As religious leaders turn to virtual tools to hold their congregations together, they face a common challenge: how to build community without physical connection.
. Yet in the middle of the crises, religiosity skyrockets — and this one is no exception. A recent study from the University of Copenhagen found that for every 80,000 new cases of COVID-19 found in a country, online searches for prayer doubled. To address this wrenching irony, faith leaders across the United States have turned to virtual tools, through which they stream services, homilies, and text studies and offer individual counseling.
For Pastor Douglas Slaughter of Second Baptist Church in Aiken, South Carolina, sitting on a chair on the chapel floor and addressing a laptop screen went directly against his dynamic preaching style, developed over four decades in the ministry. After Slaughter delivered a sermon encouraging his parishioners to “walk in faith, not fear,” one older viewer offered an even blunter appraisal.But not all of the feedback about digital worship has been negative — and some of it has been unexpectedly moving. Rector Paul Fromberg, of St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, had wondered how he could virtually re-create his Sunday service, in which he encourages congregants to share their personal experiences.
And while virtual worship expands the potential reach of religious observance, it can leave some people behind. The ADAMS Center is one of the largest mosques in the United States, with branches and satellite locations that serve 5,000 families. Among those families are groups of people for whom Magid said virtual religious community simply isn’t sufficient.
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