The Power of Authenticity

Explore the latest digital ministry trends with theChurch.digital podcast! Discover online care strategies, battle compassion fatigue, and learn from the top innovative churches. Equip yourself with tools and insights to revolutionize your online community outreach.

Looking to take your ministry to the next level? Check out a few practical steps to help you connect with others, learn new strategies, and grow your impact online. Whether you're looking for tips, support, or fresh ideas, you'll find everything you need to make your ministry more effective and reach more people. Perfect for anyone eager to make a difference!

Transform your church's reach by leveraging digital channels like your website, social media, and email to share your mission boldly. Utilize dynamic tools like podcasts, mobile apps, and YouTube to create engaging, mission-focused content that disrupts the norm and unites your community.

Whether you're leading a traditional or digital ministry, leveraging tech tools like social media platforms, video conferencing, and church management software revolutionizes effectiveness and impact. But the most important is to remember the heart behind ministry.

Transform your discipleship efforts by connecting with Stacy Knapp and leveraging online tools. Explore resources like the Digital Bootcamp, Digital Ministry, and The Church Digital's coaching to reach more people for Christ.

The digital ministry scene is buzzing with activity. Here are the latest trends in social media, live streaming, and digital disciple-making to help strengthen your online ministry. Key insights from July 2024 include the power of authenticity, tips to avoid burnout and the potential of unconventional spaces like bars for disciple-making.

Can Threads be a new avenue for reaching people for Jesus? Well it's essential to consider several factors. This is revealed by asking the right questions about your audience, content type and engagement rate.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) can redefine your church's social media presence by generating fast and engaging content, providing instant responses through chatbots, and offering data-driven insights to improve your strategy. These tools ensure consistent, timely, and diverse interactions, breaking down language barriers and building a global community.

Focus on the strengths and opportunities of digital discipleship rather than the controversies. Digital churches excel in relational disciple-making and multiplying followers of Jesus, unlike traditional methods. Explore digital ministry, bypass the naysayers, and advance with those ready for this visionary approach.

Summers challenge traditional ministry with inconsistent attendance due to vacations, but digital platforms offer fresh, effective ways to engage. Leverage digital tools to maintain connection, provide spiritual care, and create community even with varied schedules. Turn summer into a season of online togetherness.

Burnout is rampant among those in ministry, especially in the relentless digital world where it's hard to fully disengage. Practicing self-care, setting clear boundaries, and building a supportive community are key to sustaining long-term digital ministry.

Amid the Covid pandemic, reaching and guiding the younger generation demands innovative tactics, and Tiktok (now wildly popular since 2020) presents a game-changing opportunity for digital disciple-making. Let's leverage Tiktok to transform everyday moments into powerful spiritual opportunities and engage with younger people in ways they’ve maybe never experienced before, sparking spiritual growth in unexpected places.

Discover how theChurch.digital is revolutionizing the way we think about digital ministry and disciple-making! We're all about multiplying the gospel in every digital and metaverse space, helping ordinary people become extraordinary leaders. Join us to explore how to make disciples who grow into leaders, plant churches, start networks, and spark unstoppable movements. Ready to get involved in transforming the digital faith scene? Then this is for you.

Ready to transform youth ministry in the post-Covid era? Join us as Steve Cullum expands on the current landscape of youth ministry and how we can empower teens and leaders. Discover valuable resources, connect with other youth workers, and learn digital tools to supplement your ministry. Whether you're in digital, phygital, or metaverse ministry, this episode has something radical for you!

We have freedom in Christ and we are called to celebrate that daily.

