The first Sunday my church moved to an online service during the pandemic, I thought preaching in front of a camera would be different, but easy. It wasn’t. I have taught a number of online seminary classes over the years that included lectures I had recorded. But nothing prepared me for how strange I would feel standing in that room with only two other people—our music minister and a video technician—attempting to preach God’s Word.

No longer could my head be on a swivel as I made eye contact with members of the congregation. I couldn’t step away from the pulpit and pace toward the end of the sermon, as I sometimes do. No, I had to look straight into the camera—the whole time. That didn’t feel right. I wasn’t that stiff in my seminary preaching class. The dynamics weren’t the same, and I probably didn’t act naturally. So was it really preaching? In “Is Preaching Online to an Empty Room Really Preaching?,” I seek to answer that question.