Amanda Pelser… Ramblings of a Communications Director …

This was a panel discussion with Kurt Evin from Central Christian Church in Las Vegas and Matt Johnson from Liquid Church.  We’re wanting to open an online campus at Southbrook…  Wow is my brain on overload!

There was a lot of bouncing around.  I won’t be able to easily attribute ideas to each of the speakers.  I’m going to group my notes by topic.

Motivation for online campus

• People are doing everything else online, so why not church online.
• Take church to the people.

Some of the how

• Live Stream of simulated live stream
• Livestream
• Lightcast
• Computer
• Camera
• Internet Connection
• Be aware that if you’re going live, be prepared for problems.  Something is always going to happen.
• Matt’s church started did live Q&A with online pastor once a week.  It gave them a place to test and work out kinks for live.
• Wirecast

Format

• Central Christian has splash page with countdown to online campus and Facebook campus
• Option to set up a profile like any social media site.
• Go to lobby first and talk to people as a group or one on one.
• There are lots of volunteers – virtual greeters and ushers.
• Live prayer button – team of people to chat.
• Live help button – tech help and general info about church.
• Stream worship
• Host time – Welcome, announcements, offering
• Pastor’s teaching
• Outro – thanks for being here

Staffing requirements

• Liquid Church: Lead pastor / teacher, Creative team, plus 2 dedicated staffers
• Liquid is modeling staff after what they’d do for size of a multi-site
• Central Christian – 1 part time person plus other staff who have hands in it like Creative and Media team support
• Volunteer support base absolutely necessary.

Launch strategy

• Central – spent no money on marketing, launched with 400+.
• Start Facebook Fan Page
• Webcast / conference call and gave presentation about what the online campus would be like
• Use social media
• Virtual mission trip: gave people the tools to invite people to church; mobilized people that they already had; treated it like a real mission trip
• Promote with a cause

The how

• Central – tries to mimic a physical campus as much as possible
• Create a place online where a believer in one place can invite a friend from another town or state to church.
• Starting churches in cities where large groups of people are attending online.
• People live online and look for that first connection online
• Ok for people to remain online, but push people to try watch parties.
• Growing house churches this way.
• Extension campus at college, prisons, military bases, etc.
• Ask people to raise a small amount of money and then send projector, PA, screen etc to start a campus.
• Central Christian has a packet for how to start an online extension campus.
• Altar call – Lead pastor brings up to it, fades out to campus pastor who refers people to live help button to talk to a person.
• Central Christian has an electronic next steps packet for new believers.
• Have small groups that meet online.
• Small groups – talkbox video chat, can handle up to 30 people.
• Central Christian Baptism – Give instructions on how to be baptized; make it an event in your home, find a believer to baptize you.
• Liquid Church – Find another believer, pastor walks through via video chat.
• Communion – talk through communion, give instructions to gather elements and take together.
• The church isn’t a building.  It’s a body of believers.