Of the estimated 8,000+ multisite churches in North America, one third deliver their messages primarily by video, another third are hybrid delivering their messages with video and in-person, and one third deliver their messages primarily in-person. In addition, the majority of the 300K+ protestant churches across America offer some sort of church online experience. With this many churches using digital communication I reached out to Jason Morris, Product Manager at RESI, the leading all-in-one steaming service providers for churches to learn what he is seeing among online communicators. Here are some best practices we are seeing among churches for delivering digital sermons online. 1. Omit references to time, day, and weather. The most difficult thing is to remove all references to time of day, day of the week, and the weather. Avoid “tonight” or “Saturday.” Better to use words like “today” or “weekend.” 2. Avoid references to the worship team. References in the message to worship leaders or vocalists by name can be awkward or meaningless because they are different at the other locations. 3. Place the camera well. Position the camera where it is the easiest and most natural for the speaker to look into. Cameras positioned at eye-level are best for the communicator. Don’t make it awkward for the speaker by forcing them to crane their neck to peer into the camera or look up to a balcony above the main room. Use camera lights in a way so that the speaker will know which camera is the live camera. Sometimes it’s good to have an online camera that’s slightly off to the side of the stage. Make it easy for the speaker to look straight into the camera to address a campus or online audience like they were speaking to an individual. 4. Keep the camera shot tight. Stay with continual close-up headshots (video images need to feel larger-than-life), minimizing the number of full-stage and full-body shots. Avoid camera shots that remind viewers that they are not there, such as audience reactions, audience cut-away shots, or side-shots of the speaker. 5. Eyeball the camera. Looking directly into the camera makes a video audience feel included. As often as possible, it’s very powerful to look directly into the camera periodically near the beginning, during, and at the end of the message. Especially when addressing the online audience, off-site campuses and at drive-it-home moments, eyeball the camera. Here is a great example of looking into the camera like a pro from Michael Todd at Transformation Church. 6. Don’t divert viewers attention with distracting backdrops. Make sure the backdrop behind the speaker is not a distraction. Remove anything that’s not essential and keep it uncluttered and simple. 7. Include images and quotes that correspond with speaker references . Make sure the videocast includes anything the speaker references (For example: “That’s her picture you’re now seeing on the screen.”) Even better, make images a split screen or right two-thirds. Place quotes and key points on the right side or lower third of the screen. Don’t leave images or quotes up too long (10 seconds max). 8. Treat everyone as equals no matter where they are. Avoid words like “satellite” and “main” campus. They connote inequality. 9. Use inclusive language. When praying or making applications, include references to the people online and in off-site locations. Once in a message is all that’s needed to make hundreds of people sitting in an auditorium miles away to feel included in their own church. Replace geographically-bound phrases like “isn’t it great to be here!” (because some or maybe most are not) with something like “isn’t it great that we can gather as one church across our city, nation, world ...” Here’s some other tips to make everyone feel included: Look at the online chat before you get up to speak and greet people from online, even mention where they are watching from like you would another campus Digitize all calls to action so everyone can participate the same way... “Scan this QR code for the free ebook for more on this topic I’m speaking on” instead of “there’s books in the lobby” “Go to this link to sign-up” is better than “go to your campus lobby to sign up” 10. Smile as much as possible. Smiling helps connect you to your audience and keeps people engaged. Smile a lot and be sure to look into the camera when you tell a joke! 11. Speak to the primary online audience “before a live studio audience.” Effective online communicators today recognize their audience is bigger than the onsite room they are speaking in. Before recording or live-streaming the service from the broadcast location, invite the onsite audience to join you in engaging the larger online audience as a “streaming (or recorded) event before a live studio audience.” Make everyone in the room feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves. This will give you permission to look into the cameras instead of the onsite audience. Be mindful as you prepare messages that you are speaking to an audience that encompasses more than those in the room with you. They see you as their pastor and spiritual leader. They feel connected to you; they love you. They show up onsite and online because of the spiritual teaching they receive from you. Practice these habits and you will become a better and more effective digital communicator!  12. Make Sure Every Speaker Knows These Guidelines. Be sure to give these guidelines to any guest speakers so that they too can make the most of your church’s video delivery and also become better digital communicators!

