Church is about people - connecting, supporting and having fellowship in Christ. At the beginning of time, God made us for relationships as He said it wasn’t good for us to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Much of what we learn and experience from healthy relationships is reflected in the connections God wants to have with us. We can see glimpses of God through the people He puts into our lives. In Matthew 18:20, it says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Since the start of the pandemic, gathering “together” as brothers and sisters in Christ has looked quite different and almost physically non-existent. During these uncertain times, the church is more important than ever. We crave the interactions to support and pray for one another. Fortunately, God has given us tools to help us. For our church to continue to function while being restricted from congregating together, we’ve had to rely on technology such as video streaming, video conferencing, social media posts, and email newsletters.
We know virtual meetings cannot replace in-person meetings. Personal connections and group interactions cannot be replicated in the same way. However, God has created technology tools for us to use to further His Kingdom. When it’s used effectively, we can reach those who weren’t reached before, and provide convenient ways for others to connect and learn about Resonance.
I can’t imagine what people did when the last major pandemic happened 100 years ago without the internet and the tools we have today. At a conference this past summer, I heard Pastor Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Life.Church (who launched the YouVersion Bible App and ChurchOnlinePlatform.com), say that most churches didn’t believe online worship services would work just a few years ago, but when the pandemic hit, the mindset changed immediately and thousands of churches have embraced the concept of the digital church.
This past year at Resonance, we have shifted to digital content delivery out of necessity – whether it’s streaming the Sunday service, running Zoom meetings for Sunday school, fellowship and LifeGroups, or posting on social media. Our staff has worked extremely hard to make the transition work so that we can stay connected. The pandemic has changed our way of life and it will change the way our church is run when we return to regular in-person services. While we long to connect in-person and serve together shoulder to shoulder, we can’t deny that we have an opportunity to expand Resonance’s digital capabilities and be innovative to reach today’s generation to build up the church.
Lastly, if you’ve been feeling trapped due to COVID restrictions and haven’t connected with others in a meaningful way, I’d encourage you to reach out to a fellow brother or sister in Christ or another family at Res. Even if it’s not the same being there in-person, we can still encourage and support one another using tools like the phone or video conferencing to chat and fellowship. As it says in Hebrews 10:25 (MSG), “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.”
If you have an interest in content creation (e.g., videos, graphics, and writing), have technical expertise in web technologies or social media, or have a background in digital marketing, you can serve God by using your gifts to shape our church’s digital strategy. To find out more, please reach out to myself or Chris Fong.