Pastoring in the Digital Parish

Building real community in digital spaces with J.J. Warren

This is going to be the final episode branded as Pastoring in the Digital Parish. Going forward, we’ll be building our digital ministry toolkits on the MyCom Podcast. So subscribe to that to keep growing in this area of ministry. www.resourceumc.org/mycom-podcast In this episode, we get to visit with J.J. Warren and explore the evolving landscape of digital ministry. We talked about the dynamics of virtual church communities on platforms like Gather and Discord. J.J. shared the impactful journey of the Young Prophets Collective… which moved from a passionate group of young United Methodists to a thriving, inclusive all-digital worship community.  Rev. J.J. Warren (he/him) is the author of two books: Reclaiming Church: A Call to Action for Religious Rejects and Where Two or Three are Connected: Being the Church in This New Era. After making an impassioned plea for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons at The United Methodist Church’s (UMC) top law-making assembly in 2019, Rev. J.J.’s speech went viral, and his advocacy has been covered by HuffPost, NBC, Brut Media, and WXXI Radio. He currently resides in Vienna where he is a lecturer at the University of Vienna and guest faculty online for the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. For more episodes of MyCom and past episodes of Pastoring in the Digital Parish, visit ResourceUMC.org

Optimizing Church Growth with YouTube and Community Engagement Strategies

This episode of Pastoring in the Digital Parish explores YouTube strategies with Shane Russo and Nathan Webb. Shane shared his success using tools like vidIQ and OpusClips, emphasizing the difference between digital engagement and traditional ministry. Nathan highlighted knowing your audience and leveraging platforms like Discord for community building. We discussed navigating controversy, optimizing content, and fostering inclusive spaces. We hope you’ve been finding valuable insights and practical tips from our ongoing series, designed to help you navigate the complex world of digital ministry. In this episode: (00:00) Moving to MyCom (05:27) Juggling church and online ministry challenges. (07:56) Nerdy sermons, discipleship pathway, viral YouTube shift. (11:30) Unique video’s organic viral success defies expectations. (14:38) Consistent content creation with specialized tools and experimentation. (19:25) Consider posting content on platforms strategically, based on audience and purpose. (22:22) Consider intent and audience before posting content. (25:14) Pastor taps into controversial topics for engagement. (28:22) Reluctant to engage in online controversies. (31:04) Adapting content to engage and retain audience. (36:08) Reject toxic feedback, view it as vandalism. (39:26) Maintain inclusivity without tolerating harmful behavior. (42:26) Timing and tool choice affect content success. (44:29) Crafting content for engagement and scheduling efficiently. (47:57) Effortless editing creates phenomenal video clips. AI advances. (55:03) Digital storytelling, enhance sermon videos, church leadership. (55:54) Monthly podcast by My Com, technical help. It’s time to make a switch. For more episodes on building your digital ministry toolkit and bringing your congregation into the digital age, you’ll want to check out www.resourceumc.org/mycom Older episodes of Pastoring in the Digital Parish are still available at www.resourceumc.org/digital-parish

Creating Online Sanctuary: Sherry Hietpas’ Approach to Virtual Church

In this session of Pastoring in the Digital Parish, we’re going to talk about the challenges and successes of cultivating a digital congregation, the impact of traditional liturgical expressions online, the use of AI-generated tools for social media engagement, and the evolution of pastoral care in a digital context. Our adjunct professor for this session is Sherry Hietpas, the associate pastor of digital ministry at Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church in Vienna, Virginia. She is also the founder of Encounter–an all-digital expression of church. And she does all this while living with her family in Thailand. In this episode: (00:00) Digital ministry leader discusses challenges and successes. (03:46) Small church adapts to pandemic with outreach. (07:42) Recording travels across Asia, exploring, worship, growth. (11:34) Offering liturgical connection for global communities via YouTube. (16:39) Exploring sacred digital worship and prayer practices. (17:57) Embracing tradition while engaging with digital audience. (20:42) Automates episode promotion, saves hours of work. (24:08) Digital communication vital for remote church engagement. (27:28) Enhancing digital engagement through comments and discussions. (30:42) Encouraging feedback for future ministry content. For notes and more episodes: resourceumc.org/digital-parish Pastoring in the Digital Parish is a production of United Methodist Communications.

The digital parish from TikTok to Discord with Bethany Peerbolte

Let’s get to know the Rev. Bethany Peerbolte and hear how it started and how it’s going in her online ministry, called “Our Tapestry.” Bethany shares how her digital ministry journey started somewhat mistakenly through some viral TikTok videos. She shares stories and practices of building community in digital spaces, increasing online engagement in church, and connecting with people beyond the church. Bethany is a pastor in the Presbyterian Church, USA. She currently runs the all-online expression of church known as Our Tapestry–which is a plant of the Denver Presbytery. She seeks to support people in “theological deserts” and give everyone access to pastoral care, faith formation, and loving community. In this episode: (00:00) Explore digital ministry by learning from experts. (03:33) TikTok algorithm shows concerning Christian content. (08:51) Providing pastoral support online. (10:30) Started small text chain, expanded to Discord. (15:52) Rethinking church practices in the digital age. (17:34) Discussing church leadership and financial questions. (20:21) Intentionally scrolling for viral content, finding storytelling inspiration. (28:40) Progressive Millennials and Gen Z embrace social justice. (33:20) Creating safe online space for youth group. (35:32) Interesting metrics drive impactful discussions and engagement. (43:21) TikTok offers diverse first-hand perspectives. (47:08) Stories inform our digital ministry practice, share experiences. Pastoring in the Digital Parish is a production of Resource UMC. For show notes and more episodes: www.resourceumc.org/digital-parish

The Art of short-form video for digital ministry

Host Ryan Dunn offers practical tips and a 7-step process for creating impactful short-form videos to enhance digital outreach and foster meaningful online relationships for the church in the digital era, in this episode of Pastoring in the Digital Parish. We’re repurposing content for the digital ministry win. There are some creative ways you can add short-form, vertical videos to you online ministry toolkit. In this video: (00:00) Digital parish resource for expanding ministry impact. (04:45) Video content reaches wide audiences; it’s vital. (06:55) Short videos convey Christ-centered community value. Clarify intent, message, and engage. (11:13) Transcripts and editing. (13:33) Creating specific content for a targeted audience. (18:54) Maximize video impact with powerful call-to-action. (21:13) Enhance video with zooming and on-screen text. (23:58) Short form as teaser, hashtags crucial for discoverability. (26:44) Offer grace or hide/delete the comment. For notes, examples and more episodes: www.resourceumc.org/digital-parish