Running Online Courses To Reach Your Community
During this time of quarantine, the community at large is grappling with issues that the church can help with. We don’t have to just focus on our weekend online experience, we can offer courses that engage and reach our community where they’re at. Here are some great options for your church to consider.
Alpha Online
Run Alpha as an opportunity for people who are exploring the claims of Christianity in your community. Alpha works best when your people invite their friends. Check out a great article on how to set up and host an online Alpha.
Parenting Workshop
You can have Connie Jakab present a parenting seminar for parents dealing with mental health issues in their families. Connie is an accomplished speaker and author and will provide Christian faith based perspectives on parenting in a context any Canadian from any background would comprehend.
Mental Health Discussions
People are coping with mental health issues in a significant way during quarantine. You can host a series of mental health discussions by using short video clips from Brett Ullman to work through navigating mental health during COVID-19. Brett’s subsequent talks provide great Christian faith based insights into a variety of topics that any Canadian would benefit from.
Marriage Builder Conversations
Family Life Canada regional coordinators Braden and Kristen Hafner have put together a 5 session marriage builder conversation kit that can be facilitated by any person in your congregation to offer marriage help to their community. Although the principles are Christian faith based, the language and topics apply to any one looking to strengthen their marriage during this time. Quarantine is putting stress and strain on marriages and the church can offer help and hope by intentionally investing in building marriages. You can watch the training video and get the conversation kit here.
Grief Share Online
Greif share is an internationally recognized faith based program that helps people walk through one of life’s most difficult experiences. Partner with a local funeral home and invite people in your community to this excellent course. You can view Grief Share and other online programs like Divorce Care, Divorce Care for Kids, and Single & Parenting here.
Finance Course with Dave Ramsey
In this time of economic uncertainty, you have a great opportunity to facilitate an online finance course for your community. Use this free resource from Dave Ramsey to get started and help people to financial freedom.
A couple of things to remember when running online courses for your community:
Promote it using social media and have your congregation invite their friends and neighbors. You can’t just rely on an announcement. Online courses work best when your people say, “would you like to come to __(name of course) ____ with me?”
Have a clear registration. Use Eventbrite or an online registration form to get clear sign ups and get information that you can follow up with.
If you use zoom, practice security measures to avoid zoom bombing. You want to ensure that everyone has a save experience. You’ll also need to learn how to use screen share in order to show video content for the course.
Find ways to make it less awkward for people by having them introduce themselves, asking someone a question directly, and moving on when there seems to be awkward silence.
Providing these courses for your community to access will allow you to engage them in spiritual conversations and invite them to join you online for church on Sunday. What an amazing way to offer help and hope during a pandemic.
What other courses could you offer to your community?
Jeremiah works as an Effectiveness Coach with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. He is a passionate and creative leader who believes that the church is the hope of the world. He uses collaboration, innovation, and inspiration to challenge churches and their leadership to engage in the only mission Jesus ever sent his church on: making disciples.