Nurturing Community Online
“I think Calvary is good at sending the message that you matter, even if you haven’t officially joined.” Jill, Calvary Lutheran, Clarkston, Michigan
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting....And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.” Acts 2:1-2,6 [NRSV]
On the day of Pentecost, people who already had life-changing experiences with Jesus Christ were gathered together. The Holy Spirit entered and got the attention of people outside the house who had little or no previous experience with Jesus. From that moment, the Church began a journey of connecting newcomers and people with previous experiences with Jesus in life-changing ways. The lens of the first Pentecost provides a way to view the significant changes in how people have been invited to connect with Jesus through worship during the months of COVID-19 related restrictions on gatherings.
Community has been nurtured even when people are not gathered together in one place. Long-time members, participants, and newcomers alike have been invited to experience community in new ways with the assistance of technology. The following insights are based on listening to the experiences of newcomers (people who had no previous experience inside the building of the congregation they connected with online between March 2020 and June 2021.) They are offered as guidance to congregations that wish to invite newcomers into community that connects them with Jesus in life-changing ways.
Characteristics of Online Faith Communities
Hospitality – Acknowledging the presence of online participants multiple times during the worship service makes a positive impression. When leaders take a moment to look at the camera and say, “welcome to everyone who is worshiping online today,” that greeting is noticed. Including an example in the sermon that connects with the experience of the online worshiper is another way to offer hospitality. Pastor Scott Suskovic of Christ Lutheran, Charlotte, North Carolina, includes visual images that accompany talking points of his sermon. These images appear on screens in the sanctuary and on the livestream for online worshipers. Comments such as, “whether you join your voices in prayer here in the room or from wherever you are worshiping, God hears your prayer,” extend hospitality beyond the walls of the sanctuary. An explicit invitation for online worshipers to gather bread and wine or juice for communion (and providing time for them to go get those elements and return before the Words of Institution begin) and an invitation to partake in communion extends the Lord’s table to all who are participating in worship. At Trinity Lutheran in Jamestown, North Dakota, prior to the communion liturgy, the presider says, “Gathered together from the many places where we experience this holy time of worship, we remember in the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks…” The time of blessing at the end of the worship service also provides an opportunity to specifically say, “for you who are participating online and you who are in the room, receive this blessing.” Each of these touchpoints reminds the people online and the people in the sanctuary that the communion of saints gathers across time and space as we worship together.
Additional extensions of hospitality specifically for online worshipers may include a welcome video or scrolling announcements before the worship service begins. At its most basic level, this tells the online worshiper that they have come to the right place online and that something will be starting soon. If a chat feature is used, a volunteer or paid host can provide greetings, questions to supplement the sermon, links to additional information about ministries mentioned during the service, an invitation to provide contact information, links to give online, an offer to pray online for a specific prayer request in a private chat feature, and a thank you at the end of the service.
An example of how to request contact information from worship participants comes from St. Mark Lutheran in West Des Moines, Iowa. The congregation has an electronic “Next Steps” card that takes people to a landing page that sends the contact information people give to a staff member who can respond later during the week. St. Mark online host, Denise says, “in the online community, we don’t see the faces of people. As a chat host, participants don’t see my face, but the chat function lets us have interaction. It’s not the same as a conversation or giving a hug.”
None of the congregations we visited use Zoom for worship, but that is a platform that allows faces to be seen and voices to be heard. Waving to one another is an interactive option. For a small enough group, people can be pre-assigned to read lessons, offer prayers, and take other leadership roles in worship in ways that are not one-directional.
Mutuality – Even in large congregations where online worship has a one-directional, heavily produced feel, mutuality is an important part of nurturing online community. Invitations are extended during worship and through other communication to invite participation in other dimensions of congregational life. Growth groups, book groups, new member classes, and other interactive smaller gatherings of 5-20 people make use of Zoom or other video chat platforms. For larger groups, breakout rooms can be used so people can have conversations with 3-5 other participants and can listen to one another and respond.
“My husband notices how positive it makes me after participating in the Sunday night group.” Stacey, Calvary Lutheran, Clarkston, Michigan
“Yes, I feel I am a part of [the faith community.] They are asking my opinion about things. They seem to care about what I think about. I would like to join a Bible study.” Carolyn, Christ Lutheran, Charlotte, North Carolina
“I was able to join a small group during Lent because it was on Zoom. I didn’t need to deal with the travel time. My husband was not really active with [reading the Bible] but he joined an online Bible study. He can do more research. It’s really incredible to see how those things have unfolded for us.” Becky, Online Host, St. Mark Lutheran, West Des Moines, Iowa
“Church was a good way to be connected when everything else was disrupted.” Kira, Calvary Lutheran, Clarkston, Michigan
Sense of Shared Mission – Some online worshipers we spoke with had participated in-person at service activities of the congregation. Others had not. Even so, both groups spoke of the service activities of the congregation in a way that emphasized that they felt they were part of the shared mission of the congregation. This was another component of nurturing a sense of community.
“Calvary has a lot of opportunities to get involved: putting boxes together for people who need food, a walk for mental health. [These are] open to everybody. Everybody matters. [There is an] impact in the community.” Jill, Calvary Lutheran, Clarkston, Michigan
“I posted some on social media, especially about service opportunities that [my friends] can get involved with.” Kira, Calvary Lutheran, Clarkston, Michigan
“[Christ Lutheran is] putting together some sort of outreach program for pockets in different communities. I heard of this and am interested in learning more. Christ Lutheran seems to be touching all the bases. I’ll get a reminder about a Zoom thing that is going on.” Jack, Christ Lutheran, Charlotte, North Carolina
Fluidity – Online community may be where participants choose to remain or it may be a way to participate in congregational community during a particular time in a person’s life. We did not speak to enough people to draw statistically significant conclusions. The stories we heard share some similarities and many differences. Even for the participants we talked to, there was not a stated expectation that everyone would share their same experience.
“For me, online isn’t really helpful. Face-to-face is much more meaningful.” (A worshiper who graduated high school with the class of 2020 and experienced online classes for the final months of her senior year of high school and her first semester of college. She spoke about the difficulty of meeting new people when college classes were online.)
“I feel comfortable sitting on my couch; wearing what I want to, not concerned about who I will run into. A goal of mine is to attend [worship] in-person maybe in the next month.” (An online worshiper who had been to the church building because it was the local polling place.)
“Recently, we’ve had some hardships in our life. Those are more easy to digest or accept when we have someone to accompany us, coming from above. We found ourselves a little closer too. There is a binding thing with faith.” (An online worshiper who does not expect to attend in-person because of the distance between home and the church building.)
Every now and then the church receives a $25 check from a nursing home in another state. A 92 year old resident of the nursing home told the activities director about the online worship service. Now each week a group of 8-14 people gathers for worship online. They receive an offering among themselves. When it reaches $25, they send a check. (Story shared by a staff member.)
The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church and keeps it united in Jesus Christ. (see Martin Luther’s explanation of the third article of the Apostles’ Creed) From the day of Pentecost, the activity of the Holy Spirit has not followed a single path. Even so, the Church has been on a journey of connecting newcomers and people with previous experiences with Jesus in life-changing ways. As community is nurtured online, giving attention to hospitality, mutuality, a shared sense of service, and fluidity can guide congregations that wish to invite newcomers into community that connects them with Jesus in life-changing ways.
Rev. Kristina Weber, Senior Pastor Trinity Lutheran, Jamestown, North Dakota
Rev. Erik Weber, Senior Pastor St. John’s Lutheran, Jamestown, North Dakota
July 2021