12 Ways to Make the Most of Online Meetings

About 30 states will be grappling with the effects of a major winter storm in the next few days. We make our home in the mountains of West Virginia, and for many who live in regions like ours, this is just a way of life for a few months each year. But serious weather conditions can cause disruption to churches gathering safely. This is different in every area, and I pray for pastors who have to make these difficult decisions. You should pray for your pastor to have wisdom as he shepherds the flock God has assigned him to lead. (DOWNLOAD How to Pray for the Preacher HERE.)

On occasion, weather and natural disasters make it impossible for members to meet together. At times like this, it is wonderful that we can utilize the resources available to have virtual meetings. One danger in the digital age is the tendency to become spectators when we should be participants.

Changing Times

COVID changed many things in our world and in the way that churches operate. Among them was a shift in prevailing ideas about online church services. I must confess that there have been both positive and negative consequences to this. 

Some took advantage of the increased technological ability of their churches to no longer come in person. This is a tragedy. It is disobedience (Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:24-25). Long-time church members suddenly disappeared and never returned. Their attitude toward the assembly after the crisis passed actually just revealed that they were already gone long before it started – something was missing. Disciples cannot be made from a distance. (READ: Why the Church Assembles.)

The very word church means “called out assembly.” Is it even a church if it never assembles? Observing the ordinances, exhorting one another, and a host of other vital functions of the body cannot be accomplished apart from face-to-face fellowship with other believers. There is no substitute for gathering with your local church.

At the same time, it was a blessing that most churches increased their capacity to share God’s Word with shut-ins, ill members, and others providentially hindered from being present. Those who sincerely love the Lord and His people would be the first to tell you that they wish they could attend the meetings personally. But we are all grateful that precious saints can stay connected and have the preaching and teaching made available wherever they may be.

Unchanging Truth

As an evangelist, I can testify that online messages are also a wonderful means of scattering the gospel seed and multiplying the message to others around the world. Technology is simply a tool, and every platform should be a platform for pointing people to Christ. Pastors have discovered that many people “visit” their churches online before they ever come to visit in person. 

The apostles used circular letters to get the Word to congregations in many places in their day. Means may change, but the message never does. Media (like the printed page) goes where you cannot go, says what you may not be able to say, and stays when you cannot stay.

So, how can you make the most of online meetings and enter into the spirit of the service?

Here are 12 Practical Steps

1. Pray before the meeting begins. Ask God to use His Word and speak to your heart. 
2. Gather your family together and make it important. Teach your children and grandchildren the necessity of family worship and the family’s connection to the church family.
3. Get online a few minutes before the meeting begins. Make sure your television, phone, computer, or tablet is logged in and working properly.
4. Turn off notifications and remove other distractions. Give your undivided attention to the service. This must be intentional.
5. Avoid the tendency to scroll and search while the service is going on. Some people decide they will “visit” other churches while they are at home. While it is not wrong to listen to other messages or watch other worship services, I would encourage you to make the meeting of your own church a priority. Refuse to criticize or be frustrated if something doesn’t work properly. You are not there as an observer but as a worshiper.
6. Participate. When someone leads in prayer, pray with them. When they sing, sing along. It is already a good idea to have a hymn book in your home for personal devotional use. When an opportunity to give is available, give. Do not use a different format as an excuse to rob God. Most churches have ways of giving securely online. When they talk about upcoming events, make notes. Treat the meeting as you would if you were sitting in the building.
7. Make helpful comments online, but avoid the temptation to have a conversation while the service is in progress. If there is a way for you to share a good word on the church’s online platforms, that may be an encouragement to others. However, try not to talk among yourselves throughout the online meeting. We would not do that in the auditorium of the church, but it is much easier to do so in our living room! Work at having a quiet environment so that no one misses what the Lord is trying to say to them.
8. Open your Bible. Follow along as the preacher gives the Bible message. I have found it helpful to have a pen so that I can mark things in my Bible and write down the truth God speaks to my heart about. This prevents my mind from wandering. Engage with the text and concentrate on the sermon.
9. Respond to the Word of God. Pause and pray at the end of the service. Make any decision you need to make and take any action God tells you to take. 
10. Take a few moments when the meeting concludes to talk with your family about the message and what God showed you. The Puritans taught fathers to have this type of conversation in their homes after every church service. It is a tremendous way of sealing the truth in our minds and emphasizing our personal responsibility to obey it.
11. Share the service online with others. Use your social media presence as a means of passing on the preaching to many more, perhaps with a word of personal testimony about how God used it in your life.
12. Communicate with your pastor and fellow church members. Let the pastor know how much you appreciate him and those who help him to make the messages available. Check on a fellow church member and let them know you are praying for them. It’s not the same as spending time together, but a good word can do much good.

In these ways, we may all be engaged in corporate worship while scattered in many places. Until we can be together again, we can give attention to what matters most. “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:13).

Assemble Again When You Can!

Finally, get back to the assembly with your church as soon as you can! Paul repeatedly expressed the genuine heart Christians should exhibit – a desire to be with brothers and sisters in Christ (Romans 1:11; 1 Corinthians 16:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18; 1 Timothy 3:14). It is of note that in each instance, his motivation was not so that he would get something from the church, but that he could give something to the church. Family members need one another, and the Father is pleased when His children desire to be together. 

Wherever you are right now, I pray you will know the blessing of God’s presence in these days and the fellowship of God’s people soon. Thank you for praying for us.

(SCHEDULING NOTE: We were scheduled to be in revival meetings this week in Fairfax, VA. Due to the threat of impending weather, the pastor has decided to move our meetings to an online format. You may want to join us for this three-night revival emphasis online, Sunday at 10 am ET and Monday-Tuesday at 7 pm ET. You may find the livestream on Facebook, at fbtministries.org, or on our site at ETJ.Bible.)

About Scott Pauley

Related Study: Why the Church Assembles

Why the Church Assembles