Date posted:
Online church attendance at Ipswich Lutheran Church, Queensland, is expanding, and thanks to a $13,000 Mission Outreach Grant distributed in 2021, it has become the Church’s second most-attended service.
Primarily targeting Facebook and since using its grant to extend the working hours for its Digital and Online Ministry Leader, engagement in posts has increased by 250 per cent. Up to 600 people have viewed posts since extending the role, compared to only 130 previously.
Assisting the pastor in the online development of outreach services, the Digital and Online Ministry Leader has produced and operated the church’s online worship service and created outreach through social media.
The church’s online presence is undoubtedly working, with several viewing online now attending services onsite. While most online followers were already church members, content is being shared with a wider audience and reaching a broader range of people.
The church recently began creating short outreach video clips to engage the community, viewed via Facebook and YouTube on weekdays. The more frequently the church has posted, the more engagement has increased, driving people to connect. Video post engagement increased by 250 per cent in the December and January Christmas period compared to the previous year - a fantastic result showing that in times of celebration, people engage with the Lutheran Church.
So successful has it been that the church is now considering developing an app to enable it to engage and bring new people into the fold.
Initially planned as a nine-month role, the outreach achieved, and online pastoral care offered was so successful that it was extended to 12 months. The position will be funded by the church in the next financial year.
Ipswich Lutheran Church's digital worship can be seen on their Facebook page with Pastor Roelof delivering the services
The LLL prides itself on providing savings accounts that are simple to operate, with a variable interest rate and no fees or charges. The LLL has a variety of savings accounts: personal and joint accounts; guardian accounts for children; and business accounts, including for self-managed super funds and not-for-profit organisations.
As an Authorised Deposit-taking Institution (ADI), the LLL is regulated under the Banking Act and by APRA.
