Drive-Up Worship

The Ministry Lab was honored to support this Great Idea from Litchfield United Methodist Church with a Hopeful Innovation Grant!

Transform your worship opportunities with an FM Transmitter:

What you’ll need:

  • An FM Transmitter and wiring
  • Sound Technician
  • Volunteers to work with the Tech

Here’s what Barb Lambertson at Litchfield UMC wrote about this innovation:

“Our goal was to be able to use our FM transmitter to allow people to listen to our worship services in their vehicles while the service was live in the sanctuary.

When Covid restrictions began, we offered only outside services in our parking lot using speakers keeping everyone socially distanced. We then purchased an FM transmitter when the weather started getting colder to allow people in their vehicles to hear the service through their radios in our parking lot.

Once we were able to start allowing people in the building, we knew that we needed to offer our attendees choices that made them comfortable. With this grant we were able to wire our transmitter so that the live services inside could be heard outside through vehicle radios.

We are so pleased to offer our Sunday worship services in different ways for everyone’s different comfort levels. Those that would like to come inside are welcome to do that. Those that are more comfortable listening outside are welcome to do that as well. We do also offer the services live on Facebook and sent out through email.”

While The Ministry Lab’s Hopeful Innovation Grants have all been awarded (and we look forward to sharing Great Ideas from other recipients!), most denominations and national bodies continue to offer grants for technology, upgrades and racial equity work.

This is indeed a Great Idea and one that can continue to be used well into the future:

  • Use the same tech to create regular outdoor services in nice weather – just for the fun of it! (Think drive-in movie setting!!)
  • It’s great for outreach: sitting in the car in the parking lot is maybe less intimidating than entering a church building for folks who might be looking for a faith community.
  • What if your FM broadcast was in a language other than English? This might be a sign of welcome to new immigrants in your area! (And learning which language(s) are most needed might be great awareness-building for the whole congregation!)
  • Have an outdoor Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, or other pageant!!

(Photo from Grace UMC, St Cloud, via the MN Conference UMC website.)