Comments on: Does Success for a Web Campus Mean a Customized Experience?

By: human3rror

human3rror — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:14:08 +0000

word up!

By: djchuang

djchuang — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:35:25 +0000

Thousands of people attend megachurches because "[they] can craft unique, customized spiritual experiences through the multitude of ministry choices and diverse avenuges for involvement." This is one of the prominent findings from the National Survey of Megachurch Attenders, "Not who you think they are: The real story of people who attend America's megachurches" recently released by Leadership Network. Get the report as a free download from http://leadnet.org/megachurch

If a customized spiritual experience is already there in the offline world, seems the same can be done in the online world. There's your green light, human3rror!

[disclosure: I work with Leadership Network]

By: stephenbateman

stephenbateman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:30:40 +0000

word.

By: Eric Granata

Eric Granata — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:37:52 +0000

I'm good with that, John. I might not be understanding what level of customization we're talking here. Optional chat? *Definitely* good. Instant play list so you can skip the sermon, worship, etc? Probably not so much.

By: stephenbateman

stephenbateman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:01:46 +0000

The "multiple avenues to integration" is a great phrase. As long as integration is the destination, it is not very important how they got there yes?

@Adam_S and @Eric_Grenata, thanks for jumping in, I really like the point about personal responsibility. This conversation has been very helpful for me.

By: NicCharalambous

NicCharalambous — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:51:09 +0000

Totally! I think we are talking past each other … intrinsic motivation is what leads to growth, and sometimes, you have to put in place the right environment for that to flourish.

By: NicCharalambous

NicCharalambous — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:49:49 +0000

I have definitely had enough contact with web campus attenders to wholeheartedly agree that there's a huge danger in people using customization as a way to avoid "being the church." Or seeing church as something different than a body of believers' working for each other's good for the advancement of the kingdom. My whole ecclesiology/theology puts a lot of weight in the importance of creating one "body of believers," but i'm not sure that denying the reality of the "economy of choice" (great phrase, John) will mean that people will buy into the "one body" concept. I think it's about casting vision, and giving people multiple avenues to integration.

By: human3rror

human3rror — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:49:04 +0000

I think in terms of technology, customized “appearance” and functionality. for example, we could let the person “choose” to have widgets, or chat, or whatever…

By: Eric Granata

Eric Granata — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:27:20 +0000

That's the point I was trying to make. Ultimately an individual will make the decision to grow or remain stagnate. They can make that decision online or in a building.

By: Adam_S

Adam_S — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:18:41 +0000

I guess I don't think we should be holding online church experience to a higher standard than what is already going on in regular real life church. We may want perfection, but it isn't going to happen because we are real people and perfection doesn't happen anywhere.