Flourishing from a Distance

Perhaps you’ve heard the common cliché, “When the cat’s away the mice will play.” It reminds us of what happens when a grade-school teacher steps away from her classroom. The students goof around, don’t they? And let’s not pick on the kids here because this also happens when the supervisor goes on break or the boss takes a vacation. The employees take longer lunches and make personal phone calls on the clock. Though this happens, it doesn’t have to – and the same is true for a church.

As an apostle, Paul functioned in a pastoral way for churches throughout Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and Eastern Europe. Though he never stayed in one place for more than 3-4 years (usually much less), he retained a sense of long-distance, pastoral care for these congregations. This concern motivated him to write letters like Colossians to encourage them not to drift away. (It’s possible that Paul hadn’t visited Colosse in person, though he knew some of their members personally, see Col 1:7; 4:9, 12.)

In this way, he provides pastors today with an example to follow during times of extended absence from the congregations they serve. Through the words he shares, he also provides any congregation with timely advice that applies to long periods of social isolation.

In the absence of in-person, pastoral care (which is crucial), the members of a church should still flourish in their relationship with Christ and their devotion to sound doctrine. So, let’s dig in and take some encouragement from what Paul has to say to the believers at Colosse.