I just finished watching Governor Jay Inslee’s address for people in Seattle to stay home for at least the next two weeks. What if we do not worship in person for another 3 months? How about 6 months? What if it takes closer to a year until regular in person worship  happens again? How does this possibility shift our reality and expectations as church leaders and peoples connection to church?

What if online worship wasn’t a secondary option? What if we approached online worship as the primary option?

As I watched our livestream during worship at  Federal Way United Methodist Church, it’s becoming clear that when people log into our worship services, people are church hopping and shopping to two or more online services at a time. We are learning that people are engaging with social media in ways they didn’t imagine they would have a few weeks ago. We are also learning that people are searching for meaning and connection to God in ways they feel are familiar and ways that we as humanity are discovering together in this season.

Just as most of us were not prepared for COVID-19; most of us are not prepared to lead worship and go to church online for the long haul.

For those who have lower attended numbers in person, smaller staff and/or a tight budget… your gifts and message is more important than ever. Leading worship online isn’t about how big a choir you have, how awesome your praise team sounds or even how charismatic a preacher you are.

With physical distancing, you have a similar set of tools and resources as every other church online.

Right now, the message and opportunities for connection matters far more than the flash of how online worship “looks”. Our world needs a consistent message of hope, love and grace that is steeped in a clear, honest and authentic way.

Our world doesn’t need flash, broken promises and we really don’t need false hope. We need you. We need our neighbors. We need humanity to remember that we are all God’s beloved creation. Let’s ask our lay people what they are looking for and how they can share their gifts. After all, this is new territory for everyone.

We need modern day prophets to speak out against racism, homophobia, sexism and the many ways we tell tell one another that you are less than worthy.

Let’s not forget that we while COVID-19 exists, systems of injustice still exist too. The need for the hands and feet of Christ is still very relevant.

Maybe we will get to gather again in person in the next couple of months. Maybe it’ll take a lot longer. What if we all approached leading online worship as our first option rather than our last? If we all started planning for months rather than weeks of online worship; how will your priorities change? How will you approach online worship in creative and deeply theological ways? How will you engage your community differently with a new perspective?

If you are still reading this blog post, how about we using this as a hub of sharing creative worship ideas? There are plenty more people in the world than there are churches. Let’s all help one another share the Good News of the Gospel. 

After all, there’s more than enough room. 

Update: Here’s a link to a fantastic article by Reverend Jeremy Smith. It’s worth reading.