September 1, 2023
Hooked on Hope!
How Are Our Churches—and Our Movement—Doing Today? An Honest Evaluation.
Articles for tag: Online Church
May 15, 2023
Does Online Church Attendance ‘Count’?
With the rise in online church services, many have different opinions on the acceptability or validity of online church attendance for those with the ability to attend in person. Lifeway Research finds pastors and churchgoers split over the question. But other research projects may provide more clarity on tangible benefits that come exclusively from physical attendance. . . .
July 1, 2022
Behind the Screen: Insights into Online Church
By Kent E. Fillinger Prior to the pandemic, most larger churches were already actively and sometimes aggressively using online church as an outreach strategy to connect with more people beyond their physical locations. For many smaller churches, the pandemic expedited their technological timeline and forced them into the realm of online church. Every church I know is still trying to “crack the code” to determine how to shift people from “passive viewers” of online church to “engaged disciples.” Some churches have invested significant time, staffing, and financial resources to expand their online push and to upgrade their technology. Despite these
March 1, 2022
Authentic Online Church
By Kent E. Fillinger Yogi Berra famously said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Since the pandemic started two years ago, there have been an endless number of “experts” making countless predictions about the future of everything—including the church. Plenty of churches offered an online campus or church online on various platforms before COVID-19. Broadcast methods varied by church; the main options were livestreaming, on-demand full service (worship and message), on-demand message only, and rebroadcast (simulated live). A 2018 survey by Vanderbloeman and Jay Kranda revealed the top three broadcast platforms were Churchonlineplatform.com, Facebook Live, and YouTube.
December 27, 2021
Manchester Christian Changing Name, Targeting Rural New England
Manchester Christian Church is changing its name to One Church as it continues to expand in New England. "It’s time to have a name that reflects not where we are, but who we are," senior pastor Bo Chancey said.
May 28, 2021
Churches Need to Hit ‘Play’
Every church with which I’m acquainted pushed PAUSE at the start of the pandemic in hopes of hitting PLAY after the pandemic. Sadly, many have yet to hit PLAY. Here are three steps every church can take.
January 1, 2021
How the Pandemic Impacted Construction Loans
Three Leaders of Church-Lending Organizations Discuss How They Are Building on a Strong Foundation in Uncertain Times Early in 2020, as the global pandemic unfolded, the uncertainty and economic losses seemed to spell disaster both for churches looking to build or expand their facilities and for the financial institutions that provide loans to these ministries. How can churches expect to build when they can’t even safely meet in person? How can giving and lending hold steady when the economy is flailing and so many people are out of work? Now, mere months later—albeit long months—the worst fears did not happen.
October 24, 2020
The Future of Evangelism, Missions, and the Church
The headline “51% of Churchgoers Don’t Know of the Great Commission” from a Barna report in March 2018 caught my eye and caused me great concern. The report said that for 25 percent of churchgoers, the term “Great Commission” sounded familiar, but they could not remember the meaning of it. Only 17 percent of churchgoers said they had heard of the Great Commission and knew what it meant. Although not even half of any age group knew the term Great Commission well, the youngest adult generation was the least likely to recognize it. Only 10 percent of millennials (those born
September 22, 2020
Different Environments, Different Approaches (Ministering in the Midst of COVID-19)
Urban, Suburban, and Rural Church Leaders Share Their Experiences of Leading Through a Pandemic By Chris Moon No two churches are the same, even in how they have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, the virus has left a mark on Restoration Movement congregations and pastors across the country. For some churches and pastors, especially in rural, conservative areas of the country, the pandemic seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. The major difficulty was figuring out how to get the internet to cooperate during a brief closure. “There’s a lot of things you face like that
