I previously touched on not pushing a move from YouTube to Twitch. Now, I’m spinning the narrative a bit because I’m all in on getting us onto Discord. Here’s the scoop on why and how.
Being a digital-only church means we lack a physical space. No building, no signs, no traditional gathering spots. But here’s the thing: our church is never “closed.” We’re up and running 24/7, every day of the year, offering community for those who might not sync up with our live streaming times. This is the beauty of what’s known as an “asynchronous community.”
Discord, like online forums and Facebook Groups, thrives on this concept. It’s not about when you post, but what you post, centered around shared goals or topics. This model is a game-changer for online churches, allowing us to foster fellowship and spiritual growth in new ways.
Why Discord Shines for Us:
- Flexibility and Inclusion: One of the standout benefits is the flexibility in participation. Whether it’s due to varying schedules, different time zones, or personal preferences, asynchronous communities allow church members to engage in their own time. This inclusivity ensures that everyone, from the homebound to the international member, can be an active part of our church family.
- Richer Conversations: Unlike the fleeting moments of our in-person gatherings, asynchronous platforms enable deeper, more reflective discussions. Members can ponder over sermon discussions, share prayer requests, or contribute to Bible study with thoughtful responses. This not only enriches the quality of interactions but also fosters a deeper spiritual connection among members.
- Continuous Spiritual Journey: With a record of conversations and shared resources easily accessible, the spiritual journey doesn’t pause between services. Instead, it continues to flourish, with members revisiting sermons, discussions, and following up on prayer requests at their leisure. This ongoing engagement strengthens faith and community bonds.
- Cost-Effective Community: For churches operating on limited resources, asynchronous platforms present a cost-effective way to maintain a vibrant church community. From private groups for sensitive support discussions to open forums for general fellowship, these platforms accommodate the full spectrum of church life.
I see our Discord server as a digital church building, where each channel is a room for different small groups or discussions. It’s a place where connections made can be deeper than those in traditional settings.
My dream? A place where anyone can share, day or night, and feel seen and supported by a community that cares deeply.
We already have channels in the community for gender-specific groups, mental health support, bible and church talk, and others that offer spaces for conversation and connection on a range of themes. And it costs us nothing to add a new channel, a new small group ministry, or a resource in this space. There are no rooms to build and often no need for a volunteer leader. Adding a new channel or group is easy and free, making our community space infinitely expandable.
What About Facebook and Texting?
Facebook has its place, but while we have a group there, it isn’t particularly helpful or well-engaged. Part of the problem is how Facebook chooses what it shares with everyone even if you’re a member of the group. I may post something, and you never know it because Facebook didn’t notify you. I also find Facebook’s group features a bit confusing in many ways. Then there are all the Facebook distractions that I hate. Today most of us are on Facebook because it’s been ingrained into us that “we’re supposed” to be on Facebook.
With Discord, there are no distractions. It is nothing but conversation that is easy to follow in most cases. The sharing of ideas and encouragement. You can easily get notifications on your mobile device informing you of new posts, direct messages, or even event reminders.
Texting has been our primary “during the week” communication outside of our online times together. Texting is great for instant communication. But, again, when it comes to having a “permanent” record of communication and conversation others might learn from, an asynchronous group is much better. For bible studies online or trying to lead a small group and share videos or readings with one another, that’s all a bit more difficult.
Another concern I have about maintaining a texting group is the safety aspect. We’re giving out our actual phone numbers to others in the belief these folks are going to be “good” and indeed most are. But what about when one does come in, or maybe one goes off the rails a bit? It’s also not super convenient to add new folks due to creating a new group and making sure everyone announces who they are so everyone knows whose number is who’s. Right now, it has worked for us, but as we continue to add folks, it’s going to become more difficult and possibly more unsafe in the future.
Discord has a direct messaging feature which may be a way for us to connect. You can have multiple groups, and no one shares their phone number. You can even do voice call channels or groups and use it like Zoom if desired. Just like a text message, you’d get a notification on your phone alerting you to either a DM or a new post in the Discord group.
