LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Strengthening Online Worship beyond the Pandemic
CLED 700
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Ministry Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries
By
Henry Edwin Shikuku
Lynchburg, Virginia
10/2022
Strengthening Online Worship beyond the Pandemic
Chances are that virtual worship services are here to stay much as radio and television
worship services remain available. Churches today that use television or radio to share their
services more broadly certainly do not see those services as taking away from their mission. If
they did, they would not pay the high cost of providing worship through those media. Similarly,
churches should see virtual worship as a way to to accomplish their mission rather than seeing
it as a hindrance.
Online worship beyond the pandemic
Some churches were already offering worship online before the pandemic, but most were
not. They embraced virtual worship when pandemic safeguards prevented them from gathering
in person. Their early attempts at online worship were often awkward. Leaders were ill-
equipped. There were technological challenges. And most clergy and musicians had little
experience in communicating effectively in this new medium. But as time went by, the services
improved for most churches. As the worst of the pandemic subsided, most churches were
managing their virtual worship relatively well.
Some assumed virtual services would be unnecessary once in-person worship resumed. But
most understood that basic changes were taking place in how people live their lives and post-
pandemic worship may not return to “normal.” Online worship would be needed for those
unable to attend in person for health reasons. But also, there would continue to be an audience
for online worship alongside in-person, radio, and television. The decision of whether to
continue an online service was no longer just a matter of providing access to members unable
to attend because of the pandemic.
Mastering the medium
I once was pastor of a church whose services were broadcast live each Sunday on radio and
television. I learned that a successful radio broadcast involved much more than merely having
the signal go through. For example, we found that we had to examine the service relentlessly
for “dead time,” silence that is guaranteed to cause radio listeners to change stations. And
addressing those dead times actually made the in-person service far better as well.
As we prepared to televise the services, I recorded services of other churches to study their
best practices. I also visited churches with televised worship and talked to the pastors and other
leaders. Some of the best advice I received was to make sure the production quality of the
service was equal to what people expected when they watch network television. The lighting,
sound, and cameras must allow people to give their full attention to the worship, rather than
being distracted by production problems.
Continuing to learn and improve
No matter how fine your online worship experience is, you and your colleagues do not have
decades of experience with online worship as you probably do with in-person worship. We
must acknowledge that we are still in the early stages of developing what the online worship
experience can be. Everyone is still learning. You want to make sure that your online worship is
evolving based on your experience, the experience of other churches, and especially the
experience of your online worship participants.
1. Devote considerable time to planning and evaluation.
In this regard, we can learn from the best practices growing churches use in planning and
evaluating all their worship services. Growing churches tend to spend considerable time
planning for worship — both long term and weekly. They plan well ahead, and they do detailed
planning for each service. They devote far more time each week than other churches do in
preparing for the Sunday services. And they regularly evaluate and revise. This includes a
review of each service and regular overall reviews.
2. Seek feedback and input.
Know that for the foreseeable future, as you navigate this still emerging worship medium,
improving your virtual worship will require far more extensive review. Find ways to seek
feedback, and review every week with one goal in mind: How can we improve what we are
doing before next week? Seek feedback from those who worship online, but don’t stop there.
View the services yourself, making notes for improvement. Ask others who attend in-person
worship to view the online services and offer suggestions for improvement.
Watch online services from other churches who do online worship well and ask others to
watch them. The task is always the same: We don’t need to know what we do better than they
do. We must learn what they do better than we do. Chances are you will first notice small
changes you can make. However, as time goes by, pay most attention to methods other
churches use to include and engage their online worshipers beyond being spectators. This
learning is both the biggest challenge and greatest opportunity of this endeavor.
3. Advocate for expanded internet access to those in need.
In many parts of the United States, especially rural areas, there is limited or no broadband
access. There was a time when the same was true for access to electricity and telephones. If
you are blessed by dependable internet connections in your area, consider advocating for
expanded coverage to benefit those locales in need. Also be aware that in areas that do have
internet access, there may be households that do not have the resources to afford the access
and technology needed to share in your online worship. What are ways you can advocate for
and help support them as well?
Resources
Improving Worship Attendance in a Post-Pandemic World, a Lewis Center webinar
recording
5 Signs You’re Doing Online Ministry Right by Carey Nieuwhof
Moving Forward with Hybrid Worship by Olu Brown
