Five Ways to Creatively Engage the Mission While Quarantined

By McKayla Moore, Resonate Pullman

There was a moment during the first week of quarantine where I sat down to read the Bible in the morning, and my devotional plan brought me to the end of Matthew. Jesus, having been resurrected from the grave, defeated death and proved his authority and deity, now commissioned his disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NASB). Closing the word and weeping, I prayed “But Jesus, I can’t go! I’m stuck here! How am I supposed to make disciples now?”

Perhaps you’ve faced a similar moment of despair, feeling altogether stuck in quarantine and stripped of all your influence while the missional living wheel flies out the window. You might feel like you don’t know what else there is for you to do now to reach those who are lost from the unfortunate confines of your living room sofa. 

It’s important to remember that, though we might feel stuck where we’re at, the gospel is not quarantined. The gospel cannot be stopped. In fact, Paul writes in Colossians 1 that the gospel is “in all the world… constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth” (1:5-6 NASB). Though our mobility might be stifled, the gospel is not any less active and God’s Word any less powerful under the conditions of quarantine.

That said, many of us are still wondering, what can we do to engage in mission during this time? If we can’t physically go anywhere, what can we do to bring the gospel to lost people? To help you start thinking about ways to best answer that question for yourself, I’ve compiled a list of 10 ways to creatively engage the mission during quarantine:

1. Reach out to a lost friend or family member:

I know this might seem simple, but so many people are asking questions about faith in God during a time of uncertainty and crisis. Many of us have moved back home for a season. Those of us who haven’t moved home have likely contacted our families more in the last few weeks than we had ever pre-pandemic. Now is the time to be bold and send that text, that DM on instagram, or make that phone call. Consider reaching out to an old best friend from high school, a sibling or family member, or past coworker.Consider going on a walk or doing yard work or art or some other project with them if you are living with your family to spark spiritual conversation. If you are not near your family currently, consider making a virtual coffee date or hosting a family-wide game night.  Pray about who you feel the Lord might be asking you to reach out to. 

2.“Love Thy [Literal] Neighbors”:

Whether you live in a dorm, apartment, or neighborhood, we all have physical neighbors in some form. If you’ve never met or reached out to your neighbors, now might be the best time (6 ft apart, of course). Consider making flyers to place in your neighbors’ mailboxes (or by their doors) offering to pick up groceries or other needs for them, walking their dog for them, or perhaps inviting them to Resonate Live on Sundays. Consider suggesting your neighbors sign up for an app called NextDoor. This app is specifically designed for neighbors to connect and communicate with one another. Rosaria Butterfield, in her book The Gospel Comes with a House Key, uses the NextDoor app to foster community in her neighborhood as an opportunity to manifest godly hospitality towards those physically near her home. 

3. Utilizing the Digital Platform for Evangelism:

I’m calling it now: the next new word for Webster 2021--  “Insta-vangelism”. While typically our face-to-face interactions and relationships drive our evangelism, considering utilizing social media during this time. God’s word has power, even when we aren’t able to share it with people in person. Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s Word never returns to Him empty, without succeeding in the matter for which He sent it. Here are some ideas for reaching out digitally:   

1. Host a Discovery Bible Study: Consider posting on your instagram story an invite for a discovery Bible study for those who might be bored, want to learn about the Bible, or start reading the Bible, but just aren’t sure how to go about starting. Four girls responded (one currently living in Germany) to my post, and we’ve been meeting weekly since then to study our way through John. 

2. Record your testimony and put it on instagram live: Honestly, what is there to lose? It’s amazing how many views some of our social media platforms receive in a day. Consider sharing a story (maybe YOUR story) on instagram or Facebook live for those connected with you to see. Don’t forget to let people know, who are watching the video, that if they want to learn more about Jesus, they should contact you to chat one-on-one. 

3. Virtual Coffee Dates: Why stop having those intentional one-on-ones with people in your life just because Starbucks has been reduced to a drive-thru only experience? Make a virtual coffee date with someone in your life this week over Zoom or FaceTime with the intention of sharing with them what Jesus has been teaching you during this time. 

4. Pray

We mustn’t forget that our most powerful evangelistic tool is prayer. God is not bound to the “stay at home” order-- He can move where we can’t. Now more than ever we ought to be reliant on the spirit to move in the hearts of our lost friends and family members. Make a list of lost people in your life (consider 1 to 5 people) who you can intentionally pray for daily. Consider even setting reminders in your phone at different intervals during the day to pause for a moment and “pray without ceasing” for them (1 Thessalonians 5:17). 

5. Join a Community Facebook Group

This suggestion comes from Matt Steltenpohl from Pocatello. Matt wrote: “I started a dads Facebook group for my city and have encouraged my wife to join a moms Facebook group to meet people in our city that we have things in common with”. This is a great way to connect with people in similar stages of life as you right here in your community, as well as consider how you might meet needs that arise locally. 

We know that, because of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is working in us to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth, even in quarantine. The Great Commission has not been given “stay at home” orders. God’s Word is living and active and moves even when we can’t. In this time when many of us may be feeling missionally weak or powerless, we know that God’s power is perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Now more than ever, let this be a time when we rely fiercely on our God who is mighty to save and reach the world around us in and through our weakness. 

Do you have only-God moments you’d like to share with the blog team? Comment below!