By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC
As we wrap up our quarter 3 focus on community I know many of us are disappointed. We had hoped things would be back to normal, but we have only kinda sorta returned from quarantine. Many in our congregations and communities are still reluctant to return. Whether this is due to safety concerns, comfort preferences, laziness or fear, online ministry is as important as ever.
Churches have worked hard over the past year to develop an online presence. Many have used our Resources for Online Ministry Guides to start streaming services, shape up web sites and think missionally about their online presence. Most got their services online and breathed a sigh of relief, but I am here to say this is not enough. I want us to change our thinking about being online – from technology to people, from surviving to thriving, from services to ministry, from clicks to community.
One way to enhance your church’s online ministry is to designate an Online Ministry Director/Team. Much like you have a youth, children’s, men’s, women’s, and small groups ministry director, their responsibility would be to put time, thought, prayer and energy into ministering to your online participants. This person/team should be different from, but work with, your online technical director. Technical directors make sure your online service looks nice. Ministry directors make sure people are finding hope in Jesus and community within the Body of Christ. For most churches this position will be filled by a volunteer or a team of volunteers. Here are some ideas for what that person or team’s responsibilities would include:
- Live Host: Viewers of your services will become better engaged, build a stronger connection and take first steps towards connection when they see a live host at your online service. This person would welcome, ask for questions, and receive prayer requests during the online service. If you have the technical ability, have them on video or audio at the beginning and end of each service welcoming and thanking the online participants. Use a free service like churchonlineplatform.com to easily engage through chat and provide a private space for prayer requests.
- Connect Outside of Service: Use a virtual welcome card to gather contact info for online participants. Reach out to those who participate to thank them for joining. Pay attention to who is attending and notice when they miss a week. Send visitors a gift card. Do all the ministry with your online participants that you do with your in person participants.
- Celebration Reports: Greg Yee taught me, “You are what you celebrate.” Every ministry in your church needs to regularly celebrate wins. Online ministry is no different. Bring reports to your leadership team meetings, newsletters and announcements to celebrate the ways people are finding community.
- Add Online to Your Assimilation Pathway: Every church needs a clearly understood pathway for deeper connection. For most it goes something like this: Invitation -> Sunday Services -> Fellowship Events -> Small Groups -> Service -> Leadership. Strategically think about how your online participants fit into this pathway. It could be in-between invitation and Sunday Service, or in parallel with Sunday Service and Fellowship Events. Encourage everyone, including online participants, to move along this path.
- Online Events: Invite your online participants to online next step events that are socially focused. Some ideas include meeting the pastor on Zoom, movie viewing party and discussion, and interactive game nights. Here are some ideas for going deeper: online Bible studies and online membership classes.
In no way do I want to encourage the idea that it is healthy for online ministry to take the place of in person ministry. Instead I want you to look at online ministry as an onramp to true community in your fellowship. Online community is real. It looks different than what we are used to, but it is meeting a felt need that we all have which is to be known. The church has a real opportunity to meet people in this online world and draw them into deeper community and hope in Jesus. Will you help them go beyond clicks to community?
Contact me any time at erik@pacnwc.org if you would like to discuss these ideas or would like some help setting up your online ministry.