Youth Feature

Church On-demand

It's not hard to see we live in an on-demand economy. On-demand means, because of 24/7 connectivity, people can always be connected watching, listening, and reading what they like with a personally curated selection, playlist, or watch list.

Iwrestle with the concept of church in this new season of life. What will the church look like? After COVID, will there still be people interested in attending church? This new world forces us to look at how we have always done things in the past. Statistics have shown that average church attendance during the pandemic has dropped significantly.

And I mean, can you blame people. With the thought of perhaps catching COVID and the convenience of just watching the church service from home, keeping church members coming to church may pose as a challenge for years to come.

Interestingly, although church attendance has dropped significantly, online viewership has skyrocketed. Here’s my idea: I think postCOVID life will involve lots of “church on-demand”! “Woah, Lyle! What is that about? Here you go with your new-fangled progressive ideas!” “I mean, I may have heard about watching things on-demand, but where do you get off on church on-demand? Will there also be ‘worship on-demand,’ too?” I know what you’re thinking: This sounds a little strange, maybe even ungodly or unbiblical. Let me explain. I love church and all, especially for the community and fellowship part. I mean, after all, the Bible says in Hebrews 10:25, “let us not neglect meeting together.” And trust me, I get that, but how we meet and engage in our faith life will have to change.

Researchers have noticed COVID has changed what we watch and how we watch.

As one author has put it, “Covid has forced us all to recalibrate our lives.”

It's not hard to see we live in an on-demand economy. On-demand means because of 24/7 connectivity, people can always be connected—watching, listening, and reading what they like with a personally curated selection, playlist, or watch list.

As everyday consumers, this has unfortunately made us impatient, and we want everything now and immediately on our schedule. If it doesn’t fit our preferred time preference, we will watch it later or maybe not at all; and sometimes, we will watch something else that tickles our fancy.

This new on-demand economy has made things interesting for brands and content creators. To keep and retain the attention of everyday consumers, they must create content that incorporates highly relatable, relevant, and engaging micro-moments that can be viewed on consumers’ mobile devices.

To give you an example of the importance of mobile use for consumers, mobile device users are 50% more likely to purchase using their phones; 79% of smartphone users have purchased online using their mobile devices in the last six months. As of 2022, an average person is predicted to spend 100 minutes per day watching online videos. And that’s not all: it is said that 78% of people watch online videos

If the church is not only going to survive but thrive in 2022 and beyond, we will need to create and produce quality content, but not just church or worship services that can be viewed online."

every week, and 55% view online videos every day. In fact, 54% of consumers want to see more video content this year.

People are no longer attending church at the specific time it was intended to start.

And people are no longer tuning in and watching the program at the specific time it was intended to start. They arrive when they want and may even decide to watch later, when it’s most convenient for them. On-demand means when the time is suitable for the viewer, they will set their own watching schedule and view it when they want to do so.

If the church is not only going to survive but thrive in 2022 and beyond, we will need to create and produce quality content, but not just church or worship services that can be viewed online. Churches will need to think outside the box and create quality content that is on-demand, such as:

• TV series • Sitcoms • Documentaries • News reports • Miniseries • Podcasts • Movies • Short films

With all that said, what can you do?

• Get creative—try something new and different • Provide a great user experience for those watching online • Present different types of quality content • Invest in great tech that allows you to come across as professional • Produce a variety of quality content that is appealing and relevant • Refrain from just copying and pasting in-person church and putting it online

Churches will have to pivot in this brave new world of on-demand economy. Not that you are catering to the lazy church member consumer, but who knows, maybe in creating that quality content, I might be scrolling through Netflix and see your ministries on the “New & Popular” or “Top 10 in Canada Today” trending lists.

Dr. Lyle Notice

Youth Director Alberta Conference