Focus on community, not just content

“I think we need to refocus on the community aspect of classes, not just the content. If our pitch is just, ‘We have great content,’ then we should put it online and tell people to watch from home.

“But if we also remind people of the community aspect, there’s a reason to continue to gather in weekly rhythms. In fact, I’d say the community aspect is at least 50 percent of the reason why people stay plugged in to Sunday classes at Memorial Road, but that’s also because our model keeps classes together for life, for better or worse.”

JOSH KINGCADE, education minister for the Memorial Road Church of Christ in Oklahoma City

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“The COVID mess has given the local churches a unique opportunity to reshape what we are doing without ruffling too many feathers in the process. Ordinarily, churches would be hard-pressed to eliminate or radically modify time-established programs and institutions. But now it can be done in the name of living in a post-COVID world.” 

MARK LANIER, attorney, Bible class teacher, founder of the Lanier Theological Library in Houston 

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PODCASTS

Avenue for Faith, avenueforfaith.org

Nathan Guy conducts interviews and explores resources for adult education ministry.

Holy Ghost Stories: holyghoststories.org

Justin Gerhardt tells Bible stories “in all their weird, haunting fantastic-ness.”

My Quest To Teach: Church of Christ and Digital Evangelism, anchor.fm/william-d-jackson

William Jackson shares his “passion for technology” and “the integration and implementation of technology in ministry and evangelism.”

Filed under: Perspective