Churches and religious organizations were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it was laws prohibiting large gatherings in certain states and localities, or church members who were afraid to attend worship service out of fear of catching COVID, in-person church suddenly became a problem after 2,000 years.
Fortunately, new technologies have enabled churches and religious organizations to now move online and provide a virtual experience for their members and perspective visitors.
Virtual church is growing in popularity, with a small percentage of churches now completely online. Livestreams of church services have become much more popular, which is also great for shut-ins and people who would have normally not be able to attend church anyway. Here are some of the reasons why building an online presence is great for churches and religious organizations:
Also, for many busy people, attending church service from home may provide an avenue for participating in worship without the hassle of driving to church, which can take a lot longer for obvious reasons. Still others might be more inclined to participate in online religious services because they may not feel comfortable a live worship service.
Online church services also enable people to participate in services at churches that they might not be able to access locally. For some, this means they can enjoy church services from a community that they used to live in.
For others, maybe they just aren't happy with their local options, but really like a church that could be on the other side of the country.
For these reasons and more, having an online presence is very important for churches and it goes beyond just having a website.
Churches should strive to create an online presence that is interactive and includes some sort of video broadcasting to reach the largest number of people.
Beyond video broadcasting, there is the issue of how one creates a community when people aren't meeting face to face. This can lead to some challenges for churches, as they think about how to maintain the existing local community that they already have while incorporating a greater community that might extend beyond their geographical boundaries.
Thus, one of the most important things to consider, when looking at your online church expansion strategy, is how to leverage technologies to create a sense of community. There is of course the church service proper, which can often include a live chat component, but what about having small groups that are virtually connected outside of the church service, What about discussion forums or chat groups?
Can group leaders be empowered to conduct virtual sessions over video conferencing so that affinity groups can meet and share experiences or conduct educational talks such as Bible studies?
The challenge is that many churches and religious organizations have limited funds, and perhaps not a full technology team working for them. However, it is probably likely that the better the online presence, the more donations will come in to be able to fund further expansion. So a priority should be made on an online church experience.
This is where Managed IT can help. A Managed IT solutions provider is a third-party vendor who is qualified to manage your technology for you for your religious organization. Manage IT can involve everything from network management to integrating video conferencing and document management for collaboration and connection.
If your church or religious organization would like to better leverage the power of the Internet, contact Blue Technologies. We are experts in Managed IT and can help your organization with a full 360 technology strategy and implementation. Our certified technicians will be able to provide support and monitor your systems to make sure that they are secure and online. We have additional expertise in video conferencing and webcasting solutions to help you connect with your members and create a thriving community.
Need help getting your church connected? Blue Technologies can help with Managed IT. Contact a Blue Technologies consultant to schedule a comprehensive IT assessment today.