So, while Twitch wasn’t the move, Discord definitely is. It’s the best spot for our church’s online interactions, offering a free, flexible, and safe environment for our community to thrive.
And, just to keep you up to date, we are looking to do more small group events such as a ladies’ Bible study hosted by one of our members, and a men’s bible study hosted by one of our members or myself. This is another great benefit of Discord because we can have folks easily run groups around their own schedules. Everyone doesn’t have to be online at a certain time unless there’s a live teaching. So each person can watch, read, listen to, whatever the group is studying and then comment, discuss, when they have time.
How Do You Use Discord?
I know that’s a question for some of you, so I wanted to include a few screenshots to help with this. These are all from an iPhone but the principles are nearly identical for Android and apply to a large degree if you use the web browser or PC program.
First, you’ll need to download the app from your brand’s app store.
You’ll need to open it and register a new account. Like anything, it’ll ask you for your email, user name, create a password, etc. It will likely ask for permission to use your phone, mic, camera, etc…all of which allow you to share things from your phone to Discord when you want to share a picture, make a call, etc.
Once everything is setup you’re ready to join our server. Sadly, the only way to do this is by using an invite link. If you go to the Innovate Church website, the “Join Our Community” button is an actual invite link. If you press it on your phone, it should open the Discord app for you. And it should take you to our “Start Here” channel. (Here’s the invite link as well so you can do it straight from this blog if you desire).
Once in the community, you’ll see a list of “Channels” on the left. Clicking on any of them takes you inside of that channel where you can post or join in the conversations already happening. Your post is only inside that specific channel. Hence, we have topic-based channels.
This is my app. You won’t have the bunch of icons on the left until you join multiple Discord communities as I have. You can see our channel list to the right of those icons…”Start-Here,” “Welcome-New-Members,” etc. If the channel has a little lock icon like the Kingdom Men channel does, that is because it is an invite-only channel. An admin, or myself, can invite you in.
At the bottom of your screen, you see the 4 icons, or buttons.
The left one is to get back to the server page…so you can see the list of channels again, or the channel you are in.
The second button is for your messaging. This is where direct messages are kept.
There are two important buttons I circled here. The top one is your “Add Friends” button. There you can search for friends or message someone off Discord an invite link. The circled button at the bottom is used to begin a new message.
Once you’ve chosen the friend(s) you want to message it will bring you to the message composing screen. It’s similar to others you’ve seen.
- At the top right, you see the option of calling or video chatting.
- Just below that, you see who you are messaging. The little plus sign to the right of their name allows you to add others to the message…like a group text.
- At the very bottom, the plus sign allows you to attach files or open the camera to take a photo.
- The image button to the right of the plus sign is for attaching a photo you’ve already taken or an image stored on your phone.
- The little “Gift” icon is to purchase “gift” someone an upgraded level of Discord…you won’t likely use this unless you’re feeling generous and want to pay someone’s Discord “Nitro” subscription for their server.
- The smiley face is of course the emotes, GIFs, and stickers just like you would in your Android or Apple texting app.
- The microphone allows you to leave a voice message instead of text.
The last button at the bottom right of your app screen is your profile. There you can add your bio, photo, online status if you desire.
Notifications
One of the most important things is the notifications for your phone or device.
On your particular device you should find notification settings in your phone’s settings.
However, there are notification settings in Discord as well.
On the Server page, at the top you’ll see the server’s name and … to the right of the name. You can click those dots and find the notification setting for the entire channel. That’s one thing.
The other thing is the individual channels. Say there is one in particular that you want to ignore or be notified about everything. You can access the individual channel notifications by long pressing on the title of the channel. This pops up a menu for you.
I believe that is all friends. Of course I am here to help you navigate as needed.
Looking ahead, we’re excited about hosting more small group events, like ladies’ and men’s Bible studies, easily managed around personal schedules thanks to Discord.
Let’s make the shift to Discord together, fostering a vibrant, supportive, and deeply connected online church family.
Gerald Faulkner 