Engaging in the Service
Get dressed as if you were going in person. Attending virtual church may not be the same as attending in person, but your attitude can make a big difference! Pretend like you’re going to a physical church service by dressing up in your usual Sunday clothes. This can help you get the full worship experience, even if you’re watching from home. If you don’t feel like getting fully dressed, just put on a nice shirt instead, since that’s all that’ll be visible on camera. While you don’t have to do this (especially if your webcam is off), dressing up may help you feel more like you’re at church.
Sing along to the hymns even if you’re by yourself. The experience you get from online church really comes down to you. While there’s no obligation to sing along, you may feel more invested in the service if you join in with the worship leader. You can also join in with other communal aspects of the service, like the Lord’s Prayer or the Apostle’s Creed.
Watch the service with your friends and family. Invite your spiritual friends and relatives over to your home on Sunday so you can all enjoy the service together. You may get more out of the worship experience if you’re surrounded by other people, like you would be if you were attending a physical service.
React to the sermon at home. You may feel more spiritually invested in the service if you’re responding and engaging with the pastor, even if they can’t hear what you’re saying. Feel free to clap along or shout in response to the sermon, if that helps you feel more spiritually connected and invested. For instance, you can clap your hands when the pastor makes a good point, or yell something like “Amen!” Feel free to stand or kneel if you’d usually do this in the service.
Set aside some communion elements if your church offers communion. Search your pantry and refrigerator for simple replacements you can use for the communion sacraments. Follow along with the virtual service, using groceries you have at home, like crackers and grape juice instead of bread and wine. If you plan on attending online church frequently, it may help to buy some extra juice and crackers ahead of time. This option may vary depending on your denomination, and what you’ve been taught about communion. If your church consecrates the bread and wine in a formal way, you may not be able to do communion physically at home. In this case, you can do a “spiritual communion,” where you solely pray instead of taking the communion elements.
Participate in a virtual coffee hour if your church hosts one. Check the church’s social media or website to see if they hold “coffee hour,” or a period where congregation members can interact. This process may differ depending on the type of church service you’re attending, so watch for special instructions from your worship community. Check and see if your church offers other virtual meet-ups, like a Bible study. This can be another great way to engage with your congregation!
Encourage your children to attend a virtual Sunday school. Check and see if your church offers any virtual Sunday school options, or has any print-outs or lessons your kids can take part in while you’re attending the regular service. If your church doesn’t offer this kind of service, look online for some third-party Sunday school options. You can find a variety of options if you look up “virtual Sunday school” or “online Sunday school.”
Dealing with Online Logistics
Check online to see if your church hosts online services. Visit your church’s website to see if and when a service is held. Confirm how you’re supposed to join/attend the service ahead of time, so you’ll have an easier time on Sunday. Facebook Live and Zoom are common virtual worship platforms, though your church may use another type of technology.
Log into Facebook to view a service if it’s offered through Facebook Live. Search a certain church on Facebook to see if they have a page. Many churches use Facebook to broadcast their services every Sunday. In this case, pull up their page to find their live stream, where they’ll broadcast the service. Using this interface, you can comment on the service while it’s happening live, and use different reactions to show how you’re feeling throughout the service. Any reactions or comments you make on a live video will be kept when the video is archived. Some churches may upload pre-recorded videos of their services, instead of streaming them live. In many cases, your church may save and archive their services, which you can watch again later.
Join a Zoom call provided by your church if they provide a Zoom link. Look for a special Zoom link provided by the church on their social media or website. Click on the link at the specified service time to tune in. Depending on the church, some spiritual leaders may share a live video, or use the “screen-sharing” function to help the service move along. Zoom also has a “break-out” room feature, where individuals can be divided into smaller group chats. Some churches may use this feature during or after the service.
Browse your church website to see if they use a different streaming provider. There’s a lot of technology out there that’s available for different faith communities, like Webex. Take a look at the church’s website or social media to find specific instructions on how they broadcast their services every Sunday, so you can be ready to attend. For instance, some churches may also stream their services on YouTube.
Watch the service on a bigger screen. You may also prefer watching the church service on a bigger screen, like a tablet, laptop, desktop, or TV. If you only have your phone available, hold it sideways to see more of the service. This way, you can see more of what’s happening in the service.
Avoid making a lot of noise if you’re joining a public virtual space. Certain streaming formats, like Zoom, involve many people joining 1 call to watch a service. If you’re participating in this kind of service, try to be mindful of any background noise coming from your computer, tablet, or phone, so you don’t disrupt other people’s worship experiences. It may help to “mute” your microphone as soon as you enter the room.
Don’t introduce yourself if you’re joining a service through a collaborative platform, like Zoom. Platforms like Zoom can be tricky to navigate, especially if you’re joining a call with lots of other people. Try not to speak up right away—there are likely a lot of other people joining at the same time as you, and introducing yourself may make it difficult for others to hear and understand what’s going on. Instead, wait for a good time to join the conversation.
Choosing a Church
Check if your current church has a virtual service. Search for your local church online and see if their website is updated with virtual service options. If your local church hosts an online service of its own, you won’t need to search for a new faith community altogether.
Join a large, online church for a widespread sense of community. Online churches are a great option to consider, especially if you’re looking to invest your time into a faith community. Search online for different online churches and see if any of them align with your beliefs. With online churches, you don’t have to worry about attending in person, so you can realistically attend a church that’s on the opposite side of the country or world. For reference, the Life.Church, Church of the Highlands, and Saddleback Church are some large faith communities that you may be interested in joining. Keep time zones in mind when joining an online church, especially if it isn’t located near you.
Search for online services in your area for a localized experience. Look up some of the local churches in your community. Browse their websites and see what kinds of info comes up. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many churches are now offering online services, which may be convenient for your personal schedule. If you attended church in the past, see if your old church is hosting online services. If your local church is a smaller cog in a larger organization, you may be able to tune into a bigger church or cathedral’s services.
Tune into different services to see what you like. There’s no need to commit to a new church right off the bat. Instead, feel free to join different live streams each week, and see if any of the services or sermons resonate with you. If you can’t decide, there’s nothing wrong with trying out different services in the meantime.
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