Blog

One look around your church during a service reveals a very common scene to most pastors.  That scene is people looking down but not at their Bible as you may think.  Instead, cell phones are being used to pass the time which is the case for many teenagers as they text or play games.  Through texting and church websites, you can engage members during services to improve active communication within your congregation.

 

In the past, church services were thought of as a time to remain seated and listen while the pastor gave the sermon.  It was deemed rude to do anything aside from listening to the preacher and questions were usually discouraged.  However, times are changing as people have a growing desire to exchange knowledge rather than give or receive it in a one-way channel.

As a result, this has led to churches taking steps to be more interactive.  Younger members send messages while the pastor is speaking anyways so use it to be productive where they share sermon quotes with their friends.  How can you keep the congregation engaged with texting?

 

The first step is to welcome devices rather than shunning them.  Actually, some members may be using their device to follow along in a Bible app.  Encourage the use of devices but it should be in a constructive manner and ask them to turn off notifications to avoid any distractions.  Participation may be improved by asking members to give their responses through text-to-screen services.

With texting, members have a higher chance of remembering what the sermon was about.  Also, prayer requests are generally done through small prayer cards but texting and church websites offer a cheaper, easier way to relay prayer requests.  Text messaging in particular gets the youth more involved since it’s a convenient and effective option.  Likewise, it will be easier for the preacher to respond to prayer requests which can make a positive impact on the congregation.