In 2017, I started the first digital-only church in the Assemblies of God Fellowship – Pursuit Church Live. I never could have imagined then, the incredible gift of technology to reach the world for Jesus. Facebook became the front door to faith and community for over 17,000 people in the time I pastored Pursuit Church Live on Facebook. I know, you can do this too!
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (John 14:12). I am believing this for you!
Here are a few stats and a great story to encourage you.
- The majority of Americans will not or cannot attend a traditional brick-n-mortar church. How do you plan to reach the widow, the orphan, the disabled, the isolated, the outcast, the refugee, the stranger, and the ones who have left the church? See this 2021 Barna report for more details.
- Social media is where people gather and share life together. There are 2.93 billion monthly active users on Facebook as of July 2022 .1 We can literally reach the ends of the earth with ONE social Network.
- We are not married to building or staff expenses. This gives us time to focus on people instead of $. The annual budget for PCL (Pursuit Church Live) for 2020 was $8,000 (with GREAT VOLUNTEERS, we are under budget). Christianity Today recently published the results of a budget survey of 2,200 churches. Churches with less than 200 in weekly worship attendance had an average budget of $219,370. For those with 200-499 worshippers, an average budget of $675,290.
- Online community answers the #1 question Pastors are asking – How do I get people to attend church. At PCL, we fill the gaps of discipleship and community between Sundays and small groups. Transformation happens quickly when a person has the opportunity to engage in daily Bible study and authentic community 7 days a week.
- Online community redefines ‘real church’. We don’t GO to church; we ARE the church. If you want to see a few examples, check out: Be The Church, Hope City Church, and A Heart Like His Community.
Stories (I know I said ONE story, but it is truly hard to pick!)
“PCL is given me hope that I lost in my life…everything changes in Jesus mighty name the son of live God😇🙏👼 Thank you very much for accepting me into this family…You made me be born again.” J.S.
“I believe that God led me to this church, under the circumstances that I’m facing today. I’ve always known God, raised in a Christian family but somewhere along the way I lost my way. The first night that God led me to this church on a Wednesday night, I was confused, heavy-hearted, and in despair. I was approached as soon as I walked in the door and evidently, it showed. I was welcomed with open arms, prayer, and a great sermon. I still struggle, but my relationship with God is so much closer than it is ever been. The valley I am going through God knows about, and trusting him is a lot harder than I thought. My flesh still makes me make mistakes but I will continue to pray to my savior that loves me no matter what. Thank you so much for the love of the people in your church they continue to pray for us, our family that so desperately needs it.
God is good all the time….” T.L.
“Thank you Jesus for getting me connected w this prayer group! Pastor Angela has helped me get back to loving myself again. The messages she shared with me have opened my eyes and heart🙏I couldn’t get this kinda love through a shrink or anything else! The Lord works in mysterious ways! I love each and every one of you. Praise the Lord 🙌! ❤️” B.D.
Be encouraged. God is using technology to show millions of people the way home!
PS: Our story and strategy is detailed in the book, Online Jesus: A Guide to Community, Discipleship, and Care Online. It is great for leaders and teams who are interested in digital or phygital (physical + Digital) church.
1Statista (2022).https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/#:~:text=How%20many%20users%20does%20Facebook,used%20online%20social%20network%20worldwide.
What do you think?