For a small church, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, has a surprising reach.<\/p>\n
Most church members live in and around Downingtown, a small town about an hour west of Philadelphia. Some live as far away as Bermuda.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s one of the beauties that has come out of the pandemic,\u201d Downingtown pastor Ivy Berry said. \u201cWe can meet in the sanctuary, but still maintain a worship presence via Zoom and on Facebook Live, so members who may not be able to travel to the sanctuary can still receive the same worship service.\u201d <\/p>\n
A report on churches and technology during the pandemic found that by offering online services, churches were able to expand their reach, often connecting with people outside their community or reconnecting with former members who had moved away. Even small congregations that had once struggled to reach outside the walls of the church were able to expand their reach, according to \u201cWhen Pastors Put on the \u2018Tech Hat,\u201d a report<\/a> from the Tech in Churches research project, led by Heidi Campbell, professor of communication at Texas A&M University.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the shift online, churches were shocked to discover the ways that an online service can become a wide-reaching net to whoever is interested in tuning in or watching,\u201d according to researchers. \u201cOne pastor described this widening reach and shift as \u2018shut-ins being no longer shut out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n One thing that is pretty clear – streaming worship services and other options for online spiritual interaction have been really important during COVID – and likely will be going forward. https:\/\/t.co\/9Ife1mUfHn<\/a><\/p>\n — Bob Smietana (@bobsmietana) February 2, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n