Part Two: A Hub and Spoke Model to Create Digital Community for Small Groups and Sunday School
In part one of this article , we looked at four important criteria for creating digital community in your church, and gave some quick recommendations if…
Part Two: A Hub and Spoke Model to Create Digital Community for Small Groups and Sunday School
In
, we looked at four important criteria for creating digital community in your church, and gave some quick recommendations if you want to pursue a decentralized approach where you empower individual group leaders with one or more suggested platforms, provide coaching and training on those platforms, and then set them loose.
That’s not a bad strategy and it’s very quick to get this set up in your church. But that approach falls short if you want to make it easy for people not currently in your groups or classes to get easily connected. You can provide the same tools you always do — a link to a web form or an email address that gets you connected to the staff member or volunteer overseeing your groups ministry.
But this is not a normal season — the
captured it well when it said that we’ve moved beyond “remote work” to “remote life.”
In a matter of days, the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped American society, unmooring people from the routines and activities that typically provide comfort in moments of crisis: work, worship, concerts, sports, gatherings with family and friends, the embrace of loved ones.
“It feels a little like we are in a snowstorm, an invisible-but-present blizzard, where it is not safe to go outside,” the Roman Catholic Bishop of Albany, Edward B. Scharfenberger, wrote to his diocese. “Home is the safest place to weather a storm.”
Who better than the church to provide spiritual community for such a time as this? And one of the best ways to do that — particularly for people not currently involved in your church — is to pursue a hub and spoke model of digital community.
In the early days of the Sunday School movement in America, people gathered for “opening exercises” for worship and encouragement before breaking into their classes for community and discipleship. In this chaotic and confusing time, with people looking to their church leaders for wisdom and guidance, opening exercises could strengthen, encourage, and comfort those seeking spiritual community. Gathering in a large group to hear from senior leadership and then breaking into small groups for community, discipleship, and prayer brings the best of both worlds.
More recently, many recovery ministries start with a large group time for teaching and testimonies before dispersing into smaller groups. This is particularly effective in creating a single point of entry for those new to recovery or attending for the first time.
So, while it’s possible to have individual leaders hosting their online group meetings or classes separately and independently, it could be beneficial to have a church’s small groups meeting collectively and then separately — a hub and spoke model.
Using Zoom to Build Digital Community
One tool that works extremely well for this hub and spoke approach is Zoom.
is a video conferencing tool built for large enterprises which has significant non-profit discounts available through
.
Here are a few reasons why Zoom is great tool for bringing your small groups and classes online in a hub and spoke model:
How to Use Zoom for Hub and Spoke Digital Community
Sign Up and Set Up Zoom
Schedule Your Hub and Spoke Gatherings
Invite Your Group Leaders to Scheduled Meetings
Promote Your Digital Community Online
Here’s the beauty of a hub and spoke model — as long as you won’t exceed 200 simultaneous participants you can publish a single URL on your website or on social media and anyone — whether they are currently in your groups system or not — can easily join from a browser or mobile device.
Host Hub and Spoke Meetings
Preparing to Host
During the Large Group Time, Assign People to Breakout Rooms
Start the Small Group Time by Launching Breakout Rooms
Bring the Small Groups Back Together (or not!)
Beyond the Current Crisis
None of us knows how long the current crisis will continue. People need God — and the church — more than ever. Digital community might be the only way to gather for a season, but what starts in crisis often foreshadows a new normal. Think about how digital community might work in more normal times — consider the needs of people who travel for work or are shut in and can’t meet physically. Don’t settle for online worship only — build digital communities for the kingdom
.