Who Will You Meet Worshiping Online?
“[Through online connections you find] people you haven’t even met who care about you.” Carolyn, Christ Lutheran, Charlotte, North Carolina from her home in Iowa
“I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel...” Philippians 1:12 [NRSV]
As congregations explore many and various ways of connecting with people online for the sake of the gospel, the question that seems most difficult to answer is who is participating. At each of the five congregations we visited in the spring of 2021, we asked to speak with people who first connected with the congregation after March 2020. Every church leader worked very hard to identify a few people who fit that description. The biggest barrier seemed to be that unless a person self identifies as new and provides contact information, there is no effective way to know who is participating online in worship. Our assumption was that most congregations dove into online worship as a way to stay connected with people who were already participating in the life of the congregation before COVID-19 precautions ended most in-person worship options. We specifically were interested in hearing from people who began participating in congregations when their first point of connection had to be online. We wanted to hear their voices and their stories of how they found a sense of community through their online engagement with a congregation. From five congregations that collectively had more than 2,500 worshiping in-person each week in 2019; we were able to speak with 9 people who began participating since March 2020. The sample size is extremely small, but the stories from these people who were willing to share their experiences are powerful. Each person speaks of their experience worshiping with their newly found congregation in a way that echoes Paul’s words to the Philippians, “what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel.” [Philippians 1:12]
Who will you meet worshiping online?
People who have been invited to attend online by someone they know
Seven of the nine people we interviewed said they had been told by a friend, co-worker, family member, or other acquaintance about the online option for worship at the congregation. The other two knew of the congregation from their experiences in the community. None of these people found the congregation through a random Google search. As with in-person worship, a personal invitation to participate in online worship is an effective way to introduce someone to a congregation’s ministry.
People who want to connect more deeply with God
“Christ Lutheran has drawn us back into more active participation.” Jack lives more than 200 miles from Christ Lutheran in Charlotte, North Carolina. He had visited the congregation occasionally in-person during the previous decade when visiting family members who lived in Charlotte but he lived too far away to even think about joining the congregation. He describes himself as someone who had not attended any church regularly for the past 25 years. When worship everywhere moved online in March 2020, that provided Jack the opportunity to connect with Christ Lutheran online regularly. When Christ Lutheran offered a new member class online, he and his wife decided to join. Carolyn also joined Christ Lutheran during an online new member class. She lives in Iowa, more than 900 miles from North Carolina. Her congregation in Iowa offered online worship, but the sermons at Christ Lutheran “touched my heart.” She valued the “powerful, gentle word of God” that she heard through Christ Lutheran. It “gave me hope” and “focused on the love of Jesus.”
People who want to connect more deeply with other people
Through growth groups on Zoom at Calvary Lutheran in Clarkston, Michigan, Jill found “fellowship with other Christian women.” She appreciates, “feeling safe that what you share is confidential.” Stacey describes herself as someone who has a lot of questions about the Bible. Through an online Bible study at Calvary Lutheran, she, “was able to be vulnerable and say, can you tell me about this.” Not being in-person, “feels less intimidating.” She likes “the communal aspect” of online groups. Another newcomer has begun to recognize some of the names on the chat during the online worship service of St. Mark Lutheran in West Des Moines, Iowa. The congregation matched this newcomer with a sponsor. They were able to have lunch together. “My sponsor was easy to talk to.”
People whose faith needs are being met through the online experience
The people who shared their stories with us all value the online worship opportunities and find that experience to be authentic worship. The online experience is full and complete in itself and meets a faith need. “When Calvary went online, it absolutely was an amazing anchor for me,” said Stacey. “At home, worship was so intimate. I was so tuned in listening to the message and the songs with my headphones. You don’t have the distractions that you have in church.” Stacey worshipped online from home until her friend invited her to attend in-person when that option became available. “I was surprised how much I enjoyed in-person. Singing along in-person is so nice. I didn’t sing with the songs when I was at home.” She says she gets something different out of both online and in-person experiences. Another newcomer suggested that “for people with anxiety, online is a good option.” Carolyn says she feels she is a part of the congregation. “They are asking my opinion about things. They seem to care about what I think about. I’ve only done digital, but I feel like I’ve been there face to face.” Carolyn used the example that seeing an artificial plant in a room still gives you the same feeling as if you were seeing a real plant. Then she flipped her metaphor to point out that even though someone might say that an artificial plant (digital connection) is not real, her connection to Christ Lutheran (which she has experienced exclusively online) has brought her to a congregation that is more real than some congregations that she has experienced in-person. Don who participated at Trinity Lutheran in Crookston, Minnesota, said, “the physical church is important, but any way people can be reached is the way it should be done.”
