How is your church adapting for COVID-19?

Hello!

I'm Daniel, and I'm the product manager for Logos mobile apps. Smile I'm up here in Faithlife's Bellingham, WA office.

If you've been following the news, you might have seen Washington is experiencing interesting times (to say the least!).

We have restrictions on gathers of more than 250 people. Schools are likely to close state-wide today. Many outbreaks in our elderly population. Over the coming weeks, churches across the US and worldwide will likely need to adapt to our temporary new normal.

If you're a church leader, I'd love to hear about how you plan to manage church operations, teach the Bible, and keep your people safe. Our users represent a wide spectrum of church styles, sizes, and contexts-- I'm sure we can learn a ton and compare notes.

I hope this thread becomes a place to generate ideas and learn from each other. Let's stay away from politics and accusations of both "you're over-reacting" and "you are crazy to not be more afraid".

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Comments

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091549#Comment_1091549

Sorry, I got somewhat blindsided by my protestant beliefs and was only thinking of the baptism of an adult that had gone through a 'training' series. [[my normal audience on this subject is a 6 or 9 year old that the pastor has denied baptism till "they grow up".]]

Actually it wasn't the infant vs. adult difference that had caught my attention - rather it was the "public announcement of a personal commitment" which many Protestants would disagree with - think Lutherans, many Anglicans, Restoration Movement. . . as well as Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox ... A perfect example of why we need the Lexham Survey of Theology to be accurate and reasonably complete.

David Ames

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091595#Comment_1091595

OK, to get this back to talking about Logos I tried searching for doctrine NEAR baptism expecting to find many chapter headings on the doctrine of baptism. Whoops. Found none. My library contains many Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant resources but I seem to have the wrong ones. How do I search for when different "groups" consider one "saved"?

"Baptism may be defined as the sacrament of regeneration, as the biblical images used to describe it all link it to new life in Christ. The effect of baptism is disputed, with perhaps the majority of historic and contemporary Christians seeing it as the instrument through which regeneration is conferred upon the baptized. A number of Protestants see the effect of baptism as ambiguous, conferring grace only in some instances, while others see it as purely symbolic of the regeneration that occurs by faith." [from Lexham Survey of Theology]

Lonnie Spencer

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091611#Comment_1091611

I ran a basic search of "baptism NEAR regeneration" in just my systematic theology books and came up with 485 results.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091611#Comment_1091611

How do I search for when different "groups" consider one "saved"?

I'd start with the table of contents of Armstrong, John H., and Paul E. Engle, eds. Understanding Four Views on Baptism. Zondervan Counterpoints Collection. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007. to get the probable vocabulary for the various views.

Bruce Dunning

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091628#Comment_1091628

Our services are now cancelled because Ontario has declared a state of emergency.

David Ames

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091628#Comment_1091628

I'd start with the table of contents of Armstrong, John H., and Paul E. Engle, eds. Understanding Four Views on Baptism. Zondervan Counterpoints Collection. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007. to get the probable vocabulary for the various views.

Added to library. thanks

I ran a basic search of "baptism NEAR regeneration" in just my systematic theology books and came up with 485 results.

Will give it a try - thanks

[edit] 5282 in Everything and 74 in my PBB collection [/edit] [[And "Understanding Four" is downloading]]

[edit 2] first 4 hits gave 2 each to both sides - FUN! - and the "discussion" goes back to the very beginning [/edit 2]

Joseph Turner

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091641#Comment_1091641

We have now cancelled all services on campus. Our pastor will now be live streaming each service, and he will be adding a daily video lesson teaching through Philippians. Our student minister will also be live streaming his services.

Joseph Turner

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091511#Comment_1091511

I have encouraged our members to make decisions about attendance based on factual data. I have also encouraged them to hear what our Lord has to say about fear, anxiety, and emotional decisions.

This is what I fear most concerning churches in the current situation. In many places, if the church chooses to continue on-campus services, then people feel like they lack faith if they do not attend, disregarding factual data. Churches also have a large concentration of older people, so this is a prime place where you would not want people gathering. Setting up attendance as a matter of faith seems extremely dangerous.

Barnabas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091646#Comment_1091646

livestreaming is a really good option. My Bible study group is done through online voice calls so we don't actually meet since we live in various states and a few countries. My thoughts are scrambled but I hope that Christians are able to make lemonade out of lemons if possible.

