Since the outbreak of Covid 19, many countries have been overwhelmed, and the health systems of even the most powerful countries have felt the pressure. The waves of chaos have also reached the church causing the shutdowns of the places of worship. No physical church services.
Technology was the only option to come up with in order to keep the congregation alive and follow church programmes. However, some complications occurred to some people who do not have skills in technology.
Fabrice Nzeyimana, the worship and Creative Arts director at Christian Life Assembly (CLA) in Nyarutarama has shared knowledge on how to enjoy effective online service.
According to Nzeyimana, Church going online shouldn’t only be a solution to these unprecedented times we are in, it should be a natural response to today’s interactions set up.
Millions of people are always online scrolling and looking for information, entertainment or inspiration. Throughout our Bible, we see Jesus meeting people where they are. He doesn’t sit and wait for people to come to Him. He visits tax collectors at their homes, he meets the sinners where they live, and He engages them in meaningful conversations as He responds to their needs.
“When this Pandemic struck, many churches were taken by surprise because most of the time we regard these online tools as worldly. I am personally happy that we are starting to realize that people are online and we need to take the Gospel there,” he noted.
Many churches feel pressured by technology and big production set up which make them fail to go online because of budgets. I hold a different view. You don’t need a lot of money to hold a great online service.
“You need creativity and passion, you need to learn and explore all available tools out there,”
He said: “If you have a phone or a computer you can do amazing things online and still look professional. I want to challenge all creative at this moment to remain alert, and do their research to try to make Churches relevant and present in this season.”
Nzeyimana reminded everyone that as online services are held, they should remember that it’s not about showing off what they can do but about souls.
“It’s about the backsliding Christian and the confused, it’s about the hungry and the thirsty but mainly it’s about Christ on the throne. Think through the content very well and very wisely,”
The biggest challenge in this season is how we make sure that people remain engaged not only online but in their faith. Let’s care about the people we serve and put in place mechanisms that help us to know how they are doing really, he added.
