meeting. They feel energized by listening and arguing and by social talk over coffee afterwards. But many people do not thrive on these sorts of things. And some people have physical limitations that make many in-person meetings difficult or impossible.
Ashley Patton, director of youth & young adults for Dunamis Fellowship Canada, reflected on the plus side of hosting youth camps via Zoom during the Pandemic. “I valued how easy it was to see expressions – you can see everyone face to face. On a Zoom call, you can read the room much faster. Some youth were slow to engage – but they became really active when we opened up the chat function. The chat function on Zoom (a feature that lets people type in comments to a shared corner during a Zoom meeting) lets those who are quiet speak into the conversations.”
Ashley’s experience matches our experience with on-line university classes. Students who excelled in in-person discussions were suddenly eclipsed by students who had once sat silent in the classroom. A whole new set of students shared thoughtful observations once they had time to frame the questions rumbling in their minds. Surely this is also true for congregational meetings and classical gatherings. Ashley observed that “Zoom helped us think differently. It was part of being forced to try new ways even as we carry on with what is important to us. I found light and life in this.”
Online convenience
Thinking differently is important. To simply use Zoom to replicate the kind of meetings we used to hold in person is asking for tedious and awkward gatherings. We can do new things. Christian Courier has an editorial board with members in B.C., Ontario and Nova Scotia – meeting regularly over Zoom. This made the opportunity for some members to gather in Ontario last summer for a rare BBQ dinner a treasured experience! The combination of regular Zoom meetings and occasional in-person times lets The Courier exploit the best of both formats, stewarding money and time wisely. Combining video conferencing meetings and in-person gatherings can also welcome people we once forgot or were unable to include.
Hilary Peereboom recently finished her term as a church elder. “I can’t imagine Hilary enjoying Zoom meetings!” said one of her friends. “She’s such a warm, overflowing extrovert!” But when I interviewed Hilary, she laughed and said “. . . but Zoom is what made it work for me! On Zoom I didn’t worry about driving to evening Council meetings. Zoom gave me flexibility in terms of young kids. I did one or two in-person meetings . . . but they lasted longer than they should have, which created a big stress for my husband and family in terms of getting back with the car. Zoom meetings worked well for us.”
Limits and adaptations
Whether they are in person or online, any meeting is best when thoughtfully organized and wisely hosted. Managing a fruitful discussion for a large group is difficult – whether people are gathered in a church hall or staring at a grid of faces for a video chat. The variety of concerns expressed in the Toward CRC Canada Zoom meetings seemed valuable not because everyone’s issues were addressed, but because we listened to voices that we don’t regularly hear. In-person gatherings easily ignore those who are uncertain as those who are articulate speedily push things along.
No one would claim that Zoom is the perfect format for all meetings. It is not. Ashley commented that “you are limited by a screen, when sometimes you would like to give a hug. But you learn and adapt. You learn how to screen share. We learned to engage in shorter units . . . our speaking times became capped in 20-minute units.”
Zoom can create a more welcoming and inclusive space for all sorts of people. Time, travel complications and the physical space demanded by in-person meetings used to exclude many. Maybe we should remind those who opine that “it would be better if we could discuss this in person” that some people would thereby be left out? How can we use all our opportunities well – being more inclusive in-person gatherings, and exploiting the opportunities that Zoom meetings offer?
The 10 commandments of church zoom meetings
1. Find someone to “coach” those who may need tech support (before the meeting).
2. Agree on the “real start time.” For some meetings that means everyone should be on 10 minutes beforehand as they gather paper and pens and coffee. Be respectful of the schedules and time of others.
3. Short, focused Zoom meetings (20-30 minutes) are great ways to debrief things (What happened on Sunday with all the musicians and tech team, for example.) Consider using short Zoom meetings to free up time for bigger-picture thinking when in person.
4. Use “Screen Share” for the documents everyone needs to consider.
5. Use breakout rooms, whiteboards and the official signals (ie. the raised hand emoji) any time the group is large.
6. Prepare to adapt a bit if people are using phones and tablets so that they are fully included.
7. 6-8 is an ideal size for many meetings. At this size, make a point of inviting each person to speak before someone else takes the floor.
8. Keep a Zoom meeting to an hour.
9. Consider effective ways to combine in-person and online meetings. For example, a pair of open Q&A gatherings, one on Zoom and one in person, prior to a major AGM meeting can stream-line the actual AGM as well as increase transparency.
10. Appoint someone who doesn’t have a speaking role to manage the waiting room (make sure only real humans get in) and mute open mics to avoid disturbances and unwanted interruptions.
