Engaging in Online Church
Online Church Is Getting…
Routine. Tough. Insufficient. Mundane. Worth it? Over 9 weeks into this COVID crisis and we are all missing the value that gathered community worship brings to our lives. It make us question if engaging in church online is even worth it anymore?
Well, we wanted to take a moment to help you stay engaged or reengage in online church in this season. And let me tell you, there’s no one who wants to get back together faster than us, your staff at Severn Run.
However, we’ve noticed a few sweet qualities of church online in our time doing this. And we wanted to take a minute to share them to help bring some renewed life and sweetness into your “church from home” experience.
1) We are experiencing a new level of intimacy in worship.
It’s not often that it feels like Pastor Drew is preaching straight to you. Insider info, he prepares his messages with individuals in mind, but obviously, there’s only so much he can do to communicate that from a high up stage in our Worship Center. During this season, you can see on a more personal level what our leaders are like and see that their hearts are all about seeing you grow in Christ.
2) You can see we’re in this together. We’re all recording from home. Stuck at home. Sharing Google Drive folders and editing screens across the internet to bring you what you see every Sunday morning. When you see Patrice singing in front of a cool lamp, Bonni with a yellow background, and Pastor John in front of a tree – know we’re in basements, backyards, and bedrooms cobbling together something to bring you every week. You’re doing the same thing – making it work. Kids schooling, working, groceries, essential travel or jobs – we are all cobbling together life right now in an attempt to maintain what we can!
3) Tuning in live via Facebook or YouTube means you’ll get to “see” other people and be “seen” yourself. Sure it’s not the warm smiles, handshakes, and hugs we are used to, but you can garner up some of that community feel online in the comments section. We see you rule-followers out there wondering if commenting during service is like talking through the message…we want you to know that it’s really ok! And here’s the deal, we love seeing your comments and hearing what’s impacting you as you watch. We love seeing you tag your friends and give them warm shoutouts. We love the “Amen,” “Hallelujah,” and shared stories in the comments that pop up. We love when you reiterate a point shared in the message, or when you drop a truth or Scripture that God puts on your heart as a result of listening to the message. It’s a really sweet and unique dynamic that we don’t get to have during our in-person services. Bring it! Say “Hi!” and get some of that community connection that makes Sundays great by attending live when you can.
4) We can really explore new layers of what “worship” means to us. Some of us are singing in our living rooms like we do in the Worship Center. Some of us…well, we aren’t, and that’s ok! This season can allow us to more deeply and creatively explore what brings Jesus into the center of our lives outside of singing along. Maybe it’s finding the Scripture that inspired a song. Maybe it’s writing about how we’ve seen God show up in the way the song is proclaiming that week. Maybe it’s simply listening to the talents of our singers and musicians glorify the God who made them. Whatever it is that brings Jesus into the center of your focus – that’s worship! We think this season of exploration can make your worship habits richer and deeper for the rest of your life.
5) For some of us, we are getting to worship together as a household in a more intentional way than we normally do. If you’re a family with kids, you don’t really get to experience kids worship on our campus. Thanks to online worship, you can see exactly what they are learning and find out what they love so much about the leaders who love them. You can learn the lessons as a family and engage on a new level outside of service time. Kids get to learn new worship songs with parents and see what it will be like to be a part of “big church” as they continue to grow in Christ. They see how you engage, take notes, and pull the lessons you are learning into your daily walk. Take advantage of this extra time of togetherness to cultivate family worship routines and discussions that will carry past the days of online only services.
While we can’t wait to be together again physically, we hope these few observations can help you engage in online services with a renewed excitement. What’s unique in your experience that you can note with joy? How can you maximize that experience and carry it into the future? How can you invite someone into that experience with you (from their own homes)?
We’d love to hear how God is revealing himself in unique ways in your experience of online worship too. Simply leave a comment to let us know what you’re loving. Or maybe you’re feeling really stuck and frustrated, let us know about that too! We are still here and want to engage in ministry as best we can in this different time.
Thanks for being a committed part of Severn Run, and we’ll see you again this Sunday at 9:30 AM on Facebook, YouTube, or our website.
BM