Olli-Pekka Ylisuutari

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091646#Comment_1091646

I have encouraged our members to make decisions about attendance based on factual data. I have also encouraged them to hear what our Lord has to say about fear, anxiety, and emotional decisions.

This is what I fear most concerning churches in the current situation. In many places, if the church chooses to continue on-campus services, then people feel like they lack faith if they do not attend, disregarding factual data. Churches also have a large concentration of older people, so this is a prime place where you would not want people gathering. Setting up attendance as a matter of faith seems extremely dangerous.

Couldn't agree more with you, Joseph! Here's what Martin Luther had to say about this during the 1520's when pestilence (the Black death) was wreacking havoc in Wittenberg, Germany:

"It is even more shameful for a person to pay no heed to his own body and to fail to protect it against the plague the best he is able, and then to infect and poison others who might have remained alive if he had taken care of his body as he should have. He is thus responsible before God for his neighbor’s death and is a murderer many times over. Indeed, such people behave as though a house were burning in the city and nobody were trying to put the fire out. Instead they give leeway to the flames so that the whole city is consumed, saying that if God so willed, he could save the city without water to quench the fire." Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 43: Devotional Writings II. (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol. 43, p. 131). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Barnabas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091533#Comment_1091533

The Bahamas had just confirmed its first case on Sunday. All schools are closed (as far as I know) and all events using public spaces that the government owns are cancelled. Decision made last night.

Seventh-day Adventist have not taken a formal position as yet, instruction could come this week, but we have been emphasizing hand washing, social distancing and I have begun telling my colleagues to make use of streaming platforms in case churches have to be closed. My preference is Microsoft Team due to real time response.

Lynden Williams, how are you guys down in the Bahamas? I don't know how the damage done last year is effecting you still, and I fear damaged infrastructure will not help the current outbreak.

Ted Weis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091365#Comment_1091365

Also, I recently read Stark's "Rise of Christianity" (not in Logos) and it had a chapter detailing the Christian response to the decimating smallpox outbreaks in second-century Rome. You can read (Chapter 4) it in the preview on Google Books. The church's self-sacrificing response is heroic. That chapter was based on an article he wrote in Semeia 56, “Epidemics, Networks, and the Rise of Christianity”.

Starks' article in Semeia 56 is available in Logos BTW

https://www.logos.com/product/15374/semeia-56-social-networks-in-early-christian-environment-issues-and-methods-for-social-history

Ted Weis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091648#Comment_1091648

livestreaming is a really good option.

Life Church, sponsors of YouVersion Bible app, have a free online platform

https://churchonlineplatform.com/

mike

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091365#Comment_1091365

We have several thousand that gather each week at our church, so we are decentralizing on campus. Rooms with no more than 250 persons in them and the service will be live in our main sanctuary and live-streamed to the extension rooms. It displaces our youth service, but we will have that in another room to make way for adult services.

We are making changes as the situation changes and communicating via social media, email, phones calls, and texts to volunteers and other church leaders who can relay the word to their circles. We have increased our cleaning protocols. We're located in Southern California, but have not had any cases in our county, so we are trying to be cautious without shutting too many things down. All other meetings, events, and gatherings at the church have been canceled until further notice.

We are preparing for tighter restrictions to go online-only or in small home groups potentially. I personally think online-only is not a comprehensive long-term plan, so our pastoral staff is working to get our plans in place should this stretch into weeks or months. I am the Youth Pastor at my church. I greatly appreciate the info shared here and will pass it along!

In other related news... I have found it fascinating to read Martin Luther's "Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague (1527)" from Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings. He's surprisingly relevant in his mention of quarantine, pastoral responsibility, cleanliness (considering his time period, of course), and even-handedness between practicality and spirituality.

Also, I recently read Stark's "Rise of Christianity" (not in Logos) and it had a chapter detailing the Christian response to the decimating smallpox outbreaks in second-century Rome. You can read (Chapter 4) it in the preview on Google Books. The church's self-sacrificing response is heroic. That chapter was based on an article he wrote in Semeia 56, “Epidemics, Networks, and the Rise of Christianity”.

