Peter Bowden

Friday Hot Topics Ministry Strategy Session
Many congregations are starting to look at hybrid ministry approaches seeking to integrate gathering online and offline. In this session, I share some considerations based on my MOST RECENT conversations with congregational leaders. This is an ongoing conversation.

About this week's sessions
This week, February 8 through February 12, I'm going live daily to discuss digital ministry, hybrid church models, and other HOT TOPICS based on your interest.

Thursday Hot Topics Ministry Strategy Session

In this session, how to keep small groups from turning inward and imploding! 

Have you had a bad experience with small groups turning into cliques? This happens like clockwork in the absence of ministry leadership! A congregational small group network or small group ministry requires vision casting, coaching, and skill training to thrive. It needs to be an integral part of the ministry of the congregation. Push groups off to the side or leave them on autopilot, relationships will naturally pull the group inward. It isn't that the relationships are bad. It is just the natural result of not having the corresponding outward pull of your vision!

About this week's sessions
This week, February 8 through February 12, I'm going live daily to discuss digital ministry, hybrid church models, and other HOT TOPICS based on your interest.

Wednesday Hot Topics Ministry Strategy Session

Some strategic thoughts for congregations on pre-recorded worship and other video content versus live content. 

Pre-recording worship gives you amazing control.  This can be seductive and pull you into a "perfection" trap.   Be mindful of prioritizing high-quality content (important) over a worship and ministry design that promotes interaction, relationship, conversation (critical in my opinion).

We need to be striving to build relationships and a connection to your local congregation and local community.

If the priority is on high quality "content" over relationship, you're going to be competing with the top spiritual and faith-based influencers online. Your worship design and use of technology should advance your ministry objectives.

About this week's sessions
This week, February 8 through February 12, I'm going live daily to discuss digital ministry, hybrid church models, and other HOT TOPICS based on your...

Tuesday Hot Topics Ministry Strategy Session
In this session, issues related to congregations and online membership development!  I discuss things I'm seeing congregations do that can inhibit membership development and share some alternate approaches.   

About this week's sessions
This week, February 8 through February 12, I'm going live daily to discuss digital ministry, hybrid church models, and other HOT TOPICS based on your interest.

Note that I removed the intro of this session because of an audio glitch. Thanks to everyone who helped me troubleshoot.

Monday Hot Topics Ministry Strategy Session
This strategy session focused on the theme of congregations "Going back to normal."   When COVID19 is under control,  we will not be able to roll back the changes in human behavior, preferences, and new norms established over the last year.    Digital trends and shifts in church attendance that were progressing pre-covid have been fast tracked.  

About this week's sessions
This week, February 8 through February 12, I'm going live daily to discuss digital ministry, hybrid church models, and other HOT TOPICS based on your interest.

Online church isn't working? Attendance down? People Zoomed out? Here are some thoughts on how to respond. This video is in response to an email I received this week from a minister I know. A minister who is doing GREAT work online. What would I do? These are some guiding principles and targets to aim for.

To have healthy conversations about ministry models and innovation, leadership teams need to be honest about the discrepancies between what they "signed up for" and what's required in this moment.  Start there to avoid conflict forcing you to go there. 

Question: Hi Peter! In the pre-social-media church world, the "membership funnel" was simple, or at least seemed simple. People entering our congregation's orbit started as visitors to Sunday worship and/or attendees of programs. The end goal, from the church's perspective, was to get those people to ... join the congregation. Is there a similar end-point in the new social media world? Is it the same endpoint?

Friends, before we can talk about specific endpoints, there are conversations that require our attention. 

We have to talk about ministry models.  And discussing new models and what's required to be of service and thrive today brings us face to face with discrepancies between what many of you "signed up...

What do covid19 and the accompanying acceleration of digital trends mean for seminarians, clergy, and our congregations at large?     

On Thursday, November 12, 2020, I offered this live session for the digital ministry unit of an asynchronous seminary class.   

PART 1:  I share the story of how the process people use to research, explore, and connect with faith communities has transformed over the course of my time working with congregations. This has resulted in a growing discrepancy between the behavior, preferences, and expectations of digitally oriented people and what congregations and their leaders are offering.

PART 2:  I share some highlights of strategies I recommend and why. This includes how ministry leaders can use digital communication — especially video -- to engage with members, friends, and the larger world. We need to engage with people online, showing up in these digital spaces, if we want them to even consider...

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In this ministry strategy session for congregations, how to turn your YouTube Channel into a 24/7 online welcome center for newcomers!

First, we need to  acknowledge a few things:

• People are online in record numbers!  You know that.

• People love video.  We've entered a "video first" world.  Its the majority of all internet traffic and content people are consuming.

• The people who are exploring your congregation online, they are looking for information, inspiration, and connection.  Video is a fantastic way for them to learn about your congregation. 

• People have massive social anxiety, and its only getting worse in my opinion, so we need to make it easy for visitors online to connect.

"By 2022, online...