This report analyzes data collected from 2700 churches of the Center for Congregations in Indianapolis through the Connect Through Tech grant program between 2020-2021. This report analyzes data gathered from applications to the CTT grant and final reports submitted by these churches, in order to learn how churches understand and perceive the role of churches, technology, and their relationship changed during the first two years of the pandemic as they incorporated digital media into their ministry work.
This is the first research report from the Tech in Churches During Covid-19 research project, which investigates the role digital media has played in churches over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digital Ecclesiology: A Global Conversation explores theological issues and challenges churches have been faced with due to social distancing and required social-cultural adaptations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This book follows on from the eBook "The Distanced Church", which explored religious leaders and scholar responses to the forced move into doing church online during the pandemic.
Religion in Quarantine: The Future of Religion in a Post-Pandemic World, is an eBook collection of essays written by religious studies faculty and graduates students from Texas A&M University. Coming from a variety of religious traditions--including Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism--each essay considers what future of religion might look like in light of the changes facilitated by the current COVID-19 pandemic and the potential challenges this may raise for religious communities.
In March/April 2020 most churches around the world have been forced to close their doors due to the need for social distancing and local lock-downs in order to fight off the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The result was traditional churches had to make an unplanned and swift transition towards technologically-driven forms of gathering. Many church leaders felt out of their comfort zone, while experimenting with doing church online. At the same time, scholars and theologians began studying this new trends in how churches perform worship online.