The coronavirus pandemic has caused the church to think in new and innovative ways to be in ministry even when churches are closed for worship on Sunday morning. Here's just a sampling of resources available to consider as you wade into new waters of ministry.
Many congregations are considering livestreaming worship services in this time of concern for the health of vulnerable people. Livestreaming can be an effective way for church and community members to remain connected with worship.
There are a number of copyright considerations in order to legally livestream your worship service.
As we have clearly entered a new way of worshiping as a community of faith through virtual means, the worship staff at Discipleship Ministries has compiled a variety of resources that are available.
Whether you have been live streaming your services or are just starting to think about how to do it, we feel that these helps will get you further down the road to creating worship that brings people hope and comfort at this time.
This article was fast-tracked to walk you through the planning needed to serve members stuck at home (by choice or necessity) and quickly take your worship online. NOTE: Livestreaming your services — even during emergencies — must adhere to copyright protection law. An additional license for streaming is required from CCLI or OneLicense. During the COVID-19 emergency, OneLicense is offering their basic and streaming package for free through April 15, 2020. Look to Ask The UMC for new details about how United Methodist churches can stream legally. Find places to worship online.
The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts (The Fellowship) has launched a crowdsourced Pandemic Response Worship Resourcing page on its website: https://www.umfellowship.org/pandemic
It’s got great information and resources for worship leaders who are rapidly adapting to offering worship experiences on line.
It’s a dynamic resource, with new ideas being posted every day by the creative worship leaders of the UMC.
The Order of Saint Luke (OSL) is a religious order begun within the Methodist Church in the United States that is dedicated to sacramental and liturgical scholarship, education, and practice. some resources to use either in homes or by a digitally-gathered community.
These resources are a free gift for you to distribute, print, and use in your context, provided that you include the copyright information giving credit to OSL. One is a service that recalls times when the gathered community has met for sharing scripture and sacrament, while the other is a series of shorter liturgies for families with young children or others whose attention span or ability to understand may be limited. Both use tangible objects people should readily find at home.
Download A Liturgy for When We Cannot Meet...
Download Family Liturgies for When We Cannot Meet...
Introduction to Online Worship Webinar from IGRC Communications on Vimeo.
Many churches are exploring how to share the worship experiences online through video. With the increased restrictions on gathering sizes, many more churches are trying this for the first time. Join Mike Crawford, Eric Swanson, and Curtis Brown at 10:00 am on Wednesday, March 18 for an online webinar to help church leaders begin this ministry. We’ll have shared conversation and then answer questions.