Before the COVID-19 pandemic, some churches started doing online worship,  basically allowing those at home to observe worship experiences designed for people attending in-person. At some point, in those experiences, worship leaders  would turn to the camera, say hello and give a nod to those at home. Then they would go back to returning their attention to those in the room. At the time, this was the only model, and it felt right at the time. 

When quarantine hit, worship leaders shifted their collective attention to online worshipers, many for the first time ever. Worship online became the norm and the main audience.  as Worship leaders placed all of their attention to the camera and designed experiences for those worshiping from home. The entire paradigm shifted, and the way worship was planned changed. People at home could feel that shift. 

As churches start to go back to in-person, we face a critical time in the life of the church. Without intentionality and a commitment to new practices, we will go back to the pre-pandemic approach—treating the home audience as observers and no longer giving them attention. OR, after living in an online world for 9+ months, we may treat the people in the room like a studio audience for the people watching at home. 

Nobody wants to be an afterthought when it comes to worship. We must strive to create a scenario where both in-person and online worshiping communities feel equally included and cared for.