Michael D. Warren
RLGN 489: Ministry Praxis Capstone
Digital Ministry Engagement Assignment
1
I attended Saddleback Church’s online campus and watched a pre-recorded service from
a couple weeks ago, which was the first sermon in their current series, “Created to Dream.” The
first thing I noticed was that the singing portion of the service was not included in the video. This
meant there was no time to orient the heart to a posture of worship through song. The pastor,
Andy Wood, began by welcoming everyone who may be watching live or later on, and
introducing the topic of the sermon. He went through multiple texts and stories, and even, early
on, cut to a pre-recorded interview with Pastor Rick Warren about the book and sermon series,
“Created to Dream.” At the 43 minute mark, the pastor began to lead viewers in prayer,
instructing them to stand, position their hands openly in front of them, and ask God to take away
the things in their life that are not in accordance with God’s dream for His people.
Sermon-centric services are a Protestant habit, rarely seen among Catholics or Orthodox
who give more time to the Eucharist. Nothing surprised me about the service, as I was already
familiar with Saddleback’s reputation amongst American megachurches. When services are live-
streamed, the sound levels of worship songs can be difficult to make smooth and clear, but since
Saddleback has a ministry team devoted to online services, one would not be faulted for thinking
they should incorporate some singing or worship into the pre-recorded services. Since they are
not performing for a live audience, they have time to adjust and simplify all the sound levels to
sound the best for an online audience. Incorporating some simple worship songs or hymns before
the sermon would be my only suggestion.
