Jim Brown, lead pastor at Grace Community Church, a Charis Fellowship congregation in Goshen, Ind., is quoted in today’s Goshen (Ind.) News. The story features local church leaders and how they are combining faith and technology to reach their congregations during this time. A portion of the story appears below. Click here to read the complete article.
FAITH & TECHNOLOGY: Churches meeting, spreading the Gospel with technology
With restrictions on the size of groups that can meet due to COVID-19, church leaders are combining faith, technology and creativity to reach out to congregations and consequently the world.
Church leaders are also staying positive and are looking at the blessings that can come with people having to stay home and how technology can help them make an impact. Indiana’s governor has mandated a cap of 50 people in one place while President Donald Trump has suggested no more than 10 people meet. …
Lead Pastor of Grace Community Church Jim Brown said, “We are looking for every way possible to keep our people connected through technology. People are hungry now to get together because they are not able to get together. Even last night, we had 2,700 views on (Wednesday night’s prayer encounter) and people praying all over and people commenting. It felt like the underground church meeting together.”
One bonus of the restrictions is “it is causing us to hit the pause button. I’m finding it’s a beautiful thing. It’s connecting us, forcing us to slow down.”
In the end, he sees it as being good for families.
Fortunately for Grace, the church is poised and ready to go digitally.
“We were set up in a way prior to this to naturally do it,” Brown said.
This past Sunday, Brown and the worship team livestreamed from the church for each of its three services and then again on Wednesday livestreamed a prayer encounter from the pastor’s home. Youth had their own special online activities Wednesday.
Pastors at Grace are also going through the church directory, calling people and checking in, especially with seniors as well.
“It’s really allowing us to have special times with our people.,” he said.
The church’s Fight Club is doing a remote livestream feed. The church is also using Zoom with meetings and Google Hangouts.
Click here to read the complete article.