“Five for Your Friday” is a recurring roundup of articles, videos, resources and more from around the web. Content included here is based on suggestions, input and feedback from Baptist State Convention of North Carolina staff, and it is intended to equip, encourage and challenge you and your church to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) as you seek to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).

Please note that information and content included here does not constitute or imply endorsement by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

As pastors and churches continue to adjust to the new norms, questions linger concerning the future of ministry. What does an impactful online Easter message look like with no attendance? Should believers observe the Lord’s Supper over an online service? Will church ever be the same? Learn more about these topics by checking out the links below.

An evangelistic Easter without church attendance
Easter services are among the highest attended services of the year. The majority of these visitors consist of non-believers who were invited by or visiting with family. This is clearly an important evangelistic opportunity to share the gospel with those visitors, but how will this year’s Easter services look different? Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Scott Hildreth shares helpful tips on how churches can still be evangelistic without church attendance.

Taking the Lord’s Supper online
Easter is an obvious time to take the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus’ broken body and the blood that He poured out for us. With churches streaming their services, is it appropriate for believers to observe the Lord’s Supper online? In this article, John Hammett of the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership breaks down this question and points believers to a biblical response.

5 ways to get better at preaching and speaking directly to a camera
Pastors are learning how to adapt to preaching to an online congregation. The lack of feedback from an audience makes it difficult for pastors to deliver a sermon. Carey Nieuwhof identifies five ways to get better at preaching while speaking directly into a camera.

Your church is now a blank slate
Your church will not be the same church it used to be before the coronavirus pandemic. This reality can cause fear for many pastors. However, Thom Rainer sees this as an opportunity to view your church as a blank slate. He offers 10 points to consider as you rethink how you “do church.”

4 ways to transition online visitors to future in-person attenders
While online services may create challenges, it provides an opportunity for visitors who normally wouldn’t come through the doors of the church to tune in. How is your church prepared to engage visitors now and when social distancing is over? Jesse Campbell of Facts & Trends gives four ways to transition online visitors to future in-person attenders.