Over the course of this past year the Here I Am team has begun conducting Digital Church Proficiency workshops to help churches gain a better grasp of their online presence. These workshops have been a great opportunity to talk to churches across the state of Virginia about the obstacles they face on a daily basis while showcasing the church’s strengths online.
Whether it is a congregation that is reluctant to embrace digital, poor internet connection in the area, or simply not knowing where to start, the Here I Am team breaks down information and data to help incorporate digital into a part of a church’s digital routine.
At the beginning of these digital workshops the team likes to incorporate data from Pew Research to best paint the scene of where churches stand in the digital landscape.
The most eye-opening piece of data that is available is in regards to in person and online worship. While the lifting of mandates allowed in-person to rebound, online views have remained relatively steady from their pandemic highs.
These statistics further illustrate how the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently shifted how people interact with their church. Even though in-person gatherings have returned, there is still a decent number of people that prefer to engage online – or do both!
This could be for a number of reasons, whether it be health, people on vacation, or busy parents who couldn’t make it out of the house that day. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that if a church is not online in some fashion, they are missing out on engagement. Even if the viewers are “lurkers”, people continue to engage anonymously as the “random views” on a weekly basis.
All in all, this data from Pew Research shows that digital church is now a critical part of ministry that cannot be ignored. The Here I Am team hopes to help churches feel more comfortable in this space so that they can thrive in the modern world. To learn more about our offerings, visit our Digital Workshop’s page.
Blog written by Will York
“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” – Mark 16:15
