While Legrand | AV has been increasingly leveraged for video and sound production across houses of worship worldwide, few of us anticipated the urgent need for virtual services until COVID-19. At Legrand, we believe in ensuring the best possible experience for all the members of our community. We have been working with our local houses of worship to understand how they are overcoming the obstacles presented by “stay at home” orders and bans on mass gatherings.  

Here are the top five tips we have for anyone sustaining a house of worship:

Tip 1: Consider the variance in your members’ communication styles

If your house of worship has the ability to offer a live stream of your service, you are likely to capture the attention of a large portion of your membership and they’ll most certainly appreciate the familiar faces and voices. Other options for connecting with members could include things like one-to-one phone calls, mass text messages, social media posts and even e-mails. All can be great mediums for ensuring your members staying engaged and informed.

Tip 2: Create how-to videos or user manuals for non-tech savvy users

Gone are the days of “if you build it, they will come”. Today, the mantra should be “if you make it easy, they will come.”  Remember that most house of worship communities have members of all ages and abilities, when it comes to technology. If you have live streaming, recorded videos, or even website content you want people to access, consider creating quick tutorial videos, user manuals, and offer live support services to show your members how to access all of the digital tools you are making available for them. The more comfortable they are using the tools you provide, the more comfort they’ll find in their worship community.

Tip 3: Engage the youth

Kids are not only extremely tech savvy these days, but they are resilient. Offer “Youth Services” that speak to specific age groups to keep them engaged with their faith – record readings of religious stories or verses, have them play music or find online tools that guide them through their faith education. Engage the older youth to reach out to younger members to keep their faith dialog and to promote their leadership skills. 

Tip 4: Help your members stay connected

Just because they can’t meet in person doesn’t mean that study groups or faith formation needs to stop. Encourage small groups to continue meeting with applications like Zoom or Google Meets. What about members not already connected into a small group or study group? Set up times to connect with members via video calls so they can see you, and you can give them the support they need to get through these challenging times.

Tip 5: Offer consistent communication to staff

Whether you have salaried staff or volunteers, your staff is eager to help and support your efforts. Consider a weekly touch base – video calls or phone calls are best – to simply let them know the latest happenings specific to your facility. Allow time for feedback and dialog and ask for ideas on how to enhance the experience of your membership. 

To learn more about how Legrand AV supports Houses of Worship, visit our Solutions page.  

For more of the latest COVID-19 information, please access the FAQs at www.legrandav.com/COVID.