1. Live stream your services on Sunday on dance book for families to watch.
Setting up a Live stream on facebook is easier than you would expect. You can even keep it as simple as propping your phone up on a stack of books at your desk. Don't worry about production quality too much, this is about connecting and touching base with everyone. In most cases, the more personal this feels, the more impact it will have.
2. After live streaming, post a blog with more reading and sermon notes.
Posting shorter versions of your sermons can have their benefits. More bitesize post are easier for people to watch and understand. To supplement the hour service you are use to, post some extra resources on a blog or in a facebook post giving your congregation more verses to read, or more videos to watch. This also helps Small Group Leaders create their lesson plans if their group is centered around the sermon each week.
3. Small Group Leaders can set up free video meetings weekly with Zoom.
Zoom.us is quickly becoming the standard way to have meetings. Everyone is working from home and teams need to stay connected. Why can't churches use the same tools? When you sign up for a Zoom account, you can set up and host free half hour meeting. Small Group Leaders can do these as often as they want and it is a great way to connect during the week.
4. Set up a way for your congregation to tithe online.
Here are some great online giving options.
-- Tithe.ly
-- Kindred
-- SecureGive
-- PushPay
-- Mogiv
-- EasyTithe
5. Instead of live music, make a Spotify playlist and share it on Sundays.
A great way to help everyone worship on Sundays is music. What do you do when you can't gather to make the music? Make a Spotify playlist and send it to your congregation by email or posting it on facebook a few days before the service. This will allow your families to play the same praise music before the sermon and sing along with the same songs they would on any normal Sunday.
6. Offer a table outside your doors where people can give, and take if needed, non-perishable supplies.
Even though we should practice social distancing for the foreseeable future, there is no reason why we can't help the less fortunate still. Set up a table outside your front doors and let your congregation know they can come and drop off non-perishable items that other families can stop by and pick up. This is a great way to offer no contact help.
7. Post stories on your social media of what Christians have done during other historical pandemics.
There are countless examples of how christians have handled sickness, persecution, and other trials through out history. Sometimes, posting a story about the 1st century christians struggles can help put our problems in a different light and give us some perspective.
8. Youth Group Leaders can host, record, and post lessons using zoom.
Not only can Small Group Leaders use Zoom as a tool, Youth Group Leaders can use it as well to host weekly lessons. You can also record your zoom meetings and post them on your website, youtube, or social media. This is a great tool to let the students in your group be able watch your lessons when they have the time to focus on them.
9. Children’s Ministry Leaders can post fun family activities to do at home.
A month into LockDown and families might be running out of ideas of fun things to do together. Talk to your Ministry Staff and come up with some ideas they do with their families to pass the time. Some ideas could be painting stain glass windows with acrylic paint, or a fun game the whole family can do together. Make a list of your staffs favorite and post them through out the week or on a specific day each week.
10. Share positive news about Covid-19 on Facebook like how many people have recovered.
There is always a ton of doom and gloom in all of our news feeds, but we are starting to come out on the other side. There are stories about people recovering from covid-19, stories of people donating blood to help their communities, and more. Find the stories that will give people hope and share them with your followers on your social media to brighten their days.
I hope this helps some of you. Please share this article with your friends and family if you think it can help them.
As always, I am here if any of you have any questions. Just email me at nate@natemadeit.com and I will see what I can do.
Stay Safe, We are all in this together!