The summer heat is an inferno right now. While the temperatures are hot, there is a lot happening in the digital and online ministry space. To help you keep up with all the new digital and online ministry trends and happenings, The Church Digital Podcast Network and Blogs had a bunch we loved to share in regards to all the latest trends in social media, live stream, digital discipleship and all things online ministry so that you can minister and serve your online community more effectively. Here are 5 online ministry insights and lessons learned from some of the podcasts released on The Church Digital Podcast Network and the blog from June 2024. Keys to Sharing Your Sermon Online Sermons and messages can be shared all over the world today through the power of technology. Because of this, it's important to make sure you are communicating effectively when you share your sermon or messages. These tips are just the starting point of what a ministry leader needs to do to effectively communicate online today. Online Pastoral Care is Possible In today's world, pastoral care can happen and is possible beyond in person. But how does it work? What tools can you use to help you schedule, meet up and encourage people in need of pastoral care? YouTube has Incredible Reach Potential YouTube is the second most powerful search engine second only to its parent company, Google. Because of its powerful reach, it can be used to encourage people in their faith and help people discover God. See how as Jeff and Tom talk about how Tom's Church is using it today. Digital Church Planting is Possible Church planting has been around since the beginning of Christianity. However, digital and metaverse church planting is still very new. In fact, there can still a lot of pushback of digital church planting, even in church planting communities. However, Jeff makes the case for digital church planting . See how you would like to learn about how you can be part of the digital Church movement . Async Your Church Before Covid hit, many churches were had only in-person gatherings and services. However, since 2020, more and more churches have increased their digital presence. Andy shares about how an async church model alongside physical meetings can richen the experience for all members moving forward.

Community is a vital component to churches. It has been since the creation of the first Church in Acts 2. It is through community that people connect and can grow in their faith best. Traditionally, churches have used life groups, Bible studies, youth groups and other type groups to building those connections. While most of these groups usually happen in person, there are some great online opportunities as well. Building a strong online community is essential for Churches and ministries today as they seek to engage people who live locally and online effectively. One of those ways is Discord. Discord is a popular communication platform that offers a powerful set of tools for fostering meaningful connections and cultivating a thriving virtual community. How? So how does it work? How can you use Discord to build community? Here are some tips: Create Welcoming Channels. First impressions matter, so ensure your server has dedicated channels for newcomers. Set up a #welcome channel where new members can introduce themselves, ask questions, and receive a warm greeting. Additionally, have a #rules channel outlining your community guidelines to establish a positive and respectful environment. Encourage Engagement. Engage your Discord community by creating channels dedicated to different topics or interests. For example, you could have channels for prayer requests, Bible study discussions, event announcements, and casual conversations. In fact, it is good to have channels dedicated to things other than spiritual or faith pursuits. Having a variety of channels encourage members to share their thoughts, experiences, and insights fostering a sense of belonging and participation. Host Events. When you host regular events, such as online gatherings, livestreams, or Q&A sessions, you can help build anticipation and strengthen community bonds. You can use Discord's voice and screen-sharing features to host these events, allowing members to interact and connect in real-time. Utilize Roles and Permissions. Discord's role and permission system can help you organize your community and ensure smooth operations. Assign roles to members based on their interests, involvement levels, or responsibilities within the community. This not only helps manage access to specific channels but also fosters a sense of ownership and belonging to your channel. Celebrate Achievements. Recognize and celebrate the achievements and milestones of members in your community. Set up channels for sharing accomplishments, successes, or personal victories (especially those associated with spiritual next steps). This not only promotes a positive and supportive environment but also motivates people to actively engage and contribute. Encourage Respectfulness. Every community works best when peel respect and honor each other, even with opposite viewpoints. To help make this happen, you can create a team of trusted moderators. They will ensure a safe and inclusive environment within your Discord community. Clearly communicate community guidelines, and empower moderators to address any inappropriate behavior or conflicts promptly and respectfully. Conclusion By implementing these strategies, you can leverage Discord's full capabilities to build a thriving online community where members feel welcomed, engaged, cared for, and supported.  A strong sense of community not only fosters meaningful conversations and connections but also enhances the overall experience for everyone involved. Ultimately, it contributes to the growth and success of your Church or ministry.