September 22, 2020
5 Big Shifts: What Will the Church Look Like Post-COVID-19?
By Randy Frazee Before I share my perspective on what the church will look like after the coronavirus, let me offer a couple of disclaimers. First, I missed the “Pastoring through Pandemics” class in seminary. Who would have thought we would ever need that? Second, I do not claim to be a prophet. (As a matter of fact, I lead a non-“prophet” organization.) And besides, if I were a prophet, I would have bought more toilet paper! The coronavirus has created the single greatest disruptive inflection point for American society in our lifetime. It has called us to a critical
July 15, 2020
An Online Revolution of Necessity
Is online church really church? That question has bounced around church circles for years as more of American life takes place over the internet. Churches and pastors have been all over the spectrum—from all-in to logged out. The conversation persisted right up to the COVID-19 pandemic. A couple of Christian magazine covers from March 2020 help tell the story. The central theme of Christian Standard’s March print edition featured a robust discussion about the benefits of online church. The cover featured Rusty George of Real Life Church in Valencia, California, who said, “Church is engagement . . . with the
May 13, 2020
As Restrictions Ease, Church Leaders Facing Tough Challenges
By Chris Moon As coronavirus-related social-distancing rules are eased and churches crack open the doors to their buildings, they do so knowing many things will be different—some for the worse, but possibly some for the better. Churches will need to figure out how to make the most of the challenges and opportunities. SAME STORM, DIFFERENT BOATS“We’re all in the same storm, but we’re not all in the same boat,” said Rick Rusaw, chief executive officer of the Spire Network and former pastor of LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colo. Spire has been surveying pastors and church members about their attitudes
May 1, 2020
The Difference a Decade Makes
(See our related post, “2019 Fast Facts from Our Annual Survey of Churches.” Also, we have prepared a download that includes a complete listing of the 439 churches that participated in our survey; the download also spotlights the 10 fastest-growing churches in each category and those churches with the highest baptism ratios. Go here to ACCESS THE DOWNLOAD. _ _ _ By Kent Fillinger Twenty-two years ago marked the first time Christian Standard published a list of churches that averaged more than 1,000 in worship attendance. Sixteen years ago, I started analyzing the data and soon added an annual survey
April 1, 2020
‘We Don’t Have to Be Paralyzed in Fear’ (Plus News Briefs)
Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Fox59 News in Indianapolis interviewed John Dickerson, lead pastor with Connection Pointe Christian Church, Brownsburg, Ind., about “ways to keep faith during the [coronavirus] pandemic.” “What you focus on becomes much bigger,” Dickerson said, using the above photo as an example. (Rest assured, the Eiffel Tower really is bigger than the man’s hand). “The reality is if we focus just on the virus and our fears and our anxiety and the economy,” Dickerson said, “if we focus only on those negative things—we do have to be aware of them—but if we fully focus
March 20, 2020
A Megachurch Pastor's Letter to His Congregation
Editor’s Note: Jeff Vines, lead pastor of ONE&ALL Church in San Dimas, Calif., shared these thoughts concerning the COVID-19 outbreak with his church. With his permission, we have decided to share it with our readers. _ _ _ By Jeff Vines I love my church, although ONE&ALL church does not belong to me. I love the people who attend, the staff who diligently make this engine run, and the executive team and elders who give so much of themselves to the cause of Christ. During this coronavirus pandemic, our leaders and servants have stepped up to lead and serve. I’m
February 22, 2020
How to Develop an Online Church Campus
By Rusty George “Church online isn’t church.” Yep, that’s what I used to say. Of course, I also thought texting would never last and Facebook was a fad. But hey, what do I know? I guess you might call me a late adopter. Needless to say, starting an online campus wasn’t at the top of my list. But six years ago we decided to add an online option at our church, and I’ve changed my mind about its importance. The First Question: Why Mess with It? It sounds like a lot of work when a simple website with service times
February 22, 2020
Can Online Churches Create Offline Connections?
Three Churches Share Stories from the “Wild West”of Worship on the World Wide Web By Justin Horey From smartphones to social media, Facebook to FaceTime, the Internet and the tools we use to access it are often advertised as ways to help people relate to one another. Dating apps and websites aim to bring people together in person, while social media platforms and videoconferencing were created to help people stay in touch when they can’t be together in the same room. Technology experts and ordinary people alike love to debate the effectiveness of relating with online tools, but these tools
February 19, 2020
How to Develop an Online Church Campus
By Rusty George “Church online isn’t church.” Yep, that’s what I used to say. Of course, I also thought texting would never last and Facebook was a fad. But hey, what do I know? I guess you might call me a late adopter. Needless to say, starting an online campus wasn’t at the top of my list. But six years ago we decided to add an online option at our church, and I’ve changed my mind about its importance. The First Question: Why Mess with It? It sounds like a lot of work when a simple website with service times
February 19, 2020
Can Online Churches Create Offline Connections?
Three Churches Share Stories from the “Wild West” of Worship on the World Wide Web By Justin Horey From smartphones to social media, Facebook to FaceTime, the Internet and the tools we use to access it are often advertised as ways to help people relate to one another. Dating apps and websites aim to bring people together in person, while social media platforms and videoconferencing were created to help people stay in touch when they can’t be together in the same room. Technology experts and ordinary people alike love to debate the effectiveness of relating with online tools, but these
October 1, 2019
The Mainstreaming of Online Church
By Kent Fillinger If Paul were still preaching, would he have an online church live-streaming from Jerusalem? It’s entirely possible. After all, Paul said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22, 23). All that to say, Internet worship services are becoming more mainstream. In July, I provided an overview of how Christian churches and churches of Christ are using various social media platforms to communicate. I want to go
