Church Anywhere with Jeff Whye
Using Tech To Bring Church Anywhere
In this episode, Jeff Whye, Online Campus Pastor for Sandals Church, shares how they grew from 2,000 people watching online sermons to having tens of thousands of people connected and in-community through online church and Church Anywhere.
Creating an online experience
With 14 campuses, including one online, Sandals Church is not afraid to experiment. Their leadership paved the way for online ministry when other churches weren’t even thinking about online. So when Sandals Church needed digital ministry most during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was already a pathway.
Being Real Online
Sandal’s aspires to be authentic as a church, embodied by their vision statement “We are all about being real with ourselves, God, and others.” For Jeff, that vision is what brings success and growth—from how they talk, to how they bring the fullness of Church to online. Everything offered in person at Sandals Church is also offered to the online community, like a Soul Care team and Prayer team. Their intention in every action and offering is to seamlessly mesh in-person church with online.
Creating Community Anywhere
With the power of digital tech online, it’s possible to reach every corner of the Earth. For Jeff, that motivates him and his team to reach everyone they possibly can. What starts with a one-time video view online can transform into someone becoming a connected member of the community.
So that when campuses shut down due to a crisis, the community is still alive.
The online campus, Sandals Church Anywhere, delivers a Church experience in your home no matter where you live. It’s a combination of a house church and community group that’s entirely supported and resourced by Sandals Church.
Tools For Creating Church Anywhere
With 14 campuses and plans to continue expanding, Jeff acknowledges that teams and tools are crucial to achieving their goals.
One of the ways Sandals Church has created an amazing online community is by using Roku’s streaming platform for Sandals Church Anywhere. When a new house church opens, they send a stick with the Sandals Church Anywhere app installed and ready to go.
Other resources they use are the Forms and Processes in Pushpay’s ChMS. They’ve created a six-step process within the ChMS which helps them connect and engage with their community through software, digital giving, and custom apps.
According to Jeff, “It is our hub for everything we do. It’s a tool to help us know where you are on your path to Christ and how we can help you… It’s making ministry tangible, because in a church our size, we have to have that system… to make sure all of that happens.”
Being Fishers of Men
Jeff compares the church’s outreach efforts to the disciples’ fishing. “And he said to them, ‘”Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'” Matthew 4:19 ESV
Will the Church stay with the same bait and the same pond, even when there are no more fish? Jeff encourages leaders to go where the fish are and use the right bait, because that’s what good fishermen do. Just like them, the Church needs to go to the places where the most attention is being paid, and use new ways to invite people to get connected.
Just get out there and try it! Launch your digital campuses and plans as soon as possible, and allow yourself the freedom to learn as you go. To see how you can profoundly impact people’s lives and become fishers of men, click here.
If you want help setting up digital streaming for your church, contact the team at Resi, the leading providers in hassle-free, lag-free live streaming.
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