It is written that the children of Israel lamented their captivity by reminiscing about the good ol' days - "By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps" asking "How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?" (Psalm 137:1,2,4)
I think that many church leaders are singing this same song after the culture-shifting year of 2020. My brother-in-law was only months away from retirement when the stay-at-home order was issued shutting down churches. He limped through his final months dragging his aging congregation with him kicking and screaming, "this ain't church" as struggled to learn Facebook, Livestreaming and the nuts and bolts of online worship. He hated every minute of it!
He was not alone. In fact, you may feel his pain. I could tell you that we would soon be leaving this "foreign land", but I would be lying to you - this is the new normal.
Ed Stetzer addresses this reality in a Christianity Today article titled, The Church in the Digital Age: Ways the Church Can Step into Digital.
He writes about ways that the church can use social media to its advantage to advance its mission.
Churches need to engage with those who are part of the online community.
Churches will need to create a social media strategy throughout the week.
Churches will need to coach their people on how to leverage their social media.
He concludes:
Digital is here to stay. As such, churches must craft digital ministry and mission strategies that will engage not only those who are part of their church but those who have yet to put their faith in Jesus. Such a strategy will take time to create, craft, build, and execute. But those churches who do so, will be better positioned to engage and even disciple the future church.
Click here to read the entire article.
What about you? What have been your most challenging adjustments to the digital church? How have you met those challenges?
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