Tech helps bring young adults together

“We’re in a good place with technology. We’re not trying to force some tech plan to work, or some media that we’re intent on making work. We’re letting the technology work for us and make our ministry grow. I like where we are,” says the Rev. Matthew Waterman, the assistant curate at St. James Cathedral.

A thoughtful and deeply pastoral priest, he longs to see young people participating in parish life and finding meaning in it. About two years ago, as a postulant at the cathedral, he got to work reaching out to the young people who visited the parish. He started collecting contact information and, at his first opportunity, began planning simple get-togethers for the young adults.

So how do young people communicate? Once upon a time, flyers, phone calls and eventually email were the way to let people know about events, services or groups they were invited to. While those tools are still in use, they aren’t always the most effective among the available options. Just as ministries in the Church have evolved, so have the tools and technology used to communicate. There are multiple instant messaging platforms for discussions or sharing details, and Mr. Waterman found himself using WhatsApp to stay connected with his growing group of young adults. He is still using it to this day.

Other apps and platforms have made their way into the communications of this burgeoning fellowship. In the beginning, Mr. Waterman found the app “Meet Up” very helpful. Meet Up is used to share or find events, outings or groups of particular interest. The host plugs in the information about their event, and anyone looking for something along those lines sees it in their search with the information they need to get in touch or attend.

While Mr. Waterman found Meet Up quite useful for reaching people interested in excursions to Toronto Islands or local galleries and museums, the people who attended weren’t as interested in being part of a faith community. So he continued to connect with people who visited the church and collect their information in person. He made it even easier for himself by creating a QR code that he could bring up on his smartphone screen, letting an interested person scan it and add their contact details in the provided form. Almost instantly, they were added to his address book and the group chat.

When enough people had expressed interest in gathering for faith formation and fellowship, Mr. Waterman put it to the group: How do you want to meet? What are your preferences for gathering? There were cases made for both in-person and online formats. By 2023, everyone was very familiar with Zoom and Microsoft Teams, which were useful to a point. When the group decided to watch Netflix’s Midnight Mass, Teams didn’t work, and even Zoom could never fully guarantee people’s full attention. Mr. Waterman found that people would join an online meeting while doing other things such as commuting or cooking dinner.

“People wanted to engage, but they had a lot of other things to take care of,” he says. This influenced the shift to holding their meetings in person, where he found that people were attentive and contributed more.

The group hasn’t abandoned its use of technology altogether. The WhatsApp chat has continued to play an important role in the group’s formation and development. At in-person meetings, people share about what’s going on in their lives, especially around work, school, living situations and partnerships, with many experiences shared by members because of the stage of life they’re in. The WhatsApp chat allows them to keep the conversation going throughout the week. If the group takes time to pray for those in search of work, for instance, they can send each other job postings through the chat. They can share updates about job interviews or even secured employment, so the group knows how to continue praying for each other. And then another in-person meeting happens, and a happy cycle of meeting and communication results.

Leading this group doesn’t come without challenges. While it seems to have found a rhythm that suits most members, the precarious life stage of the average young adult often precludes the guarantee of long-term commitment. They are working hard on degrees, chasing careers, pursuing relationships, and trying to find stable and affordable housing. Any of these things can end up requiring relocation and departure from the cathedral and their fellowship group.

“The encouragement is that even as people leave, more people keep joining,” says Mr. Waterman. “There is never a shortage of people to minister to, to connect with and to serve in this location.”

The group has become self-sustaining, with about 40-45 members who attend with some frequency. And Mr. Waterman is finding that, overall, they are investing themselves in the parish – connecting with other clergy and with parishioners in other demographics, whether older or younger. They are offering their gifts, skills and leadership to their fellowship group and to the wider church community, serving as they are able.

Most importantly, they are taking up the task of watching for new young people to invite into their fold. Having found a place to belong, where they are supported, cherished and invested in, the young people of St. James Cathedral are excited to share this experience with others who they know will benefit from the group – and who will have gifts of their own to offer.

Through trial and error, Mr. Waterman says he’s very happy to see these developments in just two years, and he looks forward to further iterations of the group, using all the tools available to them, as God continues to lead and shape their fellowship together.

For more information on hybrid ministry, visit www.toronto.anglican.ca/parish-resources/hybrid-ministry or email [email protected].