Pocket Pagers: A Good Idea?
Should a pastor carry a beeper device when he's out of the office? Or is his life dominated by the telephone enough as it is?
Calvin Marcum, former pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Illinois, is a firm believer in the value of a paging service—if combined with a discerning secretary who knows when to use it. "I find it tremendously liberating," says Marcum. "I'm never out of touch; I never have to worry that I'm missing something important."
Like most pastors, he gets the full range of incoming calls, from the deadly serious to the trivial. Some people even ask to talk to the senior pastor in order to find out what time the services are. My secretary, naturally, tries to divert these kinds of calls, but she always has the option of saying, 'I'm sorry, he's out of the office this afternoon; would you like for me to page him?' People usually don't say yes unless it's really important."
Members and other callers are thus impressed by the fact that, although the pastor is busy at his work, he is still as close as the nearest pay telephone if they truly need him.
At Calvary Memorial Church in nearby Oak Park, an added use for the pager has been discovered: it substitutes for an intercom system within the church building. "One of our secretaries came up with the bright idea of letting the custodian wear it while I'm in the office," says Pastor Donald Gerig. "That way, whenever there's a message or a need, they don't have to dash around the building trying to locate him. One phone call activates the pager, and he promptly shows up."
Gerig also uses the device to screen calls when he's alone in his office during the evening. "I finally convinced myself to ignore the telephone, since emergency calls would probably go to the ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,636 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