I'm not sure if you knew this, but async is not going anywhere. And YOU need a plan for your church to thrive in this. The rise of remote work and distributed teams has brought the concept of "async" (short for asynchronous communication) into the mainstream. But what does async have to do with your church? More than you might think! Embracing async principles can actually help create a more engaging and inclusive church experience. What is Async? In the workplace, async refers to communication that happens outside of real-time meetings or conversations. Someone sends a message, update or question, and others respond when they are able - not necessarily right away. This allows people to work on their own schedule while still maintaining team collaboration. But in the church? Just like work teams, churches are also made up of people with varying schedules and availability. An async approach recognizes that meaningful participation doesn't require everyone to be present at the exact same appointed time. It enables more flexibility while keeping people connected. Here are some ways churches can go async: Recorded Sermons & Services: You should already be doing this! Make high-quality recordings of sermons and services available online. Members can watch or listen on their own schedule and still be spiritually fed. Async Discussion Areas: Create online forums where people can asynchronously discuss sermon topics, scripture, prayer requests and more. This continues the conversation throughout the week. Discord, Facebook, Slack, Circle. All good spaces for this. Video Updates & Announcements: Communicate major church updates, announcements and prayer requests via video that members can watch whenever convenient. Put them on YouTube and allow commenting. If all of this sounds like something YOU want to work on, join me for our Asynchronous Learning Community starting in July 2024! While certainly not replacing the importance of gathering in-person, an async church model alongside physical meetings can richen the experience for all members. It's a way to enhance engagement and provide more access to the life-giving mission of your church.

How are you reaching the "nones" in your community? The "nones" are those who do not attend Church, nor do they have any interest in attending. Today, Mark MacDonald shares a few tips churches can implement to reach those in your local and online communities . Mark is a church branding strategist for BeKnownForSomething.com , a national church communication and branding agency, coaching pastors and thousands of churches to become relevant in their community. He is also a best selling author and has written over 800 magazine articles. Subscribe: Apple Podcast Android Spotify | RSS ACTION STEPS: Mark is a great resource. He’s on Twitter and has a great website with resources and great insights. Join the Digital Bootcamp Facebook Group . To learn how to be more effective using digital tools for your ministry join the group. This is for ALL ministers , not just church communicators or social media managers as we share resources, tools and digital trends to see how we can reach more people for Christ with these tools. Looking for Digital Ministry Coaching ? The Church Digital is offering a variety of digital, phygital or metaverse ministry coaching and cohorts. If you are in digital ministry, be part of the Digital Ministry Twitter Community . We share daily encouragement and support to help you do ministry in this online world more effectively. Sign up for the Sidekick Scoop Weekly Email . Each Friday get a fresh email with content from all over the ministry world (especially online and student ministry topics) and be encouraged in how you can minister more effectively in today's world. If you have an idea for a topic or a person for Tom to interview for a future podcast episode, email here .

