by Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic sent most of the country into lockdown, familiar places adopted new practices to check the spread of the virus. Hospitals turned away patient visitors, stores restricted shoppers to a few at a time and restaurants transformed curbside parking into open-air dining rooms.
But for churches — community cornerstones that depend on the faithful, gathering together in fellowship and worship — social distancing created an existential crisis.
Like schools and libraries, houses of worship had to close their doors to protect people from a potentially deadly virus. But without worshippers praying and singing in the pews, faith leaders wondered if they could fulfil their spiritual mission while keeping their congregants safe. Their survival depended on it.
Enter YouTube.
Twenty years after it launched as a dating site on Feb. 14, 2005, the world’s most popular content-sharing platform has quietly become something else: a vital tool for houses of worship across the U.S.
Pandemic Pivot
Church YouTube channels that began as a short term solution have since transformed into a lasting shift in how faith communities worship, engage, and even grow their congregations.
Religious communities turned to the platform to stay safe and connected. Churches that once feared closure began to grow an entirely new congregation online. Virtual worship services, Bible studies, and even virtual tithes became the norm.
Dr. Beryl Whipple, pastor of Mt. Hebron Baptist Church in Baltimore, says they’ve had a YouTube channel since he came to the church in 2014 and used it here and there before the shutdown.
While it’s streaming, I can engage with the people as they’re commenting and talking. That aspect has helped tremendously.
Rev. Jamal Brown, Philadelphia MINSTER
After the pandemic hit, he took a DIY approach to the platform. With no staff to rely on, he enlisted musicians and tech-savvy young members to pre-record services on Thursday nights. His then-fiancée, Andrea, edited the videos, and on Sunday they streamed them on Facebook and then uploaded them to YouTube.
“When I look back on YouTube, I see how we’ve accumulated over 400 videos,” Whipple says. “Not only does that include full worship services, but also little prayers from various seasons.”
Popular With Worshippers
According to a November 2022 according to a Pew Research Center survey, about a quarter of U.S. adults now regularly watch religious services online or on TV, and two-thirds of them are highly satisfied with the experience.
Nevertheless, there were drawbacks to preparing a pandemic-era service to stream on YouTube.
It was lonely preaching by oneself, and it was dangerous for those choirs that gathered to rehearse in masks. Whipple says he quickly got some pushback from congregation members who weren’t on Facebook, and who had to go to YouTube for the replay. Even now, Whipple’s congregation wants, more than anything, to be in a brick and mortar sanctuary.
But through thick and thin, YouTube has been a stalwart partner, including for those who embraced long distance members. Some of those members stayed online, while others came to be baptized into their newly chosen fellowship.
Engaging the Church
Rev. Jamal Brown, pastor of Family Restoration Worship Center in Philadelphia, recalls the early days of the pandemic. “We first went to Zoom to try to engage the church,” he says. It had its limitations, though — like the inability to sing together in real time.
“Zoom was awkward. It was clunky. And it was challenging in the beginning. We got push back from people saying that it wasn’t real ministry, and so they refused to join,” Brown says.
Eventually, Brown’s congregation embraced YouTube, where they could pre-record services and stream them live while engaging with viewers through comments. “That aspect has helped tremendously,” he says.
Brown’s congregation is totally digital now, so he takes into account issues like listener fatigue and times his services to the minute. He communicates with them through texting and online chat.
As for his sermons, he streams them live. ”While it’s streaming, I can engage with the people as they’re commenting and talking. That aspect has helped tremendously,” Brown says.
Source: Seattle Medium
