Long Distance Discipleship?

Hi Scotty,
Some questions for you when you have the time:
SORRY FOR DELAY WAS IN KONA AT YWAM SPEAKING ON THIS WHEN YOU WROTE (SMILE)
1.  What are your thoughts on the use of Skype/email/etc in discipleship?

MY SENSE IS DISCIPLESHIP, SPIRITUAL PARENTING, REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE IN PERSON.
HOWEVER, BEING A MENTOR (UNCLE), CAN ABSOLUTELY BE DONE VIA SKYPE, EMAIL ETC

MAKE SENSE?

OF COURSE THERE MAY BE SEASONS OF NON- IN PERSON CONTACT FOR A SPIRITUAL PARENT WITH THEIR SON/DAUGHTER

HOWEVER, WANT TO COMMUNICATE THAT PARENTING (DISCIPLESHIP, VERSUS MENTORING) IS NOT DONE IN PROXY OR FROM A DISTANCE…..AT LEAST AS PREFERENCE)

MAKE SENSE?

PARENT UNTIL SOMEONE LOCAL CAN BE  FOUND – THEN EVOLVE TO UNCLE STATUS FOR THE “SEASON” YOU ARE APART

MAKE SENSE?

I have guys who want to have “one-on-one” type meetings over Skype since we no longer live in the same location (where I was able to be with them almost every day).

YES

1) HAVE THEM FIND SOMEONE LOCAL, IF ABLE

2) STAY IN TOUCH AS DEEPLY AS YOU CAN FROM A DISTANCE AS “FATHER”

WHAT YOU DON’T WANT IS THEM “THINKING” THIS IS ACCEPTABLE DISCIPLESHIP AS A NORM, IN WHICH CASE THEY WILL REPRODUCE LONG DISTANCE PARENTING, WHICH IS I DON’T THINK GODS DESIGN IN ITS PREFERRED STATE (YOU WOULD NOT DO THAT WITH YOUR PHYSICAL CHILDREN – FARM THEM OUT- EXCEPT IN EMERGENCIES

* OF COURSE, THIS IS WHAT MISSIONARIES OFTEN DID IN OLDEN DAYS, AND IT WAS OFTEN PROBLEMATIC

MAKE SENSE?

2.  That opens to a wider question.  What do you think about long distance discipleship?

THINK EXPLAINED ABOVE, YES?

DISCIPLESHIP IS LOCAL
MENTORING CAN BE LOCAL OR DISTANCE

* DON’T WANT TO ALLOW SPIRITUAL PARENTS TO THINK “BEST” OR HEALTHY OR NORMATIVE TO THINK PARENT FROM A DISTANCE – WOULD NOT DO THAT WITH YOUR CHILDREN EXCEPT IN EXTREMELY UNIQUE SITUATIONS – NO ONE THERE

Is it an effective form of discipleship?

MY OPINION – NOT A GOOD PLAN, THOUGH CAN BE DONE (BAD TO HAVE THEM BECOME THE NORM – OUR DISCIPLES WILL THEN REPRODUCE “THIS”, AND I DON’T WANT MY GRANDSONS RAISED “FROM A DISTANCE”

(or can it even be considered as such?)

ONLY AS AN EXCEPTION, UNTIL SOMEONE LOCAL CAN BE FOUND (MY OPINION)

3.  How do you keep up with past discipleship relationships?

I AM THEIR UNCLE

WE HAVE AS MUCH CONNECTION AS THEY WISH/WANT

SOME LOCAL (MOCK, JONSON), SOME DISTANCE (BECAUSE THEY NOT NOW IN TACOMA)

Do you schedule out times during the week to correspond or is it more spontaneous?

SOME OF BOTH, DEPENDING ON HOW BAD THEY “WANT IT”

FRANKLY, AS YOU GET OLDER, WE ALL SO “LIFE BUSY” AND HAVE OUR OWN LOCAL KIDS, THAT ITS MUCH LIKE WITH FLESH FAMILIES————WE GET TIME WHEN WE GET TIME, SOMETIMES PLANNED, ALWAYS AVAILABLE

MAKE SENSE AGAIN?

P.S.  If you are still considering putting some of your work into print, I am still available to go through the options with you.

THANKS

WORKING ON WEBSITE FOR DOCUMENTS WITH JAMIE ANDERSON

VERY LIMITED AT PRESENT – https://scottykessler.com/

I now live in Norway so a personal meeting is not going to happen in the foreseeable future as a trip to Tacoma is not scheduled.

SMILE

WITH YWAM STILL?

AND LOVE, KESS