My Church Online Advice for You

Friends, this is a difficult blog post to write. It’s awkward at best. I confess I’ve avoided writing these words for a few months, praying the gnawing in my stomach would subside and fearful that these comments would seem prideful in some way. But it’s beyond time to worry about how setting this firm boundary will come across.

Since April of this year, I’ve been privately saying ‘no, thank you’ to invitations from people to consult their churches regarding Church Online. To give you a bit of context, I recently stepped away from a career with a beloved church our family was part of for nearly 14 years due to moving across the country and not wanting to work remote. It was a positive transition off the team for which I am very grateful. I was immeasurably blessed to become part of the Church Online movement just months after it launched in 2006.

Being part of something for 10 years helps you learn a lot about it. Which is why I understand and appreciate the invitations from people to help them launch or expand their Church Online ministries.

But the answer is still no, thank you. I am not making myself available to help you with an online church in any capacity.

I once wrote on my blog about setting healthy boundaries for yourself. Surprisingly, these past months since I left my job have been the toughest season of boundary setting I can remember in quite some time. Why? Because no matter how assertive I am with my “no thank you’s”, I continue getting responses like, “But…why not just have a call with us?” or “I know you from way back — so maybe you could do me a favor…” or “But we’ll pay you!”

Again — No, thank you.

It’s nothing personal, truly. I grew up in a church culture of generosity. I like to help. But the question I keep sensing behind the, “Will you help us?” question is this: “Tell us how to succeed at this thing called Church Online.”

Which is why I’m out.

Consultants are wonderful people. But I am not interested in being a Church Online consultant. I’ll tell you why: Even though I am full of suggestions and have strong opinions on how to approach things (ask anyone who knows me personally :)), the strongest opinion of all that I have related to Church Online is the absolute necessity of simply trying. Activation beats mulling over options any day.

Here’s my advice: Ask God what He wants you to do with the ministry He’s placed in front of you. Then do it.

When I was involved at Life.Church Online those 10 years — first as a volunteer then as the Associate Pastor helping lead a team of about 800 volunteers in 40 different countries — we weren’t looking for a model to follow. We were knocking on every door of opportunity and trying to clear a path to reach more people with the love of Jesus. The discussions were less about “how” and more about “why”.

I’m getting a lot of, “How do you think we should do this?” type questions, and that’s the wrong type of question.

The right type of question is, “God, what do you want us to do with this Church Online opportunity?” Then take risks.

Rinse and repeat.

You don’t need me. I’m not in the Church Online leagues anymore. It was a precious decade of my life, but I’m not on the front lines these days. If you really feel you need to talk to someone about Church Online, reach out to another pastor in your community and share ideas. Collaborate to reach more people together.

Your church is like no one else’s church. It’s designed to reach people no one else is reaching, and you won’t do that well if you’re constantly searching for a proven method.

Stop asking so many how-based questions and start trying things. That’s how you’ll learn. The only way we made headway in Life.Church Online ministry while I was on the team was by trying and learning.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to Church Online, and I’d feel like a sellout telling you what to do.

If someone tries to sell you a method for making Church Online work, don’t fall for it. There are no proven methods except what God leads you to do.

So if you received a link to this blog post in response to a request to help you with your online church, please accept this as my firm “no, thank you.”

Please also know I wish you and your wonderful church all the best. There’s always room for more people to launch online churches, and you will be well received by the incredible community of leaders in roles similar to yours at other great churches ministering online.

My hope is that there is never a proven method for reaching more people through Church Online because that’d diminish your need for God’s direction and the thrill of learning through risk-taking.

My Church Online advice to you is to stop worrying so much about getting it right all the time and concentrate your efforts on hearing from God to take risks that help you learn and grow. He is changing lives every day through Church Online, and He will gladly work through you.