You are likely to be familiar with Craig Groeschel and LifeChurch.TV. They are on the cutting edge of doing church online, and seem to be doing it effectively.
Having already brought us YouVersion and Open, the guys who love to share everything have launched the free Church Online Platform.
Highlights of Church Online Platform
Here are some highlights with some screenshots of what you can expect.
Overview
The Church Online Platform is a free tool to help you launch an online ministry. It removes the barrier of technology, so churches everywhere can reach the people they are uniquely equipped to reach.
Online services created with Church Online Platform include:
- An embedded video area for your message and music
- A slide area for graphics you upload
- A way for people to request live prayer
- Social media connections
- Tab options including chat, visitor map, sermon notes, and other text
Environment
- You’re in control of your church online environment: the look and feel, the information, the settings—it’s all up to you. You’ll get a detailed guide that will walk you through the setup process.
- How do you want your church online to look? You can choose a ready-made theme, tweak a theme according to your preference, or go the advanced route and provide your own CSS styles.
- You’ll enter your church’s information, add your logo, set login requirements, provide links, determine donation settings, decide which tabs you’ll use, and more.
Online Events
- The Church Online Platform gives you tools to create online events for your ministry. The schedule is in your hands. Will you offer one main service multiple times throughout the week? Or will you integrate additional experiences (like mid-week services or special events) into your schedule?
- Any event can be scheduled to occur one time or multiple times.
- Each event can be assigned different video streams, slides, and interaction.
Additional Features
- Slides – Graphics before and during your service
- Chat – Interaction with your community
- Prayer Queue – A queue makes sure requests get personal attention
- Team – Different gifts for different roles
- Online and Offline Modes – A way for your church to be welcoming when you’re not live
- Streaming – Your video, your way
- Mobile Devices – Online ministry, everywhere
- Multiple Languages Ahead – Structured for translation
If you are still not sure that this is something suitable for your church, they provide a great series of questions that you can go through with your church staff to help you navigate through this whole process before you dive-in headfirst.
If you’re like me and all you are waiting to do is sign up, then do it now!
(I signed up today and they say that within 1-2 business days my account should be set up and ready to roll)
Are you in? What’s holding you back?
[via Open Church Platform]
Gangai Victor says
This is epic…wow!
Jon Manna says
you know it!!!
Jason D. says
What’s holding me back? I see how it is possible for one to “do church” online. There are just some things that cannot be replaced by technology.
Jon Manna says
It’s definitely not for every church, and in my opinion, I agree with you, we cannot use it to replace the real thing!
Jason D. says
We can’t use it to replace the real thing, but don’t you think offering it may just do that for some people? And if it is not the real thing then it should have another name besides “online church”. No such thing.
The only exceptions would be if this was for people who are, for whatever reason, not physically able to be at church. I could see this being beneficial for them.
Jon Manna says
Like any good thing out there, there are always people who will use it and abuse it and turn it into whatever they want – hence the “i’ll stay home and watch it online” people.
But the way I see it is the same as Paul put it in 1 Cor. 9:22 – “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”
So in the end, if it helps save even a small handful, then it was worth it.
Just my thought on it
Jason D. says
The same Paul also told up to gather together and (if he wrote Hebrews which many thing he did) to not forsake the assembling together of the saints. And this same Paul was not satisfied with written communication alone, though he used it (writting letters) he longed to see them face to face to fill up what was missing (he said this at the end and beginning of many of his letters), there are somethings that just cannot replace the real thing.
That aside, I think we need to be careful with the “ends justifies the means argument” that same reasoning is why some are doing coarse (some would even say sinful) things in the church today in the name of “reaching the lost” or “evangelizing”. It is simply pragmatism, but the Scripture already tells us how to “do church”, and it is by gathering together, not neglecting the fellowship (among other things).
Jon Manna says
appreciate your thoughts too 🙂
Jason D. says
thanks, appreciate yours too, just thinking through these things, especially with this big push for satellite churches, online church, ect… soli Deo gloria!
Mark says
All, free is relative here. In the welcome message it also states you first need to secure a streaming provider. I’m exactly sure what that entails but that part doesn’t sound free.
Any recommendations on a streaming provider for those of you that are already doing something like this?
Jon Manna says
Hey Mark. Good observation. The platform is completely free (just like wordpress.org) but the live stream (just like web hosting) is not.
Matt says
This is EPIC! These guys rock!
Willie says
This has been updated recently 🙂