People who are generous
Generous people don’t stop being generous. Vanco is an organization that facilitates electronic transactions for thousands of non-profit, faith-based, and educational institutions. In 2021, Vanco and Visa (a digital payment services provider) surveyed more than 1,000 virtual churchgoers about their attendance, participation, and giving in 2000. The findings are shared in their Virtual Churchgoer Giving Study.* The study states, “Churchgoers are just as eager to pass the plate virtually as they are in person: 65% of virtual churchgoers say their giving has remained the same, while 12% of givers are donating even more than before.”* Within the group of givers who increased their donations, “64% increased their gifts by 10% or more. A staggering 18% of this group increased donations by 20% or more.”* The survey also found that “churchgoers ages 35-44 and 55-65 increased their giving the most across all age groups.”* In our own research, we specifically asked each online worshiper to name two or three organizations that receive the most of their volunteer time and money. Each person was able to answer the question without much difficulty. Lifetime habits of generosity to causes that matter to them continue whether they are connected in-person, online, or from a considerable distance. Often a story was shared about why this organization mattered to them. “My nephew died of a brain tumor. I give to find a cure.” “Memorials received after my wife died were given to the public radio station she listened to.” “I have dedicated my life to education. I give in ways that help students.” It was particularly notable to hear from people who continue to give generously, even after a negative experience with a particular church. While they continue to give generously, they find other organizations or other congregations with which to share their time and money.
People who are returning to church after experiences that pushed them away
Several people shared stories of negative experiences with a congregation that pushed them away from church for years or decades. Internal church conflict, blaming and shaming following a divorce, and theological assertions that did not align with the person’s own values were all mentioned. Online worship offered these people an opportunity to get to know a congregation at their own pace without feeling pressure to make a decision about joining in a public way. Pastor Scott Suskovic noted that Christ Lutheran in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been offering online worship for seven years. His anecdotal observation is that some people will participate online for more than six months before they ever make themselves known to church staff by sharing their name or contact information.
People who participate in multiple dimensions of congregational life
At Calvary Lutheran in Clarkston, Michigan, worship moved online to YouTube but the variety of small “growth groups” moved to Zoom. Jill began participating in online worship both live and on demand but has also been in Zoom yoga, a women’s group, and Bible study. Stacey says, “I feel like I can sign up for things in-person or online. I feel very welcomed. At 10 am, a Bible verse pops up in the middle of my day. I get emails [from Calvary] in my week. Friends invite me do something after church. I have book club preparation time on my own.” Christ Lutheran in Charlotte, North Carolina, “sends you messages and you can be there every day,” according to Jack. In the online new member class, the pastors asked questions and stimulated conversation among the participants. “We’re from an old school, so face to face is what we are more familiar with, but Zoom and phone calls are something we’re becoming familiar with.” Service opportunities also provide a way to participate. One newcomer asked the pastor at St. Mark in West Des Moines, Iowa, about volunteering. “He gave me the name of the person who manages volunteering, I’d like to do that; they have an announcement tab [visible] during the online worship service – there is a rummage sale coming up.”
