Online Ministry

The Chat Is Where It's At

When you first navigate to a Church Online service (http://live.lifechurch.tv/chat) you see two main components: a video player and a chat window. We sometimes hear, "Why does your Church Online experience have chat…isn't it about watching the sermon?"

Church Online is about watching the message, but it's so much more than that. For many attendees, Church Online represents their complete church experience—from worship to teaching to community. Church Online is more than a content delivery system; it's a place for those who might never walk through the doors of a church to find hope, prayer, and relationships.

So, we put a lot of emphasis on chat in our online experiences. Trained volunteers host every service, and they reach out to attendees offering prayer, encouragement, and answers to questions.

Several features enhance the chat experience. With "@mentions," a host can address an attendee by name. With Direct Chat, a host can message an attendee in a private chatroom to handle sensitive topics. And through Live Prayer, a volunteer can pray with and on behalf of someone in a one-on-one chat.

In the example below (used with permission) you get a sense of the issues people are dealing with and the opportunity for real life-change at Church Online.

Open Idea
Whatever the outreach, tool, or technology, make sure you allow space for Jesus to change people's lives. In other words, try to create events that allow relationships to blossom—because it's through relationships and community that people see Jesus, engage in prayer, and find hope.
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