Who is My Neighbor? In-person, Online, or Hybrid Worship
“The person right in front of you has to share primary focus with the person you cannot see.” Rev. Jonathan Heierman, Calvary Lutheran, Clarkston, Michigan
“And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29 [NRSV]
Christians often encourage one another to love and serve their neighbors. The parable of the Good Samaritan expands our view of neighbors as seeing beyond the people who are most similar to us or who live closest to us. Neighbors are those who are vulnerable and in need of kindness and mercy regardless of where they live or what they look like.
Online worship echoes that concept and expands it even farther.
When worship leaders make decisions about who to address in worship, the options are no longer limited to addressing God in prayer or addressing the people in the sanctuary. With online worship, addressing the people worshiping from a distance is a third group to consider. Looking at the camera, speaking to the online (or radio) participants, acknowledging that people worshiping outside the sanctuary are indeed participants instead of viewers or listeners are all elements of leading online worship with integrity. At the same time, looking at the people who have gathered in the sanctuary, speaking to them, and acknowledging that people worshiping inside the sanctuary are participating remains a priority for worship leaders. It is no longer the only priority.
Hybrid worship, with some people participating in-person and some people participating online (or on the radio), has been a reality for congregations like Trinity Lutheran in Crookston, Minnesota, for years. They have had both a radio broadcast and a broadcast on the local cable channel for decades. The assumption from the perspective of worship leaders was that the hundred or more people gathered in the sanctuary received primary focus each week. The unknown numbers of people listening on the radio or watching on the cable channel were “overhearing” worship that was planned for the people in the sanctuary. Radio and cable were for days when bitterly cold weather, blizzard conditions, or illness kept people away from the “real” worship service. That assumption remained true until COVID-19 precautions meant that nearly everyone was participating from a distance and almost no one was attending in-person.
Christ Lutheran on Providence in Charlotte, North Carolina, began streaming their worship services in 2015. By the time COVID-19 became a household word, Christ on Providence had seven years of streaming experience. When the Minister of Music and Worship found himself participating from home for two months, he realized the impact of the service in a whole new way. That coffee mug was distracting. The cords were clutter. The simple gesture of acknowledging that people at home were worshiping, not simply watching, was important for setting the tone of the worship experience.
At Trinity Lutheran in Crookston, Minnesota, the most visible acknowledgement that people were worshiping in their living rooms was shown by two upholstered chairs with a small table between them placed a few feet in front of the altar. The view of the altar was not impeded. The table still had central place for Holy Communion. However, the “comfy chairs” set an informal tone to the start of the service as two worship leaders talked casually about the things that were coming up during the week. Gone was the formal list of announcements read by a pastor standing to greet the congregation. In its place was a space for two familiar leaders to share some information about opportunities in the community. Early during the pandemic, the pastor invited a local mental health practitioner to sit in one of the comfortable chairs to talk about the signs of depression and how to find help. On other Sundays, worship leaders from another congregation in town joined in this opening conversation as a way to show the partnership and cooperation that was happening between the congregations.
The place where acknowledgement of the differing experiences of people worshiping from a distance and people worshiping in the sanctuary is highly notable is during Holy Communion. More than simply verbally reminding worshipers at home to get the bread and wine or grape juice for communion with enough time to return to their place of worship before the Words of Institution are spoken, at Christ on Providence, the order of worship has been adjusted. Worshipers online are invited to gather their elements prior to the start of the communion liturgy. A musical offering allows time for a last minute trip to the kitchen. Those not partaking in communion are invited to dip their finger in a bowl of water and make the sign of the cross on their foreheads remembering that in their baptism, they are beloved children of God. Following the Words of Institution and the Lord’s Prayer those worshiping online are invited to eat the bread and drink the wine, the body and blood of Christ. A post-communion blessing is offered, followed by the benediction and sending song. Most online worshipers then see post- worship announcements and an invitation to return next week. The livestream ends. For the people in the sanctuary, the distribution of elements begins. Postponing the distribution of bread and wine to 150 people in a sanctuary designed to seat more than 1100 meant that after people came forward to receive Communion, they were able to leave the sanctuary in a socially distanced manner and did not need to touch the seats again as they walked between the rows of pews. A practically driven decision. A decision that meant that instead of watching online for 5-10 minutes before hearing a blessing, the online worshiping community could finish the service and not feel like they had missed something if they left early.
“The person right in front of you has to share primary focus with the person you cannot see.” The needs of both worshiping communities acknowledged the shared focus and made accommodations to the needs of the other. God’s presence in the service was honored and acknowledged as the focus of all who participated in worship.
Rev. Kristina Weber, Senior Pastor Trinity Lutheran, Jamestown, North Dakota
Rev. Erik Weber, Senior Pastor St. John’s Lutheran, Jamestown, North Dakota
July 2021
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