Bicycle Visitation: A Modern Take on an Ancient Practice

I spent the day pedaling the roads of Coffee County, but instead of chasing miles on my Garmin, I was making pastoral visits. In a world of Zoom calls and text message check-ins, arriving at a parishioner’s door by bicycle feels almost revolutionary. Yet the practice of door-to-door ministry is ancient. Paul reminds the Ephesian elders that he had taught them “publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20). He walked; I pedaled. But the pattern of going to people remains as vital today as it was two thousand years ago.

You might ask yourself, “Why did you ride a bike instead of driving?” That’s a good question, and one that I have considered a lot. Commuting by bicycle forces you to accept your human limitations. It’s slow, and sometimes difficult. But somewhere between my driveway and my first visit, I discovered the bicycle turns travel time into prayer time. I pray for the people I’m visiting, yes, but also for the neighbors I pass. The man working on his truck, the kids at the bus stop, the elderly woman checking her mailbox become opportunities to lift a prayer to my Heavenly Father. The slower pace makes me present in this place in a way my car never could. It’s incarnational ministry: embodied, attentive, connected to the actual community God has called me to serve.

As I rolled up to my final visit today, Mr. Jerry was in the yard on his mower. “Hey, preacher! I saw you coming around the corner and wondered who you were,” he says, smiling. “You have a unique ministry there, preacher.” He’s right–this approach to ministry is different. Through the unhurried approach, the visible effort, and the willingness to be present to everything along the way, I’ve discovered something I didn’t realize I was searching for: a way to pastor that feels less like a profession and more like discipleship.

By the time I pedaled home that evening, my Garmin showed modest numbers, nothing impressive by cycling standards. But the miles that matter can’t be measured in data. They’re measured in prayers whispered, conversations shared, and the quiet presence that says, “I came to see you.” Paul knew this two thousand years ago. I’m just learning it now, one pedal stroke at a time.