We're launching something different. The first of its kind, theChurch.digital will champion digital and meta church movements here in the US and around the world. theChurch.digital will champion movements of digital disciple-making , Digital/Meta Mission Field, and Digital Church. A network of networks, the focus of the Digital Church Network is to help any and everyone understand the opportunities and challenges of Digital and Meta spaces. Our heart, however, is a far more personal approach. Reaching the World, One Conversation at a Time The allure of digital is that it can reach massive numbers of people, easily. Thanks to smartphones and social media, each of us has the potential ability to reach thousands of people with these devices in our pockets. But as James 1 reminds us, we need to be more than hearers of the word. We must be doers in the real world as well. This is the multiplicative heartbeat of theChurch.digital. Helping digital churches move past a consumeristic approach towards a better understanding of disciple-making in digital and meta spaces . Let's stop deceiving ourselves. Starting Something Different, In Different Environments Is it better to have a million person church, or 100,000 churches of 10? I love this question, because I believe logic is truly tested on extremes. Let me pause and back up. I do not want to bemoan the current model of church. Our physical buildings and our broadcasting of church services online can be effective in reaching, connecting and discipling people. Researches show that active church involvement is down 25% over the past 25 years, so we can safely say that the physical model is losing effectiveness. Physical approach will continue to play a role for years to come. But we can no longer treat it as the only model of church. As culture shifts, so should the Church's strategies and tactics. Jesus is the same, yesterday today and forever. No one is arguing that. Our churches need to hold to the ecclesiology, the biblical standards in place. Digital/Meta Churches offer a chance to reimagine this ecclesiology for digital and meta spaces, for the purpose of reaching different people. Digital/meta churches must cling to the Bible as the guidelines for church. What is an essential ecclesiology for our churches, and what does it look like to map this essential ecclesiology across cloud services and the metaverse? This is the experiment that a digital/meta church planter gets to explore in the coming months and years. Reaching Different Types of People As controversial as the idea of digital and meta churches are, we cannot lose sight of this one fact, and this is validated from digital and meta churches around the world... Digital/meta churches are reaching a different type of person than our physical buildings are reaching. These digital/meta churches tell stories of reaching 80% atheists/agnostics , or 70% de-churched. I've heard stories of satanists coming to Jesus through relationships built in the metaverse. I've met the people who have found Jesus even though they swore they'd never go to a church building again. Remembering, though, our digital and meta churches cannot just stop with salvation. Discipleship, or should we say disciple-making (with an emphasis on action/multiplication), is a vital to starting movements in digital/meta spaces. Utilizing Different Methods of Discipleship It's this multiplicative approach to discipleship that is so crucial to the future of our churches. As the Great Resignation impacts our economy (pastors and churches included) more and more research is showing us that people, when they have spiritual questions, are not going to a paid pastor, a building, or a livestream for spiritual answers to those questions. These people with spiritual questions are going to their friends who they think have spiritual answers to these questions. The future of our church is not sermons blasted from microphones... it's empowering people, discipling them to have individual, spirit-led conversations as opportunities present, and intentionally pray for conversations to come. Here's what I've come to understand. Discipleship looks different, depending on the environments that discipleship is happening. Physical discipleship is definitely doable, but there are other ways as well. Discipling someone via Zoom, or on a Discord server? Well, this looks completely different than physical discipleship. What would a disciple-making multiplication movement look like in the metaverse? Honestly, this is one of the questions we want to answer! And while some of this is unproven on a large scale, we can state this as a fact... we're reaching and discipling a different type of person in these digital and meta environments than our buildings are discipling. Along that same path, we're now empowering a different type of leader. Empowering a Different Type of Leader Digital and meta churches often use a different type of leader than our physical buildings will utilize. This isn't that far of a stretch. These digital and meta churches reach a different type of person than our buildings reach, and they employ different methods of discipleship than our buildings utilize. So why wouldn't the discipleship process yield a different type of leader? Typically our physical buildings require a "catalytic leader", someone that can stand onstage and through their personal charisma lead hundreds or even thousands of people to action. Digitally, what we're finding is that charisma is often overstated in digital and meta spaces. What leads well is relational connection. Simply, charisma leads to consumerism. Relationship leads to action. Truthfully, recruiters or networkers often do very well in digital and meta spaces, and we've seen these types of leaders succeed in these unique environments. Another misconception is that the leaders do not have to be experts of the technology. Because of the relational nature of digital and meta environments, it's vital that these new leaders engage relationally. Most leaders, in fact, are not experts to the technology as much as natives in the technology. There are usually volunteers or part-time roles that become the technical experts. Digital or meta churches can be very technical. But they do not have to be. Through my own unscientific research, I've found that a larger-than-normal percentage of digital and meta planters are bi-vocational or co-vocational. Of the 200 some conversations I've had with people that are wanting to plant (or experiment) with a digital or meta church, 75% of them are interested in a bi-vocational or co-vocational ministry model. They're not looking to do ministry full-time in a physical church building, or even full-time online. They're looking to do ministry in addition to their job. Bivo/Covo is not a new approach in church planting, but what we're finding is bivo/covo support looks very different than supporting a typical church planter. Are you ready for something different? Are you interested in learning more about what it means to plant a Digital Church through the movement systems of theChurch.digital? If so, check out the Movement System and learn more.

