Welcome to the Host Team!

Welcome to the Host Team, a team of servants who create a friendly and comfortable environment in our online services. Be sure to show up 15 minutes early to your service so you can connect and pray with your team!

The Chat Host “Big 3”

Ready to learn what you’ll be doing as a Chat Host? It all boils down to 3 easy things—what we call the “Big 3.” These 3 things you’ll do are welcome, discuss, and pray. Let’s unpack each of those.

  1. ?? Welcome:

First, welcome each new guest into the chat area. You can use @ tagging like on social media to welcome each guest by name. A friendly welcome can be made even friendlier by using exclamation marks, emojis, and a follow-up question to get to know them.

Example: Hi @johnfromuganda, welcome to The Way Online! ? We’re so happy you’re here today. How’s your day going so far?

  1. ? Discuss:

Next, spark discussion in the chat area. You can do this by asking icebreaker questions or recapping key points from the message. Open-ended questions—questions beginning with who, what, when, where, why, or how—are always great conversation starters.

Example: I love that Pastor Ann just mentioned _____. That’s so powerful! How do you think we can apply this into our everyday lives?

  1. ?? Pray:

Finally, offer prayer to guests in the chat area. You can pray with people right in the chat area, or encourage them to click the Live Prayer button if they’d rather talk and pray with a volunteer privately. It’s amazing to see how loved people feel when someone reaches out to pray with them!

Example: Hi @martha75, I’m so sorry to hear that you lost your grandfather this week. Could we pray together here for you and your family? Let’s pray: God, we lift up Martha and pray that you would be with her and her entire family today. We ask that you would bring them your perfect peace and comfort, and that you would surround them with people who can encourage them in this season. Thank you for loving us and being with us in every difficult moment. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Host Checklist

  • Arrive 15 minutes early for your serv1ce to connect with your team.
  • Introduce yourself in the chat and make guests feel welcome.
  • Come prayed up and ready to worship.
  • Be spiritually filled before serving weekly.
  • Be representitive of The Way’s core values and beliefs.
  • Plan ahead to arrange a sub if you can’t be at your service.
  • Always reach out in kindness and love.
  • When encountering difficult guests, do not engage in combative behavior. Encourage!
  • Be respectful toward all people and cultures. Have fun! You are making a global impact for Jesus.

Excellent Online Communication

Communication at The Way | Online is primarily written, so it lacks many of the nonverbal cues we typically use in face-to-face conversations, such as facial expressions and tone of voice. Check out the tips below to become a pro at communicating with excellence online!

?ALL CAPS

TYPING LIKE THIS can come across as virtual yelling, so use standard capitalization and be sure your Caps Lock is off. Pro tip: our message notes are typically in all caps, so it’s best not to copy and paste them into the chat.

? Punctuation

Proper punctuation prevents misunderstandings, helps Google Translate accurately translate our messages into other languages, and clarifies meaning for non-native English speakers. 

? Emojis

Written communication can sometimes seem emotionless or impersonal, but it doesn’t have to. To convey joy, sorrow, or virtually any other emotion, try adding some emojis to your posts! Here’s how you can do that on a Mac or a PC

⛪️ Slang and Churchy Words

We should avoid using slang or churchy words that can cause confusion, such as “What’s crackin’?” or “sanctification.” The best approach is to use simple language and provide explanations for any words that unchurched guests might not understand.

?? @ Tagging

You wouldn’t someone who just said in chat that their dog died to see your “That’s amazing! Praise God!” comment and think it was meant for them. @ tagging helps make it clear exactly who you’re talking to in chat.