3 Ways Churches Can Succeed Online
Church as we’ve always known it suddenly ceased to exist. This isn’t a missions movie from some far off land. No, it’s our reality. Church as we’ve all experienced and trained to operate suddenly came to a halt. Buildings closed, ministries shut down, hospital visits disappeared, wedding plans were canceled, and funerals got very complicated. Covid-19 caused titans of ministry to be confused. Entire leadership teams had no idea what to do and the random tech person that was experimenting with online streaming suddenly began the most important person on staff. Church as we’ve known it has forever changed. At least, I think God is trying to change how we “do” church.
We might pray and wish for this to be past tense, but as I sit here writing, I realize I’m in a state that thought the virus was old news too. That view turned us (Arizona) into a global hotspot.
In the United States, most of the “church world” transitioned to online services back in March 2020. Some of these churches resumed physical services for a couple of weeks, but then quickly returned to online only. Others are doing a hybrid service where they meet in person but also stream to the vast amount of their congregation online. While this season has been uneasy, stretching, and mostly unknown, God is present. He’s got this. He isn’t surprised.
One thing is for sure; God is doing something HUGE with the church in America. It’s on us to heed this call and listen. As Covid-19 ebbs and flows, leaders across the nation will either embrace what God is doing or run back to the way church used to work. If you’re in the latter camp, I would assume reading on won’t do you much good. I will say, though, that I’m excited you embraced this change, even for a season. I can’t begin to understand the complexities of your situation. For those staying with me, let’s dive into how we can make the best of church online. I’ve got three steps and three observations.
Step One- Understand your “Why?”
Your theology of online ministry matters, and you must figure out where you land. Can real community happen online? Can people find Jesus through a digital venue? Can folks grow in their relationship with Christ using tools like Zoom, the Bible App, and text messages? These are questions that you need to wrestle with now so that you can lead your team well into tomorrow.
Observation #1: Churches that embrace online will be uniquely equipped to reach people for Christ when other pandemics, national emergencies, and/or shifts in the church’s freedom occur. You can only enter the full potential of this vantage point if you know where you stand with online ministry theology.
Step Two- Resource Online
The Bible says something about following the money trail. Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” While Jesus was applying this to an individual, I don’t believe it’s a stretch to apply it to church as an organization. Where are leaders allotting crucial budget dollars? Having pastored in churches for 15 years, I’ve worked with several ministry budgets. A lot can be said about which department gets what dollar amount. Churches that spend money on foyer decorations (I’m from East Tennessee), moving lights or student ministries tell you something about what they value. I also know that each church only has so much money to go around, and leaders pray and seek wisdom about how to best steward that money in a way that honors God. We can’t forget that if very little money is dedicated to online ministry, then that speaks volumes about the seriousness of that ministry.
I just came out of a church that I still deeply love. One of the MANY amazing things they taught me was that when spending money, frugality in ministry is God-honoring. Our lead pastor would often follow that up with the saying, “frugality doesn’t mean that we’re cheap. We do ministry with excellence, and sometimes that means we spend a lot of money on something. When we do, we’ll be frugal about it.” I love this way of looking at church finances. How does this apply to online ministry though? Well, as I’m sure you’re aware of in some way, online ministry is vastly cheaper than physical ministry. But, let’s not confuse technology and internet costs with the infrastructure to do online ministry well.
Observation #2: Churches that are serious about online ministry will allocate paid staff to that cause. In doing so, they’ll be able to fully engage folks and help them connect with God and others in community. Volunteers are amazing and should be central in any ministry (it’s not wise to run an entire ministry only on paid staff), but you need paid staff that can be at meetings, a part of “hallway” conversations, and more. Churches that reallocate current roles or funds to online-only staff will see the most connection and community.
“Churches that reallocate current roles or funds to online-only staff will see the most connection and community.”
Step Three- Leadership
For online ministry to succeed, the staff placed as stewards of the ministry need to be able to make decisions. Decision-making authority isn’t about being power hungry or creating an artificial chain of command. Simply put, online church is different than a physical church. Not everything translates, nor should they. Ministry decisions might not make sense if filtered through a physical church mindset and visa versa. What happens when the small group’s pastor wants to do virtual groups differently than the online pastor? Who is best equipped to know their ministry, and what works best? That’s one example, but every decision about the formation, operation, and systems will need to be addressed from a new perspective.
Observation #3: If leaders aren’t empowered, they’ll either be discouraged or leave. Churches who embrace the unique opportunities of online ministry and “beta/let’s give this a try” culture will have the strongest leaders and the most impact online.
“If leaders aren’t empowered, they’ll either be discouraged or leave.”
Conclusion
How will you and your leadership respond to what God is doing with the church today? Will you yearn for things of old or run towards the unknown? Will you place comfort above pioneering? While our response seems easy, it’s not. I don’t pretend to know everything unique to your church. Each leader/team must make these decisions after prayer and discussion. I pray for wisdom as you navigate opposing sides, fear-based responses, and make difficult decisions.
I know that God’s church will not fail. He is good. He is faithful. He isn’t surprised.
Men & women in church leadership positions across the nation and in the world, you’re not alone.
We’re cheering for you, and we’re lifting you up to God.
