Comments on: The Dying Church of Offline http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/ Exploring the Intersection of Church and Technology Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:32:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: @techmate http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39031 @techmate Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:10:39 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39031 A ministry with an online presence is key for me. I work long hours throughout the day plus have to drive to a different town to work. I don't always have the time I would like to sit down and read the Bible or attend a weekday service at a church. Being able to access sermons via podcasts and listen on the way to work and watch live sermons streamed online has been such an enormous blessing to me. I know there are others out there who are in the same situation. I think it's vital that a church pursues it's online presence as it is another method to feed the sheep. A ministry with an online presence is key for me. I work long hours throughout the day plus have to drive to a different town to work. I don't always have the time I would like to sit down and read the Bible or attend a weekday service at a church. Being able to access sermons via podcasts and listen on the way to work and watch live sermons streamed online has been such an enormous blessing to me. I know there are others out there who are in the same situation. I think it's vital that a church pursues it's online presence as it is another method to feed the sheep.

]]> By: Graham Brenna http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39034 Graham Brenna Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:52:44 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39034 That's what it's all about right there! Nicely put. That's what it's all about right there! Nicely put.

]]> By: human3rror http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39033 human3rror Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:35:06 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39033 I think my point was to use online technology generally, not specifically church online... but, good thoughts! I think my point was to use online technology generally, not specifically church online… but, good thoughts!

]]> By: Mark Thomas http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39032 Mark Thomas Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:22:18 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39032 The church I'm in has a good website and we release content on said website every week. We, however, have little intention of ever doing live broadcasts of Sunday morning services. All too often this gives people an excuse not go to church. If we were to ever do "online church" as part of our internet presence, it would be made very clear that we would prefer no one actually sat at home and watched and instead went to a physical local church in their community: to serve their community. The whole point of church is not to go to the coolest, hippest, most cutting edge church. The point is to integrate yourself into a body of believers. This provides real fellowship and accountability that can never be paralleled by online "attendance". It also provides the church goer a real opportunity to be actually involved in their community. Many churches have outreach programs involving feeding/clothing the hungry and community clean-up among other things. While I'm not completely against the online church service, it should never, ever be a substitute for physically going to a church in your community. The church I'm in has a good website and we release content on said website every week. We, however, have little intention of ever doing live broadcasts of Sunday morning services. All too often this gives people an excuse not go to church.

If we were to ever do "online church" as part of our internet presence, it would be made very clear that we would prefer no one actually sat at home and watched and instead went to a physical local church in their community: to serve their community.

The whole point of church is not to go to the coolest, hippest, most cutting edge church. The point is to integrate yourself into a body of believers. This provides real fellowship and accountability that can never be paralleled by online "attendance". It also provides the church goer a real opportunity to be actually involved in their community. Many churches have outreach programs involving feeding/clothing the hungry and community clean-up among other things.

While I'm not completely against the online church service, it should never, ever be a substitute for physically going to a church in your community.

]]> By: human3rror http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39030 human3rror Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:32:08 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39030 thanks for that! thanks for that!

]]> By: sdesocio http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39029 sdesocio Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:12:40 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39029 Im a Presbyterian and I wrote an article over at my blog on the topic within our context <a href="http://tinyurl.com/pcatech" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Technology Stewardship</a> Im a Presbyterian and I wrote an article over at my blog on the topic within our context Technology Stewardship

]]> By: human3rror http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39028 human3rror Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:32:07 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39028 thanks for your contribution to this convo...!<br /><br />;0 thanks for your contribution to this convo…!

