New Media Adaptation through Environmentally Friendly Dissemination Messages at a Religious Organization during the COVID-19 Era in Indonesi

This study seeks to explore new media adaptation through environmentally friendly dissemination
messages at a religious organization during the Covid 19 era in Indonesia. This study used the
phenomenographic method in a constructive/interpretive paradigm to explore the difference in the
experience of members of the congregation who participate in online worship versus face-to-face
worship to demonstrate environmentally friendly dissemination messages. Data collection was
carried out through in-depth interviews with informants who represented three levels of
membership of ordinary members, church administrators, and organization administrators.
Secondary data was obtained through the documentation of social media of the religious
organization (the Christian Church of East Java) in Surabaya, East Java Province, Indonesia. The
findings of this study confirm different variations of experience in synchronous and asynchronous
worship. The variety of experiences is divided into knowledge, feelings, and mindset of the
congregation. Synchronous message dissemination contributes strongly to the knowledge,
feelings, and mindset of the congregation in facing changes in worship models. This study
contributes by offering an alternative to the phenomenographic method in the study of organizational communication. The limitation of the study lies in the object of the study which is
limited to informants from the local church in urban areas. This research has yet to accommodate
the online worship experience for congregations in rural areas.