Big Announcement! Virtual Front Porch Update #2
Over the past couple of months, Lauren and I spent hours talking with churches from across the PCC about websites, livestreams, social media, communication, photography, Google searches, volunteer burnout, storytelling, discipleship and more.
Our Virtual Front Porch initiative focuses on digital presence, but figuring out how a church should show up online starts with understanding who they are before choosing social platforms or brand colours.
Since the end of April, we’ve been meeting with churches that applied to Ministry Forum’s initiative, reviewing applications, conducting follow-up conversations, and asking where we felt we could most meaningfully come alongside congregations in this next season.
We’re happy to announce that the following churches will take part in the first round of the Virtual Front Porch initiative:
Armour Heights Presbyterian Church (Toronto, ON)
Burlington East Community Church (Burlington, ON)
Central Presbyterian Church (Hamilton, ON)
Leaside Presbyterian Church (Toronto, ON)
University Community Church (Windsor, ON)
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Fergus, ON)
In addition to the churches participating directly in this first round, we also had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a number of other congregations who applied to the initiative. While we weren’t able to work intensively with every church in this round, we still wanted to create space for thoughtful conversation, reflection, and practical next steps.
These follow-up conversations have been incredibly encouraging to us. Churches invited me into honest discussions about their digital spaces, the challenges they’re navigating, the questions they’re asking, and the opportunities they’re trying to discern. Following these meetings, churches received personalized notes, resources, and practical suggestions they could begin experimenting with right away in their own contexts.
One of the clearest things this process confirmed is that churches across the PCC are already thinking deeply and faithfully about these questions. There is a real desire not simply to “keep up” digitally, but to communicate more clearly, welcome people more intentionally, and share the story of what God is already doing within their communities.
As these conversations unfolded, certain themes kept resurfacing across many of the churches we spoke with. Here’s a short reflection on four of those themes, along with some takeaways you might find useful in your own context.
1) Digital Spaces of Hospitality
One of the main takeaways is that our digital spaces are becoming places of hospitality.
For many people, their first interaction with a church is now through a website, Instagram page, livestream, or Google search - often before they ever visit in person. So it’s worth asking: what does it feel like to find our church online? Is it welcoming? Is the information clear? Does it sound human? Can someone picture themselves there?
A good place to start is by taking a fresh look at your own digital spaces. Open your website or social media as if you were new to the church and ask yourself some honest questions. Is it clear where to go on Sunday morning? Can you quickly see what kind of community this is? Are there real photos of people interacting, serving, worshipping, laughing, eating, or praying? Or is it mostly text and empty rooms? Even asking these questions can help you spot small, practical areas to improve over time.
2) Opportunity vs. Capacity
Most churches know there are valuable things they could do online. The problem is that many are already stretched thin, with just one or two people handling all the communication. So a big part of this work isn’t just about doing more online, but about finding what’s actually sustainable with the people, time, and energy you have.
We’ll share more about this in the coming weeks, but for now, one helpful exercise is to ask: “What do we actually want to do?” and then, “What would need to change in our current situation to make that possible?” Sometimes you need more volunteers or resources, but often there are ways to simplify, repurpose, streamline, or use systems you already have.
For example, some churches feel pressure to create more content for social media. But often, you’re already making meaningful content every week - selecting scripture, writing prayers, preparing sermons, designing slides, organizing events, gathering people, and telling stories. Instead of starting from scratch, try repurposing what you already have. Share a quote from the sermon, a prayer from Sunday, a photo from coffee hour, or a short clip from the livestream. Use your existing rhythms and practices instead of adding more pressure or work.
3) Communicating Inspiration and Invitation
Another big theme is moving from just sharing information to being more intentional about invitation, inspiration, formation, and storytelling.
Churches are pretty good at posting announcements, service times, event details, PDFs, schedules, and program info online. But information alone isn’t usually enough. Just because someone knows there’s a Bible study on Wednesday at 6:30 doesn’t mean they know why they should go. We often assume people are already motivated to join in, but that’s less true now, especially for newcomers, younger people, or those who feel disconnected from church life.
It’s worth asking: “What are we really inviting people into?”
For example, if your church supports a local outreach group, don’t just list their name on your missions page. Share why your congregation chose to support them. What hope, need, or conviction led to that partnership? What stories have shaped your relationship? What impact have you seen? Why does it matter to your church? Then invite others to join in that ongoing impact.
The same thing applies to children’s ministry, small groups, seniors’ gatherings, prayer meetings, music ministry, or community meals. Instead of simply communicating facts, try communicating meaning. Why did you choose that curriculum? What do you hope families experience there? Why does this ministry matter? What transformation or connection are you hoping people encounter through it?
Even small changes in language, photos, storytelling, and tone can help people picture themselves as part of the community, instead of just seeing information from the outside.
4) Systems and Sustainability
Finally, another theme that came up often was the importance of systems and sustainability.
Many churches are running on the hard work of just a few key leaders. Think about your own church, is this true for you?
Information lives in one person’s inbox or a sticky note on a desk.
Passwords are scattered.
Workflows only exist in someone’s memory.
Communication practices depend heavily on a single volunteer or staff member carrying an enormous mental load.
While this isn’t a direct part of our Virtual Front Porch initiative, many conversations have highlighted the need for clearer systems, workflows, onboarding practices, and communication routines so ministry teams can work together without burning out.
We’re still learning as we go, but these conversations have already been hopeful, honest, and very encouraging!
Thank you to every church that applied, reflected, dreamed, asked tough questions, and welcomed us into these conversations. We look forward to sharing more of what we learn together in the coming months.