What if you could share your message across continents, touch lives in far-flung corners of the world, and inspire people you've never even met? What if you could deliver a highly personal message to individuals in the neighborhoods surrounding your church looking for answers online but not willing to step foot in your church? 

Whether you're a seasoned pastor exploring new avenues for ministry or a new ministry leader, creating an online course could be an unprecedented opportunity to extend your ministry beyond the physical walls of your church, increase your capacity for discipleship and build engagement in your church or ministry. 

My husband Dustin and I own a software development company and digital marketing coaching program. Seven years ago, while brainstorming ways to generate leads for our business, we discovered the remarkable power of online courses in building audiences and spurring business growth. It took us some time to truly master this strategy, but once we did, we witnessed exponential growth, adding thousands of customers to our email list each month. It was interesting for us to see that many pastors were entering our world, genuinely excited to learn how to create their own courses and engage their congregations on different topics, while fostering growth in specific areas of ministry within their churches. As we observed this trend, we started realizing how much of what we had learned could be directly applied in the church world too.

In this article I want to explore three ways creating an online course might be a powerful strategy for you as a pastor to attract new people to your church, grow specific ministries and increase engagement across your congregation. 

What is an Online Course?

Before we dive into the three reasons why an online course could be a game changer for your marketing efforts let me first explain what an online course is. You can think of it either as a way to spread your message far and wide, no matter where people are in the world or as a tool to get your message in front of people who need it most in the neighborhoods surrounding your church even if they might not ever look up your church website or seek you out on their own.

You likely have specific expertise that allows you to go deeper on certain topics or maybe your life history has given you authority to speak about certain aspects of life such as dealing with anxiety just to name one example. You can share that knowledge by packaging it up as an online course.  It could be as simple as just a few video lessons or more in depth with several modules exploring what the Bible says about anxiety and providing practical guidance for overcoming it in daily life.

By creating a course, you allow people to access it and consume it over and over, in all kinds of locations, at any time. Once you've put together and recorded your online course, it becomes a valuable asset that people from all over the world can access and share. 

The incredible thing about online courses is the flexibility that they offer students. They can dive into the course content whenever it suits them, aligning with their own schedules and taking the time they need to absorb and reflect on the teachings. The best part is that your message doesn't stop making an impact when you're not physically present or actively teaching. It continues to offer guidance, inspiration, and hope to those who need it most.

While there are numerous tangible benefits that packaging your message in this way can bring to your ministry, for the purpose of this article, we will focus on the three primary reasons why online courses are a powerful tool. A digital course allows you to rapidly build a large online audience, increase your capacity for discipleship and can serve as a way to add new members to your congregation or other church ministries.

3 Reasons You Should Build an Online Course

1. Online Courses Expand Your Reach and Build an Online Audience

In today’s digitally connected world, people are constantly seeking answers, guidance and a sense of belonging and online courses offer a significant advantage: the ability to reach a wider audience. It's no secret that the internet has become a central hub for individuals exploring their spiritual journey. People are actively turning to online platforms to find teachings and resources that align with their beliefs and values. By offering your teachings and insights online in this format you have the ability to be one of the solutions that they find. 

To tap into this vast online audience, there are specific marketing strategies you can employ. With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok you can put your message in front of those actively seeking spiritual guidance. These seekers may have never had the opportunity or inclination to attend a physical church, but they are eager to explore their faith and find the answers they are looking for. In many ways an online course becomes a virtual bridge that can lead to new visitors, potential members, and a more diverse congregation. 

2. Online Courses Deepen Discipleship

The second tangible benefit of having an online course is that they allow you to go beyond the limitations of a Sunday sermon and go deeper into specific topics of spiritual significance. With the freedom to design a comprehensive curriculum, pastors can provide in-depth teachings, interactive exercises, and valuable resources for further study. By offering structured and focused content, online courses facilitate a more profound understanding of biblical principles, encourage personal reflection, and equip congregation members with practical tools for spiritual growth.

For instance, you could create a marriage course specifically tailored for newlywed couples and help them navigate the joys and challenges of married life. A course like this could cover topics such as effective communication, conflict resolution, building a strong foundation, and nurturing spiritual intimacy within the marriage. By providing practical guidance and biblical insights that newlyweds need you could empower couples to cultivate a thriving and God-centered relationship.

Another way you could use an online course for discipleship in your church might be through creating a course on baptism. A course like this could explore the biblical foundations of baptism, its symbolism, and its importance in the Christian faith. Additionally, it could address common questions and concerns surrounding baptism, providing clarity and guidance to those considering this important step of faith.

Perhaps you really want your congregation to dig deeper into the power of prayer. You could create a course that goes into the various aspects of prayer, including different prayer models, cultivating a consistent prayer life, overcoming obstacles to prayer, and exploring the transformative power of prayer. By providing practical guidance and biblical insights, pastors can help members and prospective members develop a vibrant and meaningful prayer life.

These examples illustrate how online courses can be tailored to address specific needs within a congregation, fostering deeper discipleship and growth as well as pulling in individuals in different seasons of life. By leveraging the interactive nature of online platforms, pastors can engage participants in discussions, provide personalized feedback, and create a collaborative learning environment that enhances the learning experience. Through these focused and comprehensive online courses, pastors can empower their congregation members to embrace a more profound understanding of God's Word and apply it to their daily lives.

3. Online Courses Attract Potential Church Members

Finally, an online course can attract individuals who are already seeking answers and solutions that align with the teachings you hold most dear and serve as a bridge to bring them into your church. By putting your message in places where it hasn't been before, such as online platforms and social media, you can reach individuals who may never have encountered your church otherwise. This means you have the opportunity to create connections with potential church members before they ever visit your physical location. This initial connection and exposure to your teachings can cultivate curiosity, trust, and a desire to engage further with your ministry.

In practical terms, students access your course through something called a member area or hub.  Platforms like LearnPod provide an excellent solution for hosting and delivering online courses specifically for pastors and ministry leaders. LearnPod is a little different than most course hosting platforms because it allows you to create a dynamic pathway of next steps, encouraging your students to take action and deepen their engagement with your ministry. 

By embracing the power of online courses, pastors have the chance to make a significant impact on their church growth and engagement. The ability to expand your reach, deepen discipleship, and create connections with potential church members sets the stage for a thriving and vibrant congregation. If you would like to explore the possibility of creating a digital course as a part of your marketing strategy or a way to strengthen your discipleship efforts you can get access to our free course, "Igniting Your Influence" here.