Digitisation of Worship: Assessing the Effectiveness of Christian Worship via Social Media Platforms during the Covid-19 Lockdown in Nigeria

Abstract

In John chapter 4 verse 21-23, Jesus Christ envisaged a time when true worship will not really be defined by physical gathering but by a simple act of believers worshipping in spirit and in truth. While the statement was spoken to the Samaritan woman, the reality of having to worship in spirit and in truth played out during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. The fact that believers could not gather physically paved way for digitaliszation of worship. This study assessed the effectiveness of digital worship for Christians in Nigeria during the Covid-19 pandemic where services had to be held live on digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram and Zoom. Drawing its data from both primary and secondary sources, the study found that digitalization of worship was made effective by already entrenched faith of Christians that God is everywhere and assessable even through the use of their electronic devices. It also found that miracles did not dwindle in spite of lack of physical contact. The study concludes that contrary to predictions that flexibility introduced during the Covid-19 lockdown would cause attrition of Christian brethren, resumption of church activities in Nigeria have grown stronger. This could be perceived as the outcome of the strengthening of Christian faith via social media worship during lockdown. The use of social media as a channel of worship and ministration at the period of Covid-19-induced restriction reinforces the existential and transcendental nature of religion. The religion adherents have deployed digital technologies to demonstrate their spirituality and faith at the period of global health emergency, navigating the challenges posed by poor infrastructure and relatively low internet accessibility in African poorly governed context.