This is how my church is responding to the coronavirus. Your business should follow suit.
“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity — not a threat.” — Steve Jobs
The recommendation to limit social gatherings to 50 people demanded a fundamental shift in the way we gather as a church.
VOUS Church in Miami, Florida, which welcomes 5,000+ attendees on a typical Sunday, adapted to the new normal at a rapid pace.
It was all hands on deck as staff and servant leaders — our term for “volunteers” — brainstormed ways to bring the church to our community in as seamless a way as possible, without deviating from the high standard of excellence we strive for.
The Sunday after the order was issued, a live service (complete with worship) was pre-recorded and streamed online on both Facebook and YouTube.
Since then, we have continued to roll out new features, touchpoints, content, and interactions that people in and outside of our community can participate in.
Here are a few takeaways you can apply to your organization.
We went virtual.
We didn’t just take our church services online. We took everything else we do as a church online. Every experience we offer is now available virtually.
That includes our small groups (what we call crews); our VOUS Care classes (Celebrate Recovery, SYMBIS, and more); team leaders meetings; servant leader huddles (a meeting before church service starts); services for kids; and even small groups for kids (kids crews).
Takeaway: What experience can you bring online? (Hint: Be creative.)
We opened our hands.
In the pre-coronavirus world, when someone who didn’t live in Miami wanted to interact with our church, they could follow us on social media, watch sermons on YouTube, or listen to them via podcast.
For the first time, people who don’t live near us geographically can take part in every aspect of our church, like joining small groups. Since we are all virtual, there is nothing they can’t be a part of.
This has led to unprecedented growth in the number of people participating in small groups every week and watching our services live (which we offer more often than we did in our physical gatherings.)
Takeaway: Instead of getting smaller, how can you open your business to people who didn’t have access to you before?
We leaned into our community.
Our church has an impressive giving record. Over the years, we’ve donated to community organizations, global ministries, and other churches.
Now, not only are we supporting organizations working to help people burdened by the coronavirus, but we are also looking to our community to help those who call VOUS Church home.
Leaders are constantly on the lookout for those on their teams and in their crews who could use a helping hand, and they’re contacted by someone on team who can provide a solution.
Takeaway: How are your employees doing? How about your customers? Are their spouses losing jobs, are their loved ones sick, are they struggling with the kids in the house 24/7? How can you go above and beyond to support and encourage them? How can you help?
Our leaders opened their home.
One of the most creative and fun experiences our church offers is Live with Rich & DC, a nightly broadcast featuring our lead pastors and DC’s brother.
For an hour each weeknight, they sing, tell stories, entertain, bring on guests, and offer encouraging words to everyone tuning in.
The experience is interactive, so people watching can chat with each other and make comments on their platform of choice.
It’s an uplifting alternative for people who might otherwise scroll through the doom and gloom of their news app for the 10th time.
The coolest part about this experience for our community is that we’re getting to know our pastors in a new way. Those who only know them through the stories they tell during sermons and their social media accounts now get an inside look into their home and their lives.
Takeaway: How can you take this opportunity to humanize your brand?
While some of these ideas may not generate an ROI in the short term, think bigger picture. Wouldn’t your business benefit from a fiercely loyal customer base and happy and productive employees who know that you care?
