Over the course of the past few years, since the height of the pandemic has subsided, there has been an interesting trend that has developed. More and more Churches are abandoning their online ministry to go back to doing Church the way it used to be done before the pandemic.
The problem with abandoning your online ministry and all the progress you made over the years is that you are abandoning a strategic tool at your Church. Your are essentially giving up on people who found meaningful connection and were developing community with other believers. You are telling them to come in person or don't come at all. That kind of mindset will just turn people away and the tremendous opportunity your Church had to minister to people has now vanished.
Instead of moving backwards in ministry strategy, what would it look like to keep investing in online ministry? What are the reasons for you to keep reaching people online? Here are 6 valuable reasons.
Technology Keeps Developing
We live in an increasing digital and online world. Technology is developing fast and furious. Two years ago it was social audio, then it was the metaverse, and now it is AI and Threads. These are all developments that are designed to help people connect. As technology keeps growing and developing, people are going to continue to use it to connect with other people. And, Churches can use it to continue to get their message of hope about Christ out to others.
The Average Person Spends about 145 minutes on Social Media Daily
Time is a precious commodity. So it’s a big deal that the average person spends a significant portion of their day (about 145 minutes) on social media. Most people go to Church 1-2 times a month today. That is about 3-4 hours a month. Here, people are spending a significantly more amount of time every day on social media! That's huge and it gives Churches and ministries 140+ minutes a week where people can hear about God and learn more about Him.
Over 122 Million People visit YouTube Daily
How many people does your Church reach on a Sunday morning? During the week? On YouTube, there are 122 million people visiting there DAILY! That means over 850 million people visit it throughout the week! When you share sermons, worship songs, Church services, devotionals and other faith related videos on YouTube, more people have the opportunity to hear about Jesus from you in just one day than people coming to your for the whole year!
Google receives more than 99,000 searches every second
This is every second! That is a lot of people searching a lot of different things. Some of those things are "hope," "Church," By updating your Google Business account and keeping that updated with key words and important information, when people are searching for Churches, yours can show up. In addition, by creating videos that answer questions people in your community (both online and in person) are asking, your Church is more likely to be discovered and checked out by a person.
People are meeting the Lord and giving their life to Christ
Through live streaming services, online devotionals, Bible Studies and other online ministry opportunities, people are hearing about God online and giving their life to Him. While it may be hard to quantify how many online attendees have gotten baptized over the years, it has happened and continues to happen. Check out Tom's conversation with Brooks Talbott to hear some great baptism stories that began online.
Online ministries enable community and discipleship throughout the week
A lot of the "in person" Church experience is centered around Sunday morning. However, with online ministry, you enable ministry to happen 24/7...literally. Through online Bible studies, group text messages, platforms like Discord and Facebook, there are countless ministry opportunities throughout the week where people can grow in their faith and connect with others. Check out our blog about how to run an asynchronous community here.
Conclusion
Online ministry helps expand your ministry's reach, promotes community, fosters engagement, helps disciples others, ensures continuity, and encourages creative approaches to sharing your message beyond Sunday morning. Keep investing in your online ministry and see how God uses that to help you reach more people for Christ than ever before.
What do you think? What are other reasons why you should keep investing in online ministry? Share your ideas below or on social media.
Through the Digital Church Network we are helping physical and digital churches better understand the discipleship process, and helping churches and church planters understand this and other decentralized mindset shifts. Joining the DCN is free and be encouraged!
Looking for a Coach or Guide to help you with social media and other digital ministry tools, take this quick survey and connect today.
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