"You know, I've noticed that the worship services have really been filling up lately. As we keep on growing and having new faces attend worship, we're going to need to start talking about expanding the worship area." This was the sort of comment I was hearing frequently during 2019 at the congregation I serve. Our worship services, especially our early service, were full almost every service. With a great deal of growth potential in our community, it seemed to be time to look into expanding our physical footprint. An expansion of our worship space seemed like an important potential step for continuing to grow and share the Gospel with more people.

With the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020, our discussion of expansion did not go away, but it took on a new shape. We saw the need to expand our worship space in a different way. While we've been livestreaming our worship services and sharing sermon videos for years, the "Safer at Home" order in Wisconsin this past spring brought us to a new level of worshiping online. For 2 months our entire congregation was worshipping exclusively online. Even now, months after we resumed holding in-person worship services, a large portion of our membership is worshipping online due to COVID-19 concerns. What's been amazing is that with so many shifting to worshipping online during the pandemic, our overall worship attendance has not dropped off. As a matter of fact, at times we've been averaging more people in attendance than on a normal in person Sunday. For example, we estimate that our online Easter attendance was approximately 40% higher this year than usual. With so many worshipping online and with so much potential to share the Gospel with new faces, it looks like it's time to talk about expanding our worship space, online.

As with any good expansion, this new worship space needs to be designed well. For the new expansion to help facilitate growth and sharing the Gospel with new faces, there are a number of considerations to take into account:

• What structural elements need to be in place for a high-quality worship space?
• What can be done to make sure this space fits well with the existing space?
• What potential drawbacks might arise from this expanded worship space and how might we overcome them?
• How do we fill this new worship space with new faces?

What structural elements need to be in place for a high-quality worship space?

• High Quality Picture – Make sure to use an HD camera. Even if you have a camera that was quite expensive when it was purchased a few years ago, it still might be time to upgrade. Thankfully, one of the great blessings of recording in 2020 is that quality HD cameras are relatively inexpensive.
• High Quality Sound – Place the microphone on or near the speaker and connect the microphone directly into the camera. When the sound is not directly connected to the camera, the camera's microphone is picking up all the sounds in the room. Not only will the pastor sound like he is on speaker phone the entire time, but any other potentially distracting sounds (i.e. children crying, hymnal falling, etc.) will also be picked up on the video. Running the sound cable directly into the camera makes for a much better and less distracting viewing experience.
• High Streaming Quality – One of the quickest ways to turn off an online worshipper is to have a stream that buffers constantly – this shows up as a frozen picture and a little revolving circle. To avoid buffering, it's important to be sending your video via a high-quality internet connection. When considering the quality of your internet, the download speed, which is often promoted by the internet provider, is really not what's important. Rather, what is necessary is a fast upload speed with a stable connection. Most streaming providers suggest an upload speed of at least 13 Mbps but there are likely much faster options available in your area. We just upgraded the internet at our church to an upload speed of 200 Mbps. Amazingly, this sort of upgrade didn't even cost any more than what we had previously paid. The stability of the connection is also important. A provider may have good speed but a feed that is unstable. To test your speed and connection stability, simply Google "test my internet speed" and a number of resources should appear in the search options.

  

• An Archived Video of the Service – It seems these days all the focus is on livestreaming your service. But when the "Safer at Home" order went into effect in Wisconsin, we actually stopped streaming our service live. We decided that if no one was actually going to be there in person, it would make more sense to pre-record the service. We would then "Premiere" the service video on Facebook and our website at a specific time on Sunday morning so we could all still worship together. We made this adjustment because a video that has already been uploaded online is always far less likely to buffer than a livestreamed video. When we resumed in-person worship in June we stopped pre-recording our service but still use the archived service video. We announce every week that for anyone who has difficulty streaming worship live or missed worship for another reason, the archive of that service is available that same Sunday on our website by 10:30 a.m. If you are unable to get quality internet or most of your members do not have quality internet, you may want to consider premiering the recording of your service at a specific time rather than trying to stream it live.

What can be done to make sure this space fits well with the existing space?

• Invite People to "Worship Online" Instead of "Watching Worship" – Words matter. This slight change of phrase might seem insignificant but changing this phrase makes a big difference. The phrase "Watch Worship" communicates a passive experience where a person is merely watching worship but not worshipping themselves. In contrast, "Worship Online" describes an experience where the person is actively worshipping, just in a different part of the worship area.
• Find A Good Camera Angle – While multiple camera angles are a nice feature, they are not absolutely necessary. What matters is that the angle you choose is not awkward for the online worshipper. It may be convenient to put the camera just below the pulpit or in the balcony, but staring at the pastor's chin or the top of his head can be uncomfortable for the online worshipper. A good camera angle is one that is on a similar plane as the pastor. It is fine for the pastor to be slightly higher or slightly lower. The camera can be slightly to one side or the other as well. The key is to avoid abrupt angles that can be distracting.
• Use the Appropriate Amount of Zoom – Strive to zoom in with your camera enough so the pastor looks about as far away as he would if you were sitting in a middle-to-front pew. If the camera is in the back of the church and zoomed out, the online worshipper may just feel like they are watching other people worship. On the other hand, being zoomed out just enough to see a few people worshipping or utilizing a wide shot camera occasionally can remind the online worshipper that they are worshipping together with those who are there in person.

