After the Crisis: 6 Lasting Insights Regarding Online Church
As many churches struggle through the process of going online with their content for the first time, and others strive to tweak their existing online presence, one thing we have in common is that we are all learning. A lot. This knowledge is not only valuable now, but will continue to be of value in the “new normal” that awaits us after the Coronavirus (yes, there will be an “after” and we better start thinking about it!).
Posting content online from services and offering entire services online isn’t new. But the longer we exist as a 100 percent online church, the more opportunities there are for people to get comfortable with the idea of consuming our content completely online instead of in person. Consider that even when large gatherings are deemed acceptable again, many people will choose to stay online with our content out of fear, or simply out of habit. Newcomers to our churches during the crisis may simply decide to continue to go to church virtually rather than take the next step of showing up in person, following this axiom- “what you win them with, you win them to.”
Therefore, many improvements and adjustments that have been made in our online content during this time will need to become permanent. What follows are a collection of ideas we are just starting to talk about at the church I serve in as Creative Arts Pastor (www.crossroadson23.com). Some of the ideas and thoughts are original to me, but many are from the amazing staff at Crossroads, and others are from conversations I’m a part of online.
Better Online Audio
At Crossroads we have started live mixing our online services instead of creating a mix during rehearsal and leaving it alone after that. Our audio engineers are getting real time feedback from team members and other engineers to help them learn what works best in the online context. For example, we are finding that ambience created by our room mics is important, but needs to be adjusted downward for speaking and upward for music. The same adjustments apply to reverb and delay. Audio is a critical component of the online experience, so we are talking about ways to mix live every week going forward.
More Video Segments
We started creating 15 minute pre-service videos, which include instructions for online viewing and content from our children and student ministries, as well as announcement slides and a five minute countdown. This has worked so well and looks so good, we are investigating ways it can continue, adding content for both in-person guests and those online. After the worship set, our announcement time, which now also includes two minutes for people to give and fill out connection cards online and the series bumper, is one big video. The seamless transitions this provides out of worship and into the message has impressed us, and we are mulling over how much of this content needs to return to a live host, if any.
Directly Addressing the Online Audience
Before the crisis, we generally greeted people watching online twice, once in the announcement time, and again in the message. Now, all our communication is addressed to people watching online. After this crisis is abated, we will continue to speak much more directly to our online audience throughout the service. After all, it’s possible up to half of our audience will be online, at least for a while. It’s also possible the online audience will grow to several times the size of our in person audience. This is a reality some churches were already experiencing before the Coronavirus, and we think it will be even more common afterward.
Asking the Question: Will This Work Online?
If I was being honest, I’d have to say that asking whether an element would work online or not during our service planning process was a question that didn’t come up very often. I believe it will now. I don’t think that EVERYTHING we plan has to work online, as there should always be content that draws people toward an in-person experience. But ignoring the online audience in our service planning would be a big mistake going forward. We want everyone experiencing our content to be moved toward a deeper relationship with Jesus, not just those in the seats.
Talking to a Wider Audience
The online audience is much more diverse, in every way, compared to our in-person audience. There are followers of Jesus and many who are not. They are local, non-local, and occasionally international. They are young, old, and everything in between. They represent diverse ethnicities and socio-economic status. While our in-person audience shares some of this diversity, it’s magnified online. When planning elements and messages for services, that wider audience must now be considered. Communication must be clear for all. One way to accomplish clarity is assuming we are talking to people who don’t know our church, our ministry programs, the Bible, or our mission and vision. Some variety in music and speaking styles is a great idea, while still adhering to the overall style of the church.
Holding Viewers Attention
One encouragement I’ve been giving our speakers lately is to add participation to their talks. For example, asking people to write something down, draw a picture, read a Bible passage or main point out loud and so on. Online viewing is so passive, it is a challenge to get the online audience to pay full attention and be a part of what is happening. Another way we are approaching this issue is to include best practices in our welcome element at the beginning of the service. We ask people to turn up the volume on their device, sing when we sing, pray when we pray, and pay close attention when people are talking in order to get the most out of the experience. As it happens, this is good advice for an in-person audience as well!
The Coronavirus Crisis is interrupting our lives and wreaking havoc around the world. There is nothing we can do to change that. However, it is also an opportunity to get better in our ministry, and learn how to serve and reach people more effectively. I pray that we can all take advantage of this opportunity!