Last month, we took a closer look at expanding your church through an online campus. Often called an internet campus, iCampus, cyber church, digital church, virtual church, or even church in the cloud, expanding online is a great way to expand your reach–without expanding your physical space. Below are ten helpful online campus tips as you prepare to expand your campus virtually:
Tip #1
An online campus is another “neighborhood” full of people far from God and not limited by geography or the size of a building.
Tip #2
Online campuses won’t be seen as a “real” campus unless you see online relationships as legitimate.
Tip #3
Successful online campuses have a heart, so appoint a dedicated online campus pastor to provide care for those online.
Tip #4
Determine the goal and priorities of your online campus. Is it outreach? Member care? Church marketing?
Tip #5
Go to school on other churches doing online campuses well. Most will be glad to share what they have learned.
Tip #6
Smart churches make it easy to give digitally online.
Tip #7
Create a digital community with your online campus by integrating social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Tip #8
Decide ahead of time how your online campus will handle communion and baptism (it will come up).
Tip #9
Online campuses cost less than a building but more than you think, so budget for a small staff, quality equipment, streaming fees, etc.
Tip #10
An online campus is a worldwide campus, so be sensitive to world events, holidays, and America-centric attitudes. Be as inclusive as possible.