Pastor and Christian Leadership Resources

6 Churches with Livestreams to Watch While Quarantined

6 Churches with Livestreams to Watch While Quarantined

Many states are quarantined right now due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, and churches are not meeting due to the government’s guidelines of not meeting in groups larger than 10. It can be hard to practice social distancing unless you get half a pew to yourself or put several chairs in between you and the next person. And due to the coronavirus being airborne it’s better for most churches to meet virtually and host live streams for their congregations and those watching from afar. 

If your church does not have a live stream here are seven great suggestions from different denominations that you can watch this Sunday. We have provided bonus resources at the bottom as well. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Redeemer Presbyterian Church with Rev. John Lin

Redeemer is a large church in NYC with multiple campuses: Downtown, East Side, West Side, and Lincoln Square, among other affiliate churches. Well-known author and speaker, Dr. Timothy Keller started Redeemer Church in 1989 as a church plant in NYC. Dr. Keller is well-known for his books and lectures; he is also the co-founder of thegospelcoalition.org. He retired from the position of Senior Pastor at Redeemer in 2017 but is continuing in his other endeavors for the gospel. Redeemer.com shares,

“The Redeemer family of churches and ministries exist to help build a great city for all people through a movement of the gospel that brings personal conversion, community formation, social justice, and cultural renewal to New York City and, through it, the world.”

Details:

  • Denomination: PCA (Presbyterian Church of America)
  • Style: Classical eclectic and contemporary eclectic
  • Senior Pastors: Rev. John Lin (downtown), Michael Keller (Lincoln Square), Rev. Abraham Cho (East Side), David Bisgrove (West Side), Justin Adour (East Harlem).

Resources:

2. McLean Bible Church with Dr. David Platt

David Platt, well-known for his books on gospel mission and former president of the IMB (International Mission Board), took over as Senior Pastor at McLean Bible Church in 2017. The large church has five locations in Northern Virginia, right outside DC (Tysons, Arlington, Loudoun, Montgomery County, Prince William). McLeanBible.org relays, 

“We are not a building. We are not an event. We are a family, God’s family. We come from all walks of life and over 100 nationalities. Our mission is to glorify God by making disciples, and multiplying churches among all nations, beginning in greater Washington, DC.” 

Details:

  • Denomination: SBC (Southern Baptist)
  • Style: Contemporary
  • Senior Pastor: Dr. David Platt

Resources:

*You’ll especially want to check out last week’s sermon: Peace in the Middle of a Pandemic, Pt. 1 

3. First Presbyterian Church with Dr. Derek Thomas

Don’t let the Welsh accent fool you, he’s located in Columbia, South Carolina and pastors an ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian) church of 2,500 members. It’s also the oldest congregation in Columbia. If you’ve read any of Sinclair Ferguson’s books or heard him speak, he is a former pastor of First Presbyterian. Dr. Derek Thomas, the current Senior Pastor, has written books and contributed to online sites such as Ligonier, desiringGod, and Crosswalk among others.  

Details:

  • Denomination: ARP (Associate Reformed Presbyterian)
  • Style: Traditional
  • Senior Pastor: Dr. Derek Thomas

Resources:

  • Livestream Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. EDT led by Dr. Thomas
  • Livestream Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. EDT led by Dr. Fluhrer
  • Livestream URL
  • Download the app (search the app store for “fpc cola”)
  • Archived sermons & Bulletins

*Dr. Derek Thomas is also providing daily video devotionals for encouragement, which can be viewed via their website or YouTube.

4. Bethlehem Baptist Church with Dr. Jason Meyer 

Before his retirement from the pastorate, well-known author, speaker, and founder of desiringGod.org, John Piper was the Lead Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN. The current Senior Pastor is Jason Meyer who succeeded Piper in 2013. What began as the First Swedish Baptist Church of Minneapolis in 1871 with 22 people, is now a multi-campus church with thousands of members inspired to reach the city and surrounding areas for the gospel. 

Details:

  • Denomination: Reformed Baptist, affiliated with Converge (formerly the Baptist General Conference).
  • Style: Contemporary
  • Senior Pastor: Dr. Jason Meyer

Resources:

5. Saddleback Church with Dr. Rick Warren

Saddleback Church (started 35 years ago) is a large, contemporary church in Orange, CA with multiple campuses (15 locations in CA and four international locations). Pastor Rick Warren is the author of The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church among several others. Saddleback.com shares: 

“Ten years ago, a trip to Rwanda literally changed the trajectory of Pastor Rick’s life and mission. God gave him a vision for The PEACE Plan, a mission to fight the five giants of spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, pandemic disease, and illiteracy that devastate the lives of men, women, and children around the world. He and Kay consider it their life’s’ work to empower local churches and local leaders to create sustainable change that gives a voice to the voiceless and help to the helpless.”

Details:

  • Denomination: Non-denominational
  • Style: Contemporary 
  • Senior Pastor: Dr. Rick Warren

Resources:

  • Livestream available Saturdays any time after 4:00 p.m. PDT
  • Livestream URL
  • The Church App

6. Hope Church with Dr. David Dwight  

Hope Church is a large church in Henrico, VA offering contemporary services. Hope is led by Dr. David Dwight (Senior Pastor) and Pete Bowell (Associate Pastor). They also have a second location in Richmond, VA. The church seeks to draw people from all walks of life together in community to celebrate and worship Christ.

The Details:

  • Denomination: EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church)
  • Style: Contemporary
  • Senior Pastor: Dr. David Dwight

Resources:

Other Livestreams to Check Out

Parkside Church with Alistair Begg, livestream on YouTube

First Baptist Atlanta with Charles Stanley

Shadow Mountain Community Church, with Dr. David Jeremiah

The Moody Church, livestream on YouTube

Second Baptist Church, with Dr. Ed Young

Harvest Christian Fellowship with Greg Laurie

East Point Church with Anthony Carter, livestream on Facebook

Shandon Baptist Church with George Wright

Ligonier Ministries – Free Content until June 30

In addition to churches livestreaming, Ligonier Ministries is also making their library of teachings available for free until June 30th. Here is what they shared: 

“For the first time ever, we have made our entire library of hundreds of teaching series free to stream. Download the free Ligonier app today and stream thousands of messages from R.C. Sproul, the Ligonier Teaching Fellows, and other gifted pastors and teachers. Or browse more than 2,500 messages on our website. This represents 1,000+ hours of time-proven trusted teaching covering topics in biblical studies, theology, church history, Christian living, and worldview thinking. Our entire video and audio teaching series library will remain open until at least June 30.”

We hope this list of resources has helped you as you continue to pursue God, His Word, and His gospel during this uncertain time. Know that though things are changing every day, our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is sovereign over the world and your life, He can be trusted in all things and through all things. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has become a resource for many as we face growing fear and anxiety due to the Coronavirus pandemic. God is ALWAYS our source of protection, strength and peace during unknown times. In addition, the following articles may offer more encouragement for all to remember as we face the trials of COVID-19 together:

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages