Churches, large and small, have a tremendous amount of exciting technology at their fingertips. Many, however, are still learning about what tools are out there and the roles they play in improving areas like community outreach or church counseling services.
Videoconferencing, in particular, provides an excellent opportunity for faith-based organizations to expand their extended counseling and ministry services. To prove it, we’ve come up with 5 different ways videoconferencing can benefit a church’s counseling offerings.
- Providing Confidentiality
At some point, every member of a church’s community goes through difficult life challenges. During particularly tough times, it’s possible some may turn to the church for support. Should that person or group want complete discretion— especially regarding a particularly sensitive topic or a well-known community member—video conferencing security now means having end-to-end encryptions and firewall protection that can offer users the privacy and security they need to meet comfortably. - Reaching Those in Remote Areas
There can sometimes be great distances between a parishioner and his or her congregation. Combine travel time with the diminishing amount of availability most people have these days, and scheduling counseling sessions can become extremely tough. Videoconferencing, on the other hand, eliminates travel altogether, making face time just a little bit easier for all involved. - Ease of Use
One thing that may initially intimidate counselors about using new technology is the learning barrier. That’s understandable, but a quality videoconferencing provider will be extremely accessible and simple to operate for all involved. On top of that, it should be able to work seamlessly no matter what device or platform— phone, tablet, or computer— the other person is using, reducing the need to worry about things like operator error during a particularly sensitive discussion. - Reducing Costs
Whether it’s staffing an office for counseling sessions or cutting commuting costs for the parish, a solid videoconferencing option can take care of both problems. No additional staffing is needed to assist with videoconferencing, as the minister or counselor can simply boot up his or her computer and begin the session. Conversely, were a community member in need of immediate assistance but unable to visit the parish for whatever reason, a videoconference can deliver counseling relief instantly. - Effective Treatment
Video conferencing offers real-time, face-to-face communication for a more personal web counseling session between counselors and their patients. Video conferencing offers many advantages to congregations, but the bottom line is whether or not it’s effective for those on the receiving end of counseling treatment. As opposed to conversations over the phone, video conferencing allows counselors to better gauge their patients’ responses and see how they are doing as though they were in person.
Videoconferencing is just one example of how technology can improve your church’s ministry and outreach efforts. Organizations such as WLCFS – Christian Family Solutions have already adopted the use of web-based counseling and leveraged this technology to grow and reach new patients around the world.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. What are some other examples of how technology can benefit your community?
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1 Comment
Marie, thanks for writing today's post. There are a lot of possibilities for video conferencing in church ministries, especially counseling and pastoral care where travel may be difficult or impossible.