“[Jesus
said,] ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.’”
(Mark 16:15)
Over the last ten years, increased
access to the internet has transformed the way people interact and communicate.
It’s almost impossible to be in a public place for more than a few minutes
without seeing someone use a smartphone to check Facebook, read an article, or
send a quick text. In observing this, churches
across the world have increasingly acknowledged the need to stay relevant to the
needs of today’s high-tech era meeting contemporary people where they are: online.
We here at McKendree UMC already offer a
great church website, a helpful weekly “Happenings” eBlast email, and a robust
platform for online sign-ups and giving.
However, starting September 15th, we are proud to introduce
and add live-streaming and online worship to our repertoire of ministry
tools to help us to be about “nurturing community, [and] connecting all to
Christ.”
As you’re reading, you may be asking
yourself, “Why would someone sit at home and attend a virtual church on
their computer when they could go to church with their neighbors and be
together in the same building?” Let me
share three important benefits that this new ministry will help us do better in
our church’s mission and ministry:
1. Introducing
New People to McKendree UMC
Live online video streaming (and storing
several weeks’ worth of online worship for later viewing) will allow us to
reach people we’ve never reached before. Imagine someone who’s never set foot
in a church, whose parents never spoke about God, and whose friends don’t
identify with religion. Still, that person might be curious about the Bible and
wants to learn more. Though we’ve all driven by hundreds of churches, most
people who fit this description will start their search on Google instead of
walking through the doors of a church. Offering
our services online can show them a glimpse of who we are as a faith community
that they may eventually choose to visit.
What’s more is that even for those who
are already Christians, before they move here, many often search online for the new church they want
to be part of. Showcasing our sermons
and services online can allow them to be more comfortable with who we are, what
we’re about, and what they should expect from our ministry; it lets new
families see if we are the right fit for them as a church
2. Connection
for Those Who Are Away
On an average Sunday morning, most
churches in America (including our own) could fill the rosters of several
baseball teams with people who have stayed home - either because they’re sick,
or because they’re caring for someone one who is. One of the most practical and
consistently relevant applications of streaming is that it allows (for example)
the 34-year-old mother to stay at home with her coughing 6- year-old while
still tuning into take part in her weekly Bible study, or the 95-year old shut
in who was a backbone of our church when he was younger but not now able to
attend – with the help of his family, online worship can be a way for him to
re-connect with his church family.
And what about members of the military or
missionaries from our church who may be deployed or temporarily living abroad? They can watch one of our services at the same
time as family members who are still at home. Perhaps afterwards, the family
goes home for lunch and Skype with the missing parent. Now, around the dinner
table, they can all talk about the same service, share what touched them, etc.
It might be midnight where mom is deployed, but she feels like she just stepped
out of church and is having lunch with her family. For just a moment, she feels
like she's home instead of half a world away.
Finally, what about when we’re on
vacation? Most of us have good intentions while we’re away, but visiting a new
congregation as a guest is different than experiencing worship with your own church family.
With live streaming, you’ll be able to worship with your fellow McKendree family,
even if you’re away on vacation.
3. Sharing
of Important Moments/Events in Life
Every year, our church hosts hundreds of
important events - weddings, holiday concerts, bible studies, Baptisms, Confirmations,
VBS, funerals, and more. Sometimes,
however, the people who want to be there just can’t make it. Being able to watch the event streamed live (or
even recorded) lets these people share those important moments, despite their
physical distance.
You might be able to think of a lot
more, but these are just a few to demonstrate that, when used properly, online worship
and ministry never takes the place of in-person ministry, but merely
enhances and strengthens it! By offering
this new form of worship, we have the possibility of taking McKendree’s ministry
beyond our walls and connecting with more people than ever before!
So, join us September 15 for the
inaugural pubic streaming of our worship services (normally we’ll stream the
9:30am service, but that day we’ll be streaming both 9:30am and 11am services) either
by visiting our church’s website mckendreeumc.org and clicking on the “Sermons”
tab (HERE), or by going to YouTube.com and searching for “McKendree UMC” (HERE). Always remember that God loves you and I do,
too!
[Note: the points of this blog are inspired by an April 5, 2017 article
by Lena Kelly at https://www.boxcast.com/blog/top-5-reasons-your-church-should-be-live-streaming]
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