  

• Occasionally Look At the Camera and Address the Online Worshippers – This is such a simple thing but it makes a huge difference. I've had so many people tell me that when I simply look at the camera a few times in the service, or when I look straight at the camera to greet everyone worshipping online and tell them I'm happy they are there, it makes them feel so much more connected. I've even had a long-distance online worshipper ask if occasionally those who are worshipping in person could turn around and wave to the online worshippers. It's simple but it does wonders for connecting participants.
• Provide Worship Materials so the Online Worshippers Can Participate – Part of the beauty of Lutheran worship is the emphasis that we do not merely watch worship take place, but we are there to participate. There are ways for online worshippers to participate as well. Perhaps you send an email out each weekend that not only includes a link to your livestream video, but has the worship folder attached as well. Maybe you email your members or include a link in the comments of your video inviting online worshippers to request that you send them a hymnal to use at home. Or, if you have capable livestreaming software, you can overlay the liturgy, hymns and readings right in the video.

  

• Create A Way for Online Worshippers to Interact – This has been one of our most exciting new developments. We now embed our livestream on a free resource called "Church Online Platform" (their website is: https://churchonlineplatform.com/). One of the many great things about the Church Online Platform is that it gives the online worshippers the ability to chat before and after worship or during the service if they'd like. Not only does this provide a way for those worshipping online to chat with each other, but this has given us a way for online worshippers to interact with in-person worship as well. For instance, we take prayer requests at the beginning of our worship service. Now with online chat we have a person who is attending in-person worship monitor the online chat so they can share any prayer requests that are made by an online worshipper. At the end of the service we also give worshippers the opportunity to ask questions about the service. Again, a person in attendance monitors the chat so that questions from online worshippers are asked in person. Special "moments" can also be added to the service providing the opportunity for worshippers to give their offering electronically or to send a private message to the pastor. These interactive features not only connect our online worshippers but send a clear message that the church is about so much more than the four walls of any one building. As we strive to spread the Gospel into the communities and world around is, this is a significant enhancement in perspective.

What potential drawbacks might arise from this expanded worship space and how might we overcome them?

• There Are Some Aspects to Worship That Can't Be Achieved Online – No matter how great the worship space we build online is, it still can't replace physically interacting with people, singing and praying with our brothers and sisters in Christ and celebrating the Lord's Supper together as the body of Christ. It is definitely still ideal to come together in person with other Christians. But for those who are worshipping from a distance or for those who are not comfortable worshipping in person due to COVID-19 concerns, there are things we can do to help fill the void. For instance, services like Zoom and Google Meet provide ways for people to meet and even have Bible Studies online. Our in-person small group Bible studies have provided a way for members who aren't yet comfortable returning to full in-person worship to connect with a small number of other Christians in a socially distanced setting. Since the beginning of the pandemic we've also utilized SignUpGenius.com to set up individual household communion on Communion Sundays. This provides a way for families who are worshipping online to partake in the Lord's Supper. Consider the specific needs and personality of your congregation and be creative!
• Some May Start to Prefer Online Worship – One of the regular concerns I hear about online worship is that people may begin to prefer worshipping online over worshipping in person. It's also possible that people may claim they are worshipping online when they really aren't worshipping at all. But one of the many things this year of isolation and distancing has made evident is that we really need to spend time with other people. I've heard people say over and over again, "I really miss seeing more people." While it's possible that online worship may be preferred at times by worshippers, I'm convinced that more often than not worshipping online will actually make people hungrier for coming together with other Christians. It's like when we video chat with our family or friends. We don't say "Okay, that's enough. I don't need to visit them now." Seeing them online is nice but it makes us look forward all the more to seeing them in person.

How do we fill this new worship space with new faces?

• FRAN (Friends Relatives Acquaintances Neighbors) Evangelism Works Even Online – It's common knowledge that a personal invitation from a FRAN is the most effective way to see new faces in your worship area. The same goes for online worship. Thankfully, with online worship, inviting a friend to worship with you is incredibly easy. Consider sending an email out to each of your members with the link to the livestream page and another after Sunday with the service archive link. I have had a number of members tell me that they love receiving these emails because they can so simply forward them on to someone they'd like to invite to worship. Also, consider posting your service and sermons on Facebook. Hitting "Share" is an extremely simple way to invite others to church.
• Use Facebook Live, Premiere and "Watch Parties" – When a video is streaming live on Facebook, the video appears in the Newsfeed of Facebook users. There's just something about seeing a video in your newsfeed that makes a person want to check it out. Tools like setting a video to "Premiere" or encouraging your members to start "Watch Parties" notifies those who follow your page and those who are friends with your members that a new video is happening and invites them to join in.
• Include Follow-Up Links – Whether it's in the email that is sent out to members or in the comments below a video posted on Facebook, include links to more information about your church and provide a way for people to reach out to the pastor. Remind the online worshipper about these links and encourage them to get connected. As with a visitor to the physical building, it is our hope that a visitor to online worship would return for worship next week and eventually find their new church home with us.

What additional considerations would you add to this list? What helpful insights have you gained from your own experience streaming worship, worshipping online or viewing other online videos? I'd love to hear your insights so we might work together in expanding our worship space online – no walls required!