It's nice to learn you had the right plan... but a pandemic isn't the way I'd have chosen to prove it!
Our mission statement: We use technology to equip the Church to grow in the light of the Bible.
Of course most of that mission statement isn't particularly unique: it's what churches do!
But the past few weeks have shown everybody how the 'technology' part can be useful too. Churches are streaming their services, taking offering through online giving, and scrambling to keep people informed and connected when they can't meet in person.
I can't wait for the chaos to be over, and for us to be able to gather together again (in person!) as the Body of Christ. I expect, though, that this experience will cause most of us to improve our digital engagement and connection skills. And I hope you'll find that those skills serve the Church well all the time, not just during a pandemic.
We have an incredible team on Logos Bible Software, and so I've been giving a lot of my attention to Faithlife Equip, our Integrated Ministry Platform. (That's why I've been less present in the forums -- which I miss!) If you haven't taken a look recently, I'd encourage you to.
https://equip.faithlife.com/ has all the info on this still maturing platform. Pieces like Faithlife Giving (https://giving.faithlife.com/) are fully deployed and in use by hundreds of churches right now. If you haven't made that move, now is the perfect time!
This week our team scrambled to collect resources and ideas that could be useful right now. Take a look at https://faithlife.com/coronavirus.
We're also working on a lot of new things, some of which are coming _very_ soon (like video live streaming for church services, and more!)
If you want to be ready, make sure you've (or your pastor or admin) claimed your church at https://faithlife.com (and visited the brand new Church Settings tab in the 'Admin' section to enhance your church's digital profile).
(You can even update your own personal profile at https://faithlife.com/account/edit).
Faithlife Groups are FREE. You can claim or create your church's group and use it immediately as an online social platform free of inappropriate Facebook ads, irreverent posts and distractions, etc. And, just this week, there's a super-easy, browser-only, free live video chat feature that your church (or any Faithlife group) can use. You can try it at https://faithlife.com/messages by clicking the video icon in the bottom right, next to 'Send' in the box where you type a message to a group.
I have been reading about how churches across the country are responding to this crisis with prayer, kindness, and acts of service. It's our privilege to be supporting you and your churches through Logos and Faithlife Equip.
-- Bob
P.S. If you've got kids home from school, set up Faithlife TV (https://faithlifetv.com) on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, the web, or an iOS or Android tablet... there's lots of family friendly and biblical content, including our own Bible Agent 7 (https://faithlifetv.com/bible-agent-7). And for older kids (and adults!), there's an adventure film set around the Reformation with really nice production quality: Storm - And Luther’s Forbidden Letter (https://faithlifetv.com/items/504067)