As a ministry leader, it can often feel like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. Between sermon and message preparation, admin work, pastoral counseling, and community outreach, the to-do list can seem endless. However, leveraging the right digital productivity tools and apps can help you stay organized and maximize your time. Here are some tools and apps ministers can use to stay productive: Project Management Tools A good project management tool is essential for keeping you organized. In just one place you can have all your ministry initiatives, events, and tasks organized, not just for you to see but for your staff and key volunteers. Some of the popular options are apps such as Trello, Asana, and Monday.com. They allow you to create project boards, assign tasks with due dates, attach files, and collaborate with staffers and key volunteers. It really helps to keep you organized and prevents important details from slipping through the cracks. Note-Taking Apps Where do you put all your notes? Is there one central place or are they scattered on this notepad or that notepad? The reality is that inspiration strikes at different times. Whether it is a sermon illustration or ministry program idea that comes to mind or just notes you are taking for a meeting, you need a way to quickly write it down before it escapes your mind. There are great apps like Evernote, OneNote, and Google Keep that enable you to jot down notes, record audio clips, snap photos, and organize everything in an easily searchable way across all your devices. Cloud Storage In ministry, you constantly need to access, edit and share documents, media files, and other resources both individually and as a team. Cloud storage solutions like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box and OneDrive keep everything centralized, backed up, and accessible from anywhere. If you need to give people access to see your documents or files, you can give permissions to others and let them collaborate on any file in real-time. Social Media Management Tools In today's world, it is important for Churches, ministries and ministry leaders to have an active presence on social media. Channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, YouTube and TikTok give you opportunities to engage your local and online communities. But, how do you create and share digital encouragement for each of these platforms? After all, manually creating posts for each platform is incredibly time consuming. The good news is that there are tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social that allow you to schedule updates across the multiple platforms from one simple interface. Check them out as they have a variety of free and paid price points. Conclusion As with anything, there is no silver bullet that will cure all your productivity needs. However, there are plenty of apps that can help you as you seek to minister to people today. Look over the different apps and be intentional about which ones you adopt. Then, configure them for your needs, and consistently use them as you seek to minister to more people.

Sermons and messages from ministry leaders don't just have to be shared in person these days. In fact, they are often recorded at church live in video and audio formats to reach more people with the message of hope found in Christ. While people often take the sermon from the in-person church service to share online, these are not the only ways ministers can share about Christ today. Ministers can record shorter messages, devotionals and interviews of people sharing their faith stories. While anyone can record and share a video message, there are some tips that ministers can and should incorporate into them to make them more effective in the online environment. After all, communicating effectively on video platforms is a little different than sharing live, in person. So what can you do? What are some key points ministers should be incorporating into their message? Here are a few ideas: Prioritize Engagement Over Entertainment While it is important to keep their attention when teaching, the primary goal should be engagement, not entertainment. Make sure your message is theologically sound and practical as you ask thought-provoking questions and interactive with the people who are watching your message as you give them practical next steps they can take to grow in their faith. Keep engaging with them so they remain hooked on your message throughout the entirety of it. Maximize Eye Contact and Energy When preaching live, you feed off the energy of the room. With video, you have to manufacture that energy yourself. Look directly into the camera lens frequently to create the feeling of eye contact with viewers. Use passionate vocal inflection and animated gestures to keep people engaged. However, be careful not to go overboard to the point of theatrics. Share Compelling Stories Stories are powerful tools for illustrating key points of a message in a way that people can relate to and remember. Stories that often work best are personal stories as it makes you relatable and people can identify with you more. Hook Early and Often People often decide if they want to continue listening to a video within a few seconds. That is why it is important to hook them with a question or story early. But, you have to continue to keep them hooked as it is easy to tune out to a video you are watching. Continue to ask questions, share stories or ask them to comment on your video while you are sharing. The more you can keep them engaged and listening, the longer they will watch. Conclusion Giving the message and sharing the gospel is one of the most important things a minister can do. These four tips can help ministers maximize the effectiveness of their message on video platforms like online streaming, podcasts, and social media.