The Church Hopper

I am BACK!

Many of you may have wondered what had happened to me over the past several weeks… Well, let me catch you up!

I decided after my last blog post, in December, that I would be taking a little break for a few reasons.

1. Visiting churches during the holidays isn’t really fair. They are expecting visitors and are usually having their best services of the year.

2. It was time for me to enjoy my family and friends over the holidays. During my break, I was able to go to church with my family a few times – as well as see some of my former students participate in Christmas pageants!

3. And lastly, I needed some rest. This gave me the opportunity to watch some of my favorite churches online. 

So, since I have been watching online churches, I thought I would point out some great things that I noticed these churches doing.

Many churches are including their online viewers while welcoming, or even just mentioning, their present congregation. Some are even specifically inviting their online viewer to worship with them when they are able. 

Several churches also offer ways for folks to text in their giving and prayer requests, which helps those attending online feel more a part of what is going on. 

Some churches even have “Online Hosts” – where folks will make comments on the thread about what just happened in the service, quote what the pastor may have just said, or ask questions to those on livestream. This is SO IMPORTANT for a few reasons. 

1. It makes people feel included and important.

2. It helps the church’s algorithm on social media with the added comments, likes, and interactions. 

3. It may even help an online visitor feel like they truly know someone before they show up to an in-person service. 

I share all of this to encourage those that may not be in church and are afraid to visit in person – to try an online service first and see if that church feels right for you. And to hopefully inspire those who are church goers, to see what their church offers for their online watchers, and how they may expand that ministry.