US pastors see popular Easter services as opportunity to rebuild in-person worship attendance

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many churches moved their services online, the Rev. William H. Lamar IV initially shuddered at the thought that he needed to morph into a "video personality" to stay engaged with his parishioners.

"I resisted kicking and screaming because I’m a child of the ’70s," said Lamar, the senior pastor of historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. "I’m not a digital native."

Four years later, Lamar, a talented preacher...