How to Host a Congregational Meeting Online

Why did you host a congregational meeting online? 

Just as COVID-19 overtook the news cycle in the Seattle area, the Pastor Nominating Committee/PNC members of John Knox Presbyterian Church in Normandy Park, were putting finishing touches on their own news story. The committee was unanimous in their recommendation to call a new senior pastor. The candidate was ready to move ahead as well. 

Clearly, it was time to call a congregational meeting. So we got to work figuring out how best to host the meeting online.  

 What steps did you take to introduce church members to online meetings? 

This congregation, like so many others, had no previous experience meeting together online. So had work to do. Here are six things we did to engage the congregation in online conversations. 

1.     Choose an online platform compatible with the needs of the congregation. We choose to use the Zoom video webinar. This product includes advance registration, confirmation of registration, meeting reminders, and host of other options. 

2.     Insist church staff and ministry teams begin to meet online as soon as possible.  

3.     Host Zoom practice sessions to provide a friendly way for members to learn essential features of the Zoom platform such as chat and sample balloting. 

4.     Create an online ballot. Google Forms worked well for us.  

5.     Invite church members to submit discussion questions ahead of time, thus enabling like-type questions to be clustered together. 

6.     Set a goal for webinar registrations. Involve staff and ministry leaders in encouraging members to register. Zoom sends confirmation email at time of registration, and reminder emails one day and one hour prior to the meeting.

In what circumstances do you think online meetings work best? 

Online meetings using video conferencing for all participants tend to work best when everyone can see each other on their own screen.  

 Once the capacity to see each other diminishes, it may be wise to move to a webinar type format where speakers are seen and participants are not. 

 Why did you choose to host the meeting as a webinar? 

Generally speaking, a webinar is hosted to inform and engage a group of people around a topic of common interest. It seemed to us a webinar format could work well for hosting this congregational meeting.

In a Zoom webinar a group of panelists serve as the meeting hosts. They appear in the meeting video stream. Members and friends (non members) of the church register to participate in the meeting. Most of our participants joined the meeting using a digital device that allowed them to view the webinar and interact via Zoom chat features.  Several participants joined by phone, listened to the meeting, and called in to cast their vote. 

 In what ways did you utilize the features of Zoom webinar for a congregational meeting?  

Setting up a Zoom webinar is a fairly straightforward process. The ability to customize emails sent to participants was incredibly helpful in monitoring registrations, sending out meeting reminders, and offering post-meeting feedback.  

Initially the most important thing to do is to select panelists. Panelists may serve in speaking or supporting roles, or both. Once the meeting agenda is set the role of panelist becomes clear. 

In a Presbyterian setting the role of panelists may include the meeting moderator, session clerk, all speakers, a parliamentarian (knowledgeable about bylaws and polity), someone to oversee balloting, and several people to take phone calls (for those without video access). For JKPC the panelists included PNC speakers, the pastoral candidate, session moderator, clerk of session, stated clerk of the presbytery, and three phone call ballot takers. 

Prior to the webinar, host a practice session for panelists to familiarize everyone with the webinar platform, run through the agenda, and answer questions. 

During our webinar the chat feature was indispensable. Panelists used chat to communicate with one another either chatting with all panelists or privately one at a time. Participants utilized the chat feature to add comments, ask questions, and so say hello to one another. The chat option for participants allows chat with all (panelists and everyone) or chat with panelists. 

 How was the meeting run? 

In almost every way, the congregational meeting followed a typical agenda for calling a new pastor.

The meeting was opened by the moderator who welcomed everyone to the webinar and allowed time for participants to get acclimated to the online environment. For instance, as people joined, they were encouraged a send a chat greeting to everyone. As logins slowed down, the clerk declared quorum. Next panelists were introduced. And an opening prayer was offered. 

The purpose of the meeting was stated by the moderator, and the agenda was reviewed. As expected, the PNC made their report, introduced the candidate, and explained the terms of call. The chair of the finance team affirmed the session’s agreement with the terms of call. Finally, a member of the PNC read the motion to approve the call. A lively time of discussion followed. 

What did the voting process look like? 

When it was time to vote a panelist explained where to find the ballot (a link posted in the chat box) and how it worked. Most members used the link to vote. For those unable to use the link to vote, a series of phone numbers were posted to invite members to call in their vote (fewer than 30 of the 170 ballots were cast via phone balloting). 

How long did it take to vote? 

Initially a 10-minute countdown clock was posted online. We ended up adding two more minutes to ensure everyone had a chance to vote.  Taking phone calls was the most time-consuming aspect of voting. 

 What was the outcome of the meeting? 

Thanks be to God, the outcome led to the successful calling of a new pastor!  And, on top of that good news, the congregation seems to be pleased with the outcome in terms of their engagement in the process. 

 Any final thoughts or recommendations to share with others? 

Lean into the strengths of your team. If another platform or tool is more accessible to you, use it. Trust the wisdom and abilities of the people who are willing to help guide your process. Enjoy watching God’s people at work. It’s a marvelous thing!