I know we're neighbors, please stay healthy and stay safe my brother. Words around from the top said our area will get hit hard around end of April.

On the other hand, I feel like we should hang out one day

Cheers!

Mark

Hello!

I'm Daniel, and I'm the product manager for Logos mobile apps. I'm up here in Faithlife's Bellingham, WA office.

Daniel, some churches are attempting zoom meetings. Others are broadcasting sermons via facebook. I am interested in knowing if Proclaim has functions similar to zoom where there can be member interaction, discussion, Bible study etc or if Proclaim is just set up for people to watch a live program broadcasting from a church or home with no interaction. I hope that question is clear enough.

mike

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093582#Comment_1093582

Faithlife should come up something like Zoom that can integrate nicely with Logos. Like when you doing Zoom and click on screenshare... Logos can be userfriendly with it.

We don't need faithlife groups or whatever... we have our text message group in our phone, that's what that's for. We don't need anymore social group stuffs. We need conference video-call integration with Logos software to teach. This is the time for that.

Bob Pritchett

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093682#Comment_1093682

We added a button to Faithlife's Messages feature that initiates a video chat (browser based, no download, no log-in) instantly, and pastes the URL into the chat.

It supports screen sharing as well.

https://faithlife.com/messages, and just pick the group (that you're a member of), and when you use the video button (right next to 'Send' in the place where you type your message) you'll be able to go right to the video chat, with the private URL shared with your group only.

You can also use it directly with an room name you'd like, for example: https://meet.jit.si/LogosForumUsersLiveNow

mike

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093684#Comment_1093684

https://faithlife.com/messages, and just pick the group (that you're a member of), and when you use the video button (right next to 'Send' in the place where you type your message) you'll be able to go right to the video chat, with the private URL shared with your group only.

Can you please make your team a video of that? (features and walkthrough) I don't see the video button.

Thanks Bob.

mike

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093684#Comment_1093684

https://faithlife.com/messages, and just pick the group (that you're a member of), and when you use the video button (right next to 'Send' in the place where you type your message) you'll be able to go right to the video chat, with the private URL shared with your group only.

Can you please make your team a video of that? (features and walkthrough) I don't see the video button.

Thanks Bob.

David Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093684#Comment_1093684

We added a button to Faithlife's Messages feature that initiates a video chat (browser based, no download, no log-in) instantly, and pastes the URL into the chat.

It supports screen sharing as well.

https://faithlife.com/messages, and just pick the group (that you're a member of), and when you use the video button (right next to 'Send' in the place where you type your message) you'll be able to go right to the video chat, with the private URL shared with your group only.

You can also use it directly with an room name you'd like, for example: https://meet.jit.si/LogosForumUsersLiveNow

THANK you Bob (and team)! Just as Facebook Live ran into bandwidth issues with a sudden influx of church services, I expect Zoom to bump into the same obstacle. I appreciate you providing a simple alternative.

Bob Pritchett

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093686#Comment_1093686

This blog post (https://blog.faithlife.com/blog/2020/03/how-to-lead-a-free-video-chat-with-your-small-group/) has some context, and there's a screenshot tour at the support article it links to:

https://support.faithlife.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040848532-Video-Chat-with-Faithlife-Messages?utm_source=blog.faithlife.com&utm_medium=blog&utm_content=howtoleadfree&utm_campaign=promo-howtochurch2020

Lynden O. Williams

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091650#Comment_1091650

The Bahamas had just confirmed its first case on Sunday. All schools are closed (as far as I know) and all events using public spaces that the government owns are cancelled. Decision made last night.

Seventh-day Adventist have not taken a formal position as yet, instruction could come this week, but we have been emphasizing hand washing, social distancing and I have begun telling my colleagues to make use of streaming platforms in case churches have to be closed. My preference is Microsoft Team due to real time response.

Lynden Williams, how are you guys down in the Bahamas? I don't know how the damage done last year is effecting you still, and I fear damaged infrastructure will not help the current outbreak.

Thanks for asking. Yes we are still in recovery mode financially (entire country) and infrastructure for the islands affected. The lock down that we are experiencing is not helping the financial recovery and only time will tell how we get through this.

David Ames

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093767#Comment_1093767

only time will tell how we get through this.

