The Future of the Church is Hybrid

by Pastor Carol McEntyre on May 19, 2021

First Baptist,

 
I am looking forward to Sunday, June 6, and our return to in person worship in the Sanctuary.  I cannot wait to worship together in our sacred space.  At the same time, I know the pandemic has changed the landscape of ministry going forward.  I recognize that many people are looking forward to coming back to in-person worship in our building, but others will choose to continue worshiping primarily online.  I get it, particularly for those who no longer drive, for those who are part of our church but don’t live in Columbia, and for others who prefer to worship online, this is a new reality.  To thrive in the future, our congregation needs to embrace this new digital landscape and see it as an opportunity to grow our ministry and outreach.  This is a shift in how we do things and change in our philosophy of ministry.  Our church leadership is trying to think “hybrid church,” meaning how do we minister to people who are here in person and online.  We want to see digital not as an ‘accommodation’, but as real ministry and a chance to reach more people simultaneously.  You may wonder, “What does this mean for our church going forward?” In the future, some events will be in-person only,  some will be online only, and many others will be hybrid (accessible to an in-person and online congregation).  We know this will take some getting used to and a lot of forethought and work on our part.
 

Right now, we are also trying to figure out how to make the worship service in our sanctuary (and eventually) the fellowship hall more conducive to the hybrid experience.  In 2019, our webcast was simply a bird’s eye view of worship in the Sanctuary (and Fellowship Hall).  Those watching online were eavesdropping on our worship service and the webcast wasn’t really focused on the online participants. Now we speak to the online worshipers, our camera placement is focused on them; we have virtual greeters and the ability to respond through online chat, providing text and lyrics on the broadcast screen for participants, and many more adjustments have created a webcast that allows those online to engage with our worship experience as active participants, not just viewers.  Our goal in the coming months is to figure out how to build on what we have learned during the pandemic about online worship and craft worship that meets the needs of those worshiping in person and online at the same time.  We know this is going to be an adjustment and take some time. I ask for your patience, your prayers, and your help as we work to figure this out!    

Back to Pastor Carol's Blog