With swiftly changing circumstances and new guidelines regarding COVID-19 in relation to large gatherings, churches have turned to livestreaming, garnering millions of views.
Megachurch pastor Joel Osteen canceled all his worship services at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, over the weekend to help contain the coronavirus. Osteen’s sermons were instead broadcast on Facebook, YouTube, Roku, AppleTV and online at JoelOsteen.com.
“We saw 4.51 million people tune in throughout the weekend across platforms,” the church shared with The Christian Post on Monday.
“This broke our previous record of 4.17 million in November of last year when we broadcast Kanye West’s Sunday service from Lakewood. This number could increase throughout the week.”
On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that there not be gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks to reduce the virus’ spread.
“Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities. Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals,” the CDC said Sunday.
Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas also saw a high turnout for his church’s online service.
SOURCE: Christian Post, Jeannie Law
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