Within days of the WHO declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, Spain became one of the first countries to enter lockdown. As the practicalities of being physically separated were realized, churches began to get creative with how they reached people, and in nearly all cases, the tool they used to reach people was media.
The Church is engaging people through media now more than ever. Of course, Christian media is nothing new, but we have seen an exponential increase at the intersection of the gospel and media this year. Since the onset of the pandemic, I’ve personally seen a shift in the way churches see the function of media in ministry, their audience, and themselves.
A Different View
The first change I see is a different view of media’s role in ministry. Before the pandemic, hosting small groups via Zoom, using messaging apps like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to communicate, and live-streaming services were largely considered optional. The pandemic proved each to be critically important.
Where I live in Spain, we were under strict lockdown for nearly 100 days. I don’t know of any churches who did not implement some new-to-them tools to remain connected while quarantined. Even in an ideal scenario, these platforms can’t replace physical interaction, but the desire to use the most effective tool will help us better engage the world around us.
The results don’t life: As churches switched to online platforms during COVID-related shutdowns, many people heard gospel presentations and were saved.
Seeing The Audience
The second chance I’m seeing is in how churches see their congregations or “audience.” In the past those who attended church online were viewed as less engaged and received little attention. Suddenly everyone attending church was attending online. Because of this, pastors and churches now see their online attendees as a viable audience who need to be shepherded instead of treating them as too lazy to show up in person.
A church close to me is giving actual energy, time, and resources to improving online services. This means not just providing a video of the service that already happening but creating an intentional, strategic service designed to engage an online-only audience. Once they resume in-person services, their online campus will remain open.
Pastors Practicing Media
A third change is that ministers now see themselves as media practitioners. In the past I’ve been part of church media seminars where pastors ended up frustrated that, while they learned a great deal, they felt they couldn’t devote the energy needed to implement the skills in a meaningful way. These churches are now innovating like never before. A year ago few had dreamed of Zoom prayer meetings, WhatsApp life groups, or television street evangelism.
While I’m sure our pastors, missionaries, and lay ministers feel overwhelmed with many of the circumstances that brought on this new reality, I hope the engagement continues. Born of necessity and creativity, these strategies have largely worked! I pray they will continue to be a critical part of the path forward as we share the gospel and establish the Church.
Matt and Rachel Nelsen serve as missionaries at International Media Ministries in Madrid, Spain. They have three children: Robert, Reegan, and Cora.