Five years ago, at Oakhurst Baptist Church we sounded the call that we would be joining many other churches in going virtual to help flatten the coronavirus curve and do our part to slow the spread of the disease. There was no way of knowing at the time that what we thought would be a two- to three-week retreat into social distancing to “flatten the curve” would turn into a years-long pandemic that would claim millions of lives and fundamentally change the way we move through the world.
One thing that proved to be a positive change, though, is the way our community connection has grown through the continued use of Zoom for hybrid worship and other gatherings.
Ashley Robinson
Like many other congregations, we found creative ways to connect during COVID. After March 2020, all gatherings were moved to Zoom, and in July 2020, we even held an ordination service on Zoom. What we noticed through this essential move online was that members who had moved away were able to rejoin the community. Our homebound members were able to connect in new ways, breaking down the barriers of isolation. We were able to see faces we hadn’t seen in years.
Now, we are often faced with the question of why we continue to offer hybrid gatherings. In 2022, when the church made the decision to resume in-person worship services and activities, we didn’t want to close off access to our community after reconnecting through Zoom, so it felt like the right thing to keep offering a virtual option for as many activities as possible.
Since we didn’t want our hybrid worship to be a passive experience for anyone, our beloved tech team made it possible for those joining us remotely to feel like they were an active part of the service by placing a large screen at the front of the sanctuary. Now, every Sunday, in-person worshippers see the faces of Zoom participants, and the Zoom participants see the congregation through some creative camera work.
We regularly involve Zoom participants in worship leadership through Scripture reading, prayer and even preaching. There was one Sunday I was particularly grateful for Zoom when I was recovering from COVID and well enough to preach but still testing positive on COVID tests; I could offer the sermon from my living room. Most Sundays, the attendance is fairly equal between in-person worshippers and Zoom worshippers.
At Oakhurst Baptist Church in Georgia, in-person worshipers can see Zoom worshipers on a screen.
Five years after our integration of Zoom worship, here are a few key things we have realized:
For our community, hybrid services are a point of accessibility. We have found several of our members who live with limited mobility or other disabilities have been able to join us regularly for worship and other gatherings through Zoom. Their inclusion isn’t optional for us, it’s essential.
One member, Mary Margaret Yearwood, shares: “I am on the autism spectrum and crowds give me sensory overload. Zoom church has changed my life. I can participate with my fellow church members.”
Glitches will happen, and the world will still turn. “You’re muted” has basically become part of our regular liturgy. Pausing to allow a brief technical adjustment is common. Operating an interactive hybrid worship service every week comes with the risk of imperfection and technical failure, but our members, no matter where they’re joining from, are worth the risk.
Hybrid church is a “safe” first step for those who are dipping their toes back into the waters of church. There are so many people living with church hurt, searching for ways to reconstruct faith after deconstruction, or who are searching for an open and affirming worship space for the LGBTQ community.
I’ve lost count of the number of people who have said “I’d like to try church again, but walking into a church building feels overwhelming.” A hybrid worship option offers beloveds who are searching for community a way in without the added pressure of trying something in person.
Community can bloom anywhere. Since beginning hybrid worship five years ago, we have realized we can foster community from anywhere. We have a designated deacon who cares for our remote members. On any given Sunday or gathering, we have people joining locally, from South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas and even occasionally internationally.
“For us, geography is no longer a barrier.”
We will often have members join our hybrid gatherings from their hospital room or from the bedside of a family member they are caring for. For us, geography is no longer a barrier.
Maintaining a regular hybrid model has made us a more agile congregation. There have been several times since we began hybrid worship when we needed to pivot to online only worship because of inclement weather, and that transition happened rather seamlessly. There was even one Sunday where a strong chemical smell from a baptistry repair led us to make the call to go online, and we didn’t have to forfeit our plans for worship, we just had to adjust the way we gathered.
In a world where churches are dying or changing rapidly, being agile and willing to pivot seems like a lifeline.
Last week, like many churches, we began the season of Lent with an Ash Wednesday service. A small crowd gathered in our chapel, joined by about a dozen participants on Zoom. As we lit candles and imposed ashes on one another (we’re Baptist, priesthood of the believer stands especially on Ash Wednesday), we invited our Zoom members to spend some time drawing a cross on a piece of paper and holding it up to the screen as a way to join the ritual.
One beloved member on Zoom participated with their microphone unmuted, leaving us with some background noise of veracious scribbling on paper and voices muttering in the background. I laugh-cried at both the absurdity and the beauty of the moment. At the exact moment I almost lost myself in the dreaded church giggles, I quietly wept at the image of my beloved community holding crosses up to the screen — a beckoning to all of us to do everything we can to reach one another and a beautiful reminder that the only way through is together.
Ashley Robinson serves as pastor for Christian education and community engagement at Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga.
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