There is a fine line between your church streaming the Sunday service and having online church. In this episode, the lines get a little blurred at first, but ultimately we talk more about online church.
Can community be cultivated through online church?
That’s the question we address in this week’s episode—and we get a ChurchMag Pro Tip from Jeremy!
Let it whip:
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And as usual, some links mentioned from the podcast…
Links & Stuff
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This episode is sponsored by ChurchMag Press:
Kristy says
Such a great podcast. I have concerns with how online churches will be able to create a community like the physical church. I feel like as technology driven as I am, I should be on board with this. But, for some reason it doesn’t really sit right with me.
I am still trying to understand: If someone wants to connect with your church from 800 miles away, why you wouldn’t want to network with other physical churches in that area to get them plugged into a solid church community in their city? Wouldn’t that be much better for them then never connecting physically with other believers? The physical church is so important. There is something to be said about seeing others walk out their faith in front of your very eyes. There is accountability in those moments, that you just can’t replicate in the online church.
One of the major components of the church is meeting physical needs. How is the online church going to meet the physical needs of the church member from 800 miles away. How will they be able to spend time with that person in person, have coffee with them and disciple them?
Eric Dye says
I think these are extremely good points. Like I said in the podcast, I don’t know that this should be an “either or” argument per se.
Kristy Henry says
It’s an interesting debate for sure. Again, I LOVE technology. I want to use anything we can to reach people. I think its great that churches are attempting to reach people using the technology we have available to us.
I just believe that the brick and mortar church can’t be replicated online… no matter how hard we try. The Word is FULL of the relational aspects of the church – love one another, be devoted to one another, encourage one another, instruct one another, greet one another, serve one another – and these can’t be done as well in a virtual environment.
It will be interesting to see how it grows and changes in the future.
Eric Dye says
I agree. The face-to-face church cannot be replaced…
Nate Merrill says
(Full Disclosure: I am an Online Campus Pastor) Community is not found by simply showing up somewhere, it is found by building transparent relationships and making that investment of time, energy and emotion. This can be done online and/or in person, which I’m sure most of us can attest to in our own lives.
This is why I do believe that a church simply streaming their worship service is preventing community, since there is little to no opportunity for interaction. It frustrates me when there is a service streaming online without the option of interacting in a chat room. This is where relationships are formed and community is built online (in the online church context).
The same is true of a bricks & mortar experience. It is a tragedy when there is a worship service and there is no option for a small group of people to gather to study, interact, pray, etc… We have hundreds and thousands of people every weekend showing up in person who are not experiencing community.
While I could write a book of my opinions on this, let me close by saying this: Let’s look at community being on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the deepest form of community). I believe that we have the ability to achieve a “10” in community when we are with people in person, whereas I believe we can only get to a “7ish” online. That sense of the deepest depths in our relationships comes with a physical aspect of being with one another. It is amazing what the experience is like when you have formed a friendship with someone online and then you meet them; most cannot argue that it takes the friendship to a deeper level. This is I am a HUGE proponent of helping people who join us online for worship get plugged into a local church in their community, if one is available and they are able to leave their homes.
I’ll stop there! Great podcast and discussion…sorry for the length of this comment 🙂
Eric Dye says
I love your comment!
I agree with what you’re saying; however, being someone who has spent the last 5+ years living overseas, I’ve actually found that relationships that are NOT face-to-face can hit that level 10 you are talking about.
So while I believe that a church community needs face-to-face relationships to apply organic activity in their community, we should be cautious to dismiss the depth that an online community can have just because it isn’t something we have experienced ourselves.
I love what you said here: “This is why I do believe that a church simply streaming their worship service is preventing community, since there is little to no opportunity for interaction. It frustrates me when there is a service streaming online without the option of interacting in a chat room. This is where relationships are formed and community is built online (in the online church context).”
Thank you for listening, thank you for commenting, and keep being awesome. 😀