People who participate in more than one congregation
Dorene describes herself as a “dual citizen.” She has a long time connection with the congregation in the small community where she lives, but started attending Trinity Lutheran in Crookston, Minnesota, when Trinity began offering in-person worship. Her home congregation remained only online at the time we were talking with her. Her teenage children preferred to attend in-person rather than online. Online wasn’t working for her husband’s parents either. So all three generations attend together in-person at Trinity. “[Our home church] will always be our church. Roots run deep in a small rural church.” At the same time, the family may continue to participate in some of the ministries that Trinity offers. Another newcomer shared that she continues to watch sermons from a congregation in another state in addition to participating in the online and now in-person services from St. Mark Lutheran in West Des Moines, Iowa. From our own experiences as pastors of congregations in Jamestown, North Dakota, that have had radio broadcasts for many decades, we hear regularly from people in the congregations we serve who listen to one or both of us on the radio on Sunday morning, then watch another congregation on television later in the morning, or listen to a podcast from yet another congregation during the week. In the ELCA, Associate Membership is an option listed in the model constitution for congregations. The kind of “dual citizenship” that online worship invites is a new version of the Associate Member concept that congregations will need to explore in the coming months and years.
People who moved away but remain connected
Pastor Jonathan Heierman of Calvary Lutheran in Clarkston, Michigan, noted that people who moved away have chosen to remain connected to the congregation through its online worship and classes. The “backdoor” of people leaving a congregation has changed. People can participate in leadership roles, Bible studies, and worship through online meetings. Geography is no longer a factor that stops someone from participation in the life of the congregation.
People who may never attend in-person
As an online participant at Calvary Lutheran, Jill says, “I’m getting ready to go back to worship in-person after school gets out.” Advice from her doctor convinced Jill that working from home and doing almost everything else from home was the best decision for her health during the early days and height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Jill will likely begin participating in-person, other online worshipers have health issues that will not change with the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. These worshipers may seek a relationship with a congregation that meets their faith needs in a way that never expects them to attend in-person. Carolyn, Jack, and Don all live hundreds of miles away from the congregations where they participate online. Carolyn and Jack joined the congregation. Don has no intention of joining at this time. All three do not expect to attend in-person on any kind of regular basis even if they would like to do so. For this group of online only worshipers, finding ways to help them connect with the community online once they indicate an interest in doing so is a new dimension of ministry for congregations to explore.
People who participate online for a specific reason
“We’ve got hockey parents!” Pastor Greg Isaacson of Trinity Lutheran in Crookston, Minnesota, knew online worship was here to stay when he heard from families who participate online during hockey season. In northern Minnesota, this is a big deal. Travel sports teams take people out of town nearly every weekend of the season. Snowstorms, icy roads, or other inclement weather conditions do not have to keep people away from worship when an online option is available to them. It is not difficult to imagine a growing list of reasons why people will appreciate being able to stay connected to their congregation by participating online when illness, work, or travel would have kept them away before online worship was an option for them.
A note about people who do not participate online
Our research and questions were intended to explore how people participating in worship online find a sense of community. It is appropriate for us to acknowledge that there are people for whom online worship is not meeting their faith needs. Dorene stopped participating in online worship as soon as an in-person option was available to her at Trinity Lutheran in Crookston, Minnesota, even though it meant attending a congregation other than the one she had attended for years. Although Stacey thrived with online connections at Calvary Lutheran in Clarkston, Michigan, she has some friends who are exactly the opposite, people who only wanted to worship in-person and not online. What we heard is that the age of the worshiper does not accurately predict who will prefer in-person to online worship experiences. Two people over the age of 70 chose to participate online and do not intend to participate in-person. Another with children in their teens, and the teens themselves, prefer to worship in-person instead of online. At Calvary, Debbie Heierman, Director of Adult Spiritual Development, noted that younger adults at Calvary (in their twenties and thirties) felt the need to be together so they chose to meet masked and six feet apart instead of meeting on Zoom.
Summary of who you will meet
The people you meet worshiping online have the same breadth of experiences as the people you meet in-person. People worshiping online do so for a wide variety of reasons. Their experiences are real, meaningful, and faith strengthening. They echo the word of Paul, “I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel...” Philippians 1:12 [NRSV]
All names have been used with permission of the participants who shared their stories.
*Virtual Churchgoer Giving Study, VancoPayments.com/eGiving, available for download in February 2021. Pages 4 and 9.
Rev. Kristina Weber, Senior Pastor Trinity Lutheran, Jamestown, North Dakota
Rev. Erik Weber, Senior Pastor St. John’s Lutheran, Jamestown, North Dakota
July 2021