There are two ways to learn how to swim. You can start in the shallow end and paddle through one swimming lesson at a time. Or your uncle picks you up and throws you in the deep end. You flail about in desperation but it doesn’t take long to tread water and propel yourself to the side of the pool.
When the stay at home order came in March, our church planters were thrown into the deep end of technology. They are all managing the ordeal swimmingly!
Here is an overview of the tools each church planter is using:
YouTube
Many of our church planters use YouTube. Some stream their Sunday services live and others prerecord. The viewers of Scott Wright’s videos from Redeemer BFC not only get to hear a message from God’s word, but also get a sneak peek into his study lined with books! Tim Zuck from Forks Community Church already had a YouTube Channel, but now he uses it more often. In addition to his sermon videos, he creates eye-catching graphics, backgrounds, and teaser videos. In Orchard Hills’ videos, the worship team edited their individual videos together. One singer was even able to play her violin and accompany herself singing!
Most of our church planters stream Sunday worship on Facebook including Steve Diaz from Lighthouse BFC and John Hanner from Living BFC in Adams County. James Reff from Grace Community Church in Chestertown, MD even donned a tie for his Easter service video!
Why did so many church planters choose Facebook over YouTube? Los Morales from Christ Alone Fellowship in Lancaster City prefers Facebook because the platform is designed for deeper engagement. There is a sense of community that happens on Facebook that doesn’t happen in the same way on YouTube.
Zoom
To achieve a more intimate setting for worship, Mark Morrison from CROSSroads Church in Elverson uses Zoom which is an interactive video conference call tool. Zoom is also the platform of choice for midweek prayer gatherings, the Church Extension staff meetings, and even the Church Extension Board meetings.
Instagram and Online Forms
Church planters are not just responsible for Sunday morning worship. They are also responsible for meeting new people in the community in order to introduce them to Christ and invite them to church. Brad Boyer from Cape Community Church started a church Instagram page during the quarantine and was pleasantly surprised at the number of new people he was able to meet through the platform. Jason Filbert from Covenant BFC in Naples, FL received a lot of feedback from the online contact form on his website. He received many more contacts online than he has when asking people to fill out paper forms during their church visit. Perhaps people are more comfortable sharing their information digitally?
Just Two Speakers and a Microphone
Phil Ruiz from Hope Community BFC in Milford, DE uses some old school technology for his services. He sets up speakers and microphones and a makeshift platform in the restaurant parking lot next to his church for his members to come have a drive in service. If anyone in the community didn’t know the church was there, they do now!
What about moving forward?
As the country prepares to reopen, how can the church planters leverage what they have learned during this digital deep dive? After all, the goal of church planting is not to amass a large online following, but to invite people into the fellowship of the local church plant. Time will tell how the focused online presence will impact actual church plant participation, but one thing is for sure. Each church planter has expanded their technology skills which can be used to reach their unique community for Christ.
