A recent study conducted by Barna Group on behalf of Alpha revealed some surprising insights about the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on evangelization as a result of churches going virtual, and how the Church should respond in a more hybrid-model future.
"People are hurting to a degree and depth that we are yet uncovering. We cannot miss this unprecedented moment to reach them.”
“While the Church rose to 2020’s challenge to embrace virtual platforms, using these new digital bridges for evangelism was something quite different,” said Alpha USA president Craig Springer. “We wondered if churches could as effectively reach those outside its walls digitally. Barna shows us that churches were able to get creative in meeting this new need, and we are excited about how the lessons learned can be used even more effectively moving forward.”
Online only services presented outreach challenges for Christians who largely felt more comfortable inviting non-Christian friends to a physical location and event. Most believers indicated a preference for sharing their faith in the in-person context, as well. However, for the non-Christian, the format of the event or engagement didn’t matter nearly as much as the relationship and authenticity of the Christian friend.
More than half of unchurched adults, including three-quarters of those whom are non-Christians, said they wouldn’t be interested in any sort of religious invitation or interaction, no matter the context. This group was most open to an online church service, viewed alone, but only at a rate of 12%. For this group, the preference is for solo spiritual exploration or relational discussion over formal, communal participation.
Non-Christians tend to be skeptical of faith interactions in any forum, and often do not have positive reactions to seeing content posted on social media. But for those who participated in a digital discussion with a friend or family member about faith, 90% report that the conversation went well. Research showed this was because the digital conversion experience doesn’t spontaneously happen, but comes as a result of relationship and focus. Many of the believers who had initiated these positive experiences had been intentionally and expectantly praying for this person.
One of the key takeaways from the study is that the greatest opportunities for digital evangelism revolve around relationship. Christians will need to get better about growing friendships and creating trust among those with whom they have online interactions. They will also need to focus on their own faith commitment and spiritual growth, as that is an indicator of how comfortable they are engaging digitally with non-Christian friends. The good news is, for those who are caring and authentic, two in five non-Christians expressed openness to participating in a friendly spiritual conversation.
“We’ve learned that inviting people into the Body of Christ doesn’t have to be limited to a shared physical space with a warm meal. This can exist wherever people are gathered—even on the internet—with the intention to listen and to love,” Springer said. “At Alpha, we believe digital evangelism must be included in the vision for the Church moving forward. People are hurting to a degree and depth that we are yet uncovering. We cannot miss this unprecedented moment to reach them.”
About Alpha:
Alpha exists to serve and support churches in making disciples of Jesus Christ. Alpha USA launched in the 1990s in response to how the Holy Spirit was using the Alpha International courses as an evangelization tool, and now runs in more than 6,000 U.S. churches across every major denomination. Alpha USA mobilizes 50,000 volunteers and over 500,000 participants annually. The three ingredients of an Alpha course are connecting, often over food, in an open, informal environment; watching a video to explore aspects of the Christian faith; and discussing life’s big questions together in a friendly, casual format.