Wow, a lot has changed in the last month. Practically overnight people went from “going” to church to watching at home, online. This has been a big adjustment for many, and for pastors and church leaders, if they weren’t already recording their sermons and using Facebook Live, they are now. Most have figured it out; it may not be polished, but it’s working. One of the biggest discoveries for these pastors was that in many cases they now have more people watching the service online than they would have in the building.

Along with that new excitement comes challenges, because there are a lot of people watching that are not a regular part of their church and they don’t know their names—or anything else about them.

So, how do you engage in conversation with them online? I’ve talked to several pastors about this and they all agreed it’s not easy, but they know that people stopped by for a reason, and they would like to find out why.

To start the interaction, ask them to “like” the service and put where they’re from in the comments. Have someone monitoring the comments and ready to respond. Think of questions you would ask the person if you were talking with them face to face.

Here are some examples and a few other tips to consider:

  • “Hello everyone! Post a comment and tell us where you are from.”
  • “Do you have friends or family that attend the church? If you do, “wave” and post a comment to say hello.
  • “If this is your first time watching, please take a minute to fill out our online Connect Card.” [That’s a hint, make sure you have a digital Welcome/Connect Card form to gather information, ask for more information about the church, and a place to ask for prayer.]
  • “Do you have any specific needs the church can help you with? (food, etc.)
  • “How can we pray for you?”

These are just some examples. The idea is to interact with people and hopefully some will interact back.

Remember that the Holy Spirit can work through online sermons, too, so give them an opportunity to make a decision and a way for you to follow up.

I hope this is helpful. If there are any other ways I can be of help, please let me know. Praying for you!