;0

]]> By: CountryCuban http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39027 CountryCuban Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:44:16 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39027 God's work over the course of history does advance through the power structures of this world. We are in this world, not of it... but since we are in it, we are to use the resources that are available to spread the Gospel. In the Bible, Jesus and the disciples used every resource they had available to them. If the Lord has put us in this point in time where we can use these resources to advance the Gospel, it's almost offensive to not do so. Jesus went where people were. Where are people today? Online. Where are people meeting their significant others (1 out of every 8)? Online. People are online, which is why the Church needs to at least consider meeting them there. Just my two cents. God's work over the course of history does advance through the power structures of this world. We are in this world, not of it… but since we are in it, we are to use the resources that are available to spread the Gospel. In the Bible, Jesus and the disciples used every resource they had available to them. If the Lord has put us in this point in time where we can use these resources to advance the Gospel, it's almost offensive to not do so. Jesus went where people were. Where are people today? Online. Where are people meeting their significant others (1 out of every 8)? Online. People are online, which is why the Church needs to at least consider meeting them there.

Just my two cents.

]]> By: Mike http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39026 Mike Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:40:44 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39026 I am a young pastor in a new church... and unfortunately being young doesn't translate into "tech smarts" But I believe in this thing. Whether or not it takes me the rest of my life, I have decided to strive to at least do my best to keep up. stretch myself. learn. grow. Be the best HARVEST HAND I can be. Jesus said that we would receive Power when the Holy Spirit came upon us to go and BE His witnesses. The field is not going to harvest itself. Let's work hard, and SMART while it is day for night is coming when no one can work! The problem with ministries who are completely offline is simply that they are NOT reaching their FULLEST potential and so, arguably, not reaching or fulfilling their God given purpose. This is poor leadership, and poor stewardship of the call. OH but they don't know how... that is why we have the Body of Christ! Some he gave to teach, others to teach the teachers how to get on the web!!! We need to work together on this to reach the fullness of all that God wants for us. Thank you John for your encouragement to us to reach for the depths! I pray that God will help me in this arena to engage more than I am today by conventional means... because the day will come, and is fast approaching, when the web itself will be convention and there will be a new system to learn and I do not want to be left behind because I refused to tech up now! I am a young pastor in a new church… and unfortunately being young doesn't translate into "tech smarts" But I believe in this thing. Whether or not it takes me the rest of my life, I have decided to strive to at least do my best to keep up. stretch myself. learn. grow. Be the best HARVEST HAND I can be. Jesus said that we would receive Power when the Holy Spirit came upon us to go and BE His witnesses. The field is not going to harvest itself. Let's work hard, and SMART while it is day for night is coming when no one can work! The problem with ministries who are completely offline is simply that they are NOT reaching their FULLEST potential and so, arguably, not reaching or fulfilling their God given purpose. This is poor leadership, and poor stewardship of the call. OH but they don't know how… that is why we have the Body of Christ! Some he gave to teach, others to teach the teachers how to get on the web!!! We need to work together on this to reach the fullness of all that God wants for us. Thank you John for your encouragement to us to reach for the depths! I pray that God will help me in this arena to engage more than I am today by conventional means… because the day will come, and is fast approaching, when the web itself will be convention and there will be a new system to learn and I do not want to be left behind because I refused to tech up now!

]]> By: chrishill http://churchm.ag/the-dying-church-of-offline/#comment-39025 chrishill Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:36:35 +0000 http://churchcrunch.com/?p=6836#comment-39025 Remember though that we're a body...together....not a bunch of individual bodies. If an arm is striving to be the best arm it can be and fulfilling its purpose, then it should be okay to leave the walking to the feet. We need to sharpen our strengths instead of trying to do it all even if we're not gifted in all things. Let the people who are digitally inclined reach people who are also digitally inclined and vice versa. Cliche alert: Working together, using our gifts as one body, we can take the gospel to all nations, tribe, tongue, shelter, browser, etc... Remember though that we're a body…together….not a bunch of individual bodies. If an arm is striving to be the best arm it can be and fulfilling its purpose, then it should be okay to leave the walking to the feet.

We need to sharpen our strengths instead of trying to do it all even if we're not gifted in all things. Let the people who are digitally inclined reach people who are also digitally inclined and vice versa. Cliche alert: Working together, using our gifts as one body, we can take the gospel to all nations, tribe, tongue, shelter, browser, etc…

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