"Stay in contact with local authorities to best understand the situation in your area and when it would be safe to open. Work to limit the spread by protecting staff and congregants and offering other options like continued livestreaming for high risk individuals." - F&T
I wrote last week about my enthusiasm for online ministry, and my view that one good result of the current crisis is that it has forced us to sharpen our online presence—while it has also given us the opportunity to do so.
This is not to say, however, that there is nothing worrisome about the current approach that many are taking to online ministry.
One trend that has been very striking to me is how churches have relied on posting their messages and services on Facebook and YouTube.
Media ministries have played a large role in my own growth and development as a Christian—since the days of cassette tapes, setting the VCR and having to plan my schedule around live radio. It should come as no surprise, then, that I was already a cheerleader for online ministry before the current crisis began.
And what an opportunity for online ministry this calamity provides us! While it has limited almost all of us to ministering strictly online, the net result is that never before in the history of the world have the gospel of Christ and Biblical truth been more widely proclaimed or more readily accessible than they are right now.
I am truly inspired by the aggressive and intentional efforts that some are making to reach far more people—in fact, multiples of the number of their regular congregants—through online ministry during these desperate and despairing days.
On the other end of the spectrum, sadly, are those ministries that are simply unlikely to survive this time.
"First, I praise God that Christians would ask this question. We should never take scriptural commands lightly, and Hebrews 10:25 is one, unfortunately, that many Christians often overlook. The question arises from a heart serious about God’s Word, serious about obedience, and serious about worship. So, are we sinning? In short, no, and for five main reasons." - TGC
"Funeral homes have experience livestreaming funeral services and will have great advice to share during a crisis like this. However if you yourself are hosting a livestream of a funeral there are several things you should know. 1. Understand Copyright Regulations and Licensing." - F&T
Read the series.
Introducing new technologies into worship can be a challenge—especially into churches within the Reformed tradition.35 Some Christians within this tradition believe the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW) applies only to the corporate gatherings of the church and interpret it as precluding the introduction of anything into the worship service that’s not explicitly commanded in the New Testament.36
Personally, I question whether the RPW should be limited to corporate worship. I don’t think we live by one regulative principle when we pass through the “sanctuary doors” and a different principle when we’re outside corporate worship.37 Rather, as I see it, we live by one principle, which is sola Scriptura. This principle applies to all of life in a more general way and to church worship, community, and mission with greater specificity. Thus, there’s one principle, but different applications based on varying contextual situations, i.e., worship in a broader sense and worship in a narrow sense.38
"I commend my pastor and staff for setting up this addition to live streaming a sermon. The design of our building is such that several rows of parking spaces face the elevated front entrance to the church. We had music and preaching on an FM station. I don’t know how this works." - SBC Voices
"Now it’s time for the generosity stage. With schedules somewhat settled and two weeks of online offerings under our belts we have both clarity and concern. Here are some thoughts on how to begin leading your generosity ministry with a focus on the offering time." - F&T
