Who Needs Online Ministry?

Who needs online ministry now that some restrictions have been eased? Perhaps the questions should be rephrased. Who needs online ministry now that new variants of COVID-19 are spreading which may trigger the reinstitution of some restrictions?

As many know ministries were forced to minister in the online world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions kept churches from ministering in person, which is what many churches were accustomed to doing. When those same churches scrambled to move their ministries online it meant a steep learning curve for many. Some had resources, knowledge, were more decisive, and made a quick adjustment. Others were willing but struggled with understanding how to do it. Then there were some that may have resisted the idea of migrating their ministries to online platforms, meaning they choose not to adapt to the new circumstances that COVID-19 created when it commenced.

However, when restrictions eased due to the reductions in infections among the general populace, many churches returned to primarily or only to in-person ministry. It was like a breath of fresh air to be able to return to in-person ministry. Unfortunately, not every parishioner that was attending pre-COVID-19 may have returned. Some of those members or attenders who migrated to the church's new online ministry may have not moved back to the church's preferred format for ministry, which is in-person.

Beyond the aforementioned considerations of the migration of congregants from the in-person ministry format to the online one and back to the in-person format, there is also the contemplation of the churches' overall adaptability, which is an issue that can be derived from the entirety of the phenomenological evidence. The early church was very adaptable and nimble. It was not initially weighed down with bureaucracy. However, it is evident that the modern church is not as adaptable or nimble. This was evidenced by the slow adaptation of the universal church during this current pandemic. Not only was it unprepared for future eventualities, but it also seemed to lack the ability to make faster decisive decisions.

Concerning the present circumstances, that the pandemic may not be ending yet, though it appeared to take a momentary interval, online ministry may be something that churches should not be so quick to discard. Not only is it needed now due to the pandemic it is also needed for the pursuit of the Great Commission.

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