If they can keep the food stores stocked most will be OK [if they can pay for it - Pray that there is credit available]

Ken McGuire

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1091649#Comment_1091649

Here's what Martin Luther had to say about this during the 1520's when pestilence (the Black death) was wreacking havoc in Wittenberg, Germany:

"It is even more shameful for a person to pay no heed to his own body and to fail to protect it against the plague the best he is able, and then to infect and poison others who might have remained alive if he had taken care of his body as he should have. He is thus responsible before God for his neighbor’s death and is a murderer many times over. Indeed, such people behave as though a house were burning in the city and nobody were trying to put the fire out. Instead they give leeway to the flames so that the whole city is consumed, saying that if God so willed, he could save the city without water to quench the fire." Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 43: Devotional Writings II. (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol. 43, p. 131). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

For any who do not have Luther's Works, this essay has been made freely available at https://blogs.lcms.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Plague-blogLW.pdf. It is sad that this devotional writing for which I had only historical interest before has become more real to me and many others.

SDG

Ken McGuire

Mark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093766#Comment_1093766

This blog post (https://blog.faithlife.com/blog/2020/03/how-to-lead-a-free-video-chat-with-your-small-group/) has some context, and there's a screenshot tour at the support article it links to:

https://support.faithlife.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040848532-Video-Chat-with-Faithlife-Messages?utm_source=blog.faithlife.com&utm_medium=blog&utm_content=howtoleadfree&utm_campaign=promo-howtochurch2020

It seems that you can only video chat with others who have a Faithlife account, correct? What if you want to have a Bible study on video chat with a group of people who have no account?

Also, what kind of security is there on these video chats?

David Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1093965#Comment_1093965

It seems that you can only video chat with others who have a Faithlife account, correct?

My experience was that I had to be in a Faithlife Group to start a video chat, but then it provided a URL that I could send to anybody who could access the jitsi site in a browser. As ZOOM requested access to my entire contact list (and there are reports today of hacking of ZOOM meetings) I am thankful to Faithlife for providing an alternative.

Mark

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1094045#Comment_1094045

I am interested in this alternative, but cannot fully understand it. I think FL has an opportunity here, but they need to act on it fast. We need a step by step instruction on how to set up and we need a video demonstration on how to set up.

Ideally, I want to do what Zoom allows.

1. Interactive prayer meeting

2. Interactive Bible study

3. Interactive church meeting.

4. The ability for older folk who cannot understand technology to be able to join a meeting from a phone number and access code.

5. The ability to mute and unmute participants.

6. The ability to control who is allowed to attend the meeting or to block a person who is disrupting.

In addition to this, it would be great to utilize Logos or FL products in the cloud or on a local machine. But a product needs to be simple enough to use now, with ability to upgrade for other features or to add onto the base product.

Augusto Oliveira

I have a package of Logos that I already bought, but unfortunately I'm canceling my purchase today. But when I opened the page I saw this discount and I would like to know if it is possible for you to apply this discount in my plan so that I can continue with the Software. I'm asking because unfortunately due to the Covid-19 I'm working little and reducing costs

augustozanini@outlook.com

JohnB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1094045#Comment_1094045

As ZOOM requested access to my entire contact list (and there are reports today of hacking of ZOOM meetings) I am thankful to Faithlife for providing an alternative.

Zoom did not ask me for contact details and would not have got them!!

The main hacking was cured by an update issued yesterday. The rest is up to the meeting host issuing passwords to get into the meeting room, and not allowing group members to take over the screen etc etc. Also having a second laptop set up so the host can see exactly what the audience sees wraps it up really. We all do tend to be a bit naive at times though.

To be fair, as my wife's Zoom group is a handful of street wise male teens, someone breaking in to show a few seconds of porn is not likely to have then fainting in their seats.

That said, Proclaim is potentially ideal for a Logos user. Being less high profile than Zoom would probably also make it less likely to attract would be hackers.

Joe McCune (Faithlife)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1094197#Comment_1094197

I have a package of Logos that I already bought, but unfortunately I'm canceling my purchase today. But when I opened the page I saw this discount and I would like to know if it is possible for you to apply this discount in my plan so that I can continue with the Software. I'm asking because unfortunately due to the Covid-19 I'm working little and reducing costs

We are sending you an email, Augusto.