How to Make Digital Ministry Work at Your Church

Years ago, when I was an online pastor at a church, I talked with the executive pastor. As we were doing sound checks for the weekend service, the executive pastor said, “Jeff, I don’t know exactly how you do this online church thing, and I don’t care. But I do love the numbers you’re pulling in. I love seeing that attendance boosts on the spreadsheet each week.” 

I laugh at that story now, but years ago, I replied to the executive pastor (who was also my my boss), “That may be the most offensive thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Pushpay’s State of Church Tech Report says that in 2024, 91% of churches consider their ministry hybrid. 90% of them stream online. 

When questioned on their hybrid nature, the common initial reply is, “We stream our services online.” Notably, as a company offering top-notch video encoders with cutting-edge technology, live streaming church services plays a vital role in embracing hybridity. Keep the streams going! Yet, it’s crucial to understand that the essence of hybrid transcends beyond Sunday mornings.

My executive pastor friend viewed online ministry as the icing on the cake. The staff and volunteers worked very hard to make the physical church services happen, and thanks to some magic multiplier on a spreadsheet, attendance increased because of online ministry. Online icing certainly makes the church’s cake taste so much better.

Digital technology’s adaptability is a captivating trait. While it can serve as the finishing touch to your church’s endeavors, churches are realizing that weaving digital elements into their ministry and strategy not only elevates digital outreach but also boosts the impact of physical engagement. Instead of being an afterthought or an accessory, digital should form a cornerstone of your church’s operations. It’s not just the icing on the cake; it’s the flour. And just as flour is indispensable to a cake, digital is essential to a church. 

Let’s delve into how seamlessly integrating digital can be pivotal for your church’s success.

Maximizing digital COMMUNICATION to connect with your audience

Initially, digital communication stands out as a common solution, with many churches already implementing it to some extent. A key consideration is: How can we enhance this further? Looking ahead, email communication is waning in impact. Could text messaging be the future? What role ought your website to fulfill within your digital strategy? How do you engage with first-time online visitors? And how about those joining your physical church for the first time?

Through The Digitally Resilient Church, we have discussed the role of digital communications in your ministry. We will stretch some of you in part six as we talk about “targeted audiences.” Who are you trying to reach digitally, and how do you best connect with them digitally? Barbara Carneiro, Lead Strategist with Word Revolution, will challenge some of your established norms. If we try to reach everyone digitally, we will not get anyone. To maximize digital’s effectiveness, we need to narrow our focus. Recognizing that if we try to reach a specific someone, if we niche our communications down, we can effectively reach more people than if we generalize.

But churches are supposed to reach everyone? All people need the Gospel! Do you want me to ignore some people digitally? These are great, healthy questions. Ultimately, recognize that a hybrid church will utilize digital to maximize connections with people. Come ready to be challenged. 

Utilizing digital COMMUNITY to build trust with your people

Churches often struggle with embracing digital communities holistically. Traditionally, they’ve utilized digital media for one-way communication, envisioning online services reaching vast audiences as remarkable. Yet, a truly effective hybrid church leverages digital tools beyond mere broadcast, engaging in two-way interactions. By listening, gathering feedback, and delving into digital insights, they deepen their understanding of people in the digital realm.

This is the heart of digital community: listening more than talking. By listening, we build trust with the people we are connecting with. Digital community is vital to strengthening your digital ministry and getting people into church buildings. 

Isaac Frere, the lead pastor at RŪ Tampa, has discovered this secret. During Covid, he told me, “As a pastor, why do I need a building? The building is a lid on the number of people I can reach.” Isaac is developing a core strategy that is dependent on physical and digital communities with his new church plant in Tampa, FL. What does a hybrid church look like on a limited budget? Isaac will share his learning from RŪ Church in Part Six of The Digitally Resilient Church webinar on September 18th. 

Platforms like Life.Church’s Church Online Platform excel at fostering community during worship service broadcasts. Encouraging interaction and discussions during these moments is a strong foundation for digital community building. However, this is merely the beginning. Social media can serve as another avenue for digital community building, provided there is active engagement from others on these platforms.

Understanding how digital can complement and strengthen the MISSION of your church

Maximizing digital communication to connect with people and then digital community to strengthen your physical community are two massive steps in integrating digital ministry into your church’s strategy. You’re on your way to understanding how to be a hybrid church! 

For digital to become flour, though, it needs to seamlessly integrate into what you’re doing at some point. Think about it. You can easily separate the icing from the cake. Bakers do it all the time. But once the cake is baked, you can’t separate the flour. It’s become the cake.

As you look at digital in your church, is it seamlessly integrated? Are you offering small groups online? Are they active? Is your church’s discipleship strategy integrated into your mobile app? Are you using digital tools like the Google Ad Grant to drive people to your physical church? Are you comfortable if someone from your physical church engages digitally instead of coming into the building? Are you using digital metrics to validate or inform what is happening in your church?

Instead of being afraid of digital, churches like yours should lean into it. This is one of the secrets of Crossroads Church, which I have included as one of my top five innovative churches in America. Crossroads leaned into digital. Digitally, they can be the church for anyone. People can be location-independent and still be discipled via digital methods. 

We talked about this stat in Part Two of The Digitally Resilient Church. Still, it’s worth revisiting: Crossroads found that people who show hybrid tendencies, being involved in the church digitally and physically, show a higher level of discipleship than those who attend only physically. Consider this: Embracing digital options and integrating them into the church’s mission can complement the physical experience.

This is the model of a hybrid church: one where digital makes the church better. It’s not an add-on; it’s the main ingredient. During Part Six of The Digitally Resilient Church, we’ll talk with Matt Welty, CTO of Crossroads Church, about the road and transitions Crossroads has faced to become a pinnacle example of a hybrid church.

The OPPORTUNITY for a HYBRID CHURCH

As we’ve repeatedly repeated, broadcasting church services is a vital part of your church’s digital strategy, but don’t stop there! Join the conversation in Part Six of The Digitally Resilient Church, where we’ll discuss how to integrate digital into your church’s strategy seamlessly.