Cool, right?
Carlos is on the road and right when a little “home-church sickness” sets-in – BOOMSAUCE!
It’s just like being at home (but, not). Crank-up the volume on your laptop and it’s one step away from, “Beam me up, Scotty”.
The bridges built by technology are certainly becoming grander and grander.
Could there possibly be any negative effects from this?
Yes.
Streaming church services have been on the rise. The tech is becoming more and more affordable. Even smaller churches are starting to stream their services. Not just the audio, mind you, the video – everything. I think we would be remiss to ignore any negative effects that could be lying in wait.
Let me be clear: Streaming services is awesome.
I know of a number of couples who stayed home from church the first few weeks following the arrival of their newborns. They all commented on how great it was to “attend” services via live stream. They felt connected, a beautiful thing.
Carlos experienced the same thing. Miles and miles away, he was able to “attend” and “participate”. It’s familiar. It’s … home.
Being missionaries in a small Italian town, we’ve felt very secluded. Our family is the only Christians in town and there’s no Christian churches nearby. This is pretty much par for the course. The life of a missionary, I suppose. There have been several occasions we have basked in enjoyment, listening to our U.S. home church’s live audio feed. It sounded like … home.
Then there’s the “church shopper”. They start watching the stream because it’s easier than attending in the living flesh. They don’t have to worry about dressing right. If they feel uncomfortable, they don’t have to make a scene as they walk out in the middle of service, they just click away. After watching the service, they like it. So, they tune-in the next week and the week after.
And then the stream ends. They are a church viewer, not a church attender.
My friends in the United States made it back to church service. Their newborns got a little older, became not-so-newborns and they were back in the pew. Back in the fellowship. Back to life. Meeting, greeting, connecting with friends, functioning in the Body of Christ. They’re not just a viewer; they’re a member of the Body.
Carlos makes it home. He piles his kids up in the SUV, and they attend services as a family with their church family. Singing, dancing and playing the tambourine, Carlos is active in real community.
My family doesn’t make it back. It was a visit. I’m still not sure if it helps or hurts home-church-sickness. Stream or no stream, we put our hands back on the plow and wait to reap a harvest, so we have the fellowship and community we had back at our home church.
The “church shopper” never steps foot on campus. They e-tithe, read the blogs, leave comments, and even have some Twitter connections with church members. They are active online, but there is no connection to their daily life. There is only a connection, online.
As we push, promote and develop internet technology in the church, we must keep in mind that any of it can turn ugly. An individual that is solely a church member via a church stream is no member at all. Daily Christian concepts such as discipleship, accountability and servant-hood, should be done organically – face to face. With 90% of human communication being non-verbal, a lot is lost in translation.
I’m in favor of streaming church services online, but I believe we need to make an active effort to ensure we don’t perpetuate complacency. The last thing the Body of Christ needs is an increase in lethargy.
Dano Hart says
Correct sir…..
We are very thankful for the audience that tunes into our stream every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night, and even more grateful to those that get involve….but the main goal we’ve always had is to reach those that do not have a church to call home.
We don’t push it at all, maybe we should, or maybe we should just keep it like it is, but I would love to see someone find a church to attend as a result of them liking what they see on my church’s stream.
Eric Dye says
It is a fine line that must be laid-out on a case by case basis.
I think the key is being mindful about it.
You, sir, sound like you’ve found the line for your church, and that makes you awesome.
Eric J says
Great Article Eric some really good points to think about, we don’t livestream services but i have talked about live streaming memorials so that family from far away can still watch it. So far it hasn’t happened.
Eric Dye says
That’s would be an excellent use of streaming tech! Sensitive, serving, understanding, etc …
Chris Ames says
Pretty sure I’ve been guilty of perpetuating complacency. Ick.
Eric Dye says
NNNnnoooooo!!!!
Adam Shields says
My mother in law bought a cabin at the end of Feb. We have enjoyed spending time with family and relaxing (and doing all it takes to furnish and move into and plant all the plants at the cabin.)
It has also meant that we have not been in our church building on a Sunday morning since then. We have watch pretty much every Sunday, but it isn’t the same thing. We want to spend time with family, but have not figured out how to do that while being actively involved in our church. We lead a small group and have attended special services during the week. But is that enough? It is certainly not what Bonhoeffer was talking about in Life Together.
Eric Dye says
It’s difficult to lead people where you don’t go yourself. Certainly, a lot to think about. Thanks for sharing!
Graham says
I completely hear what you’re saying and I do agree with you… mostly. However I disagree with you when you say “An individual that is solely a church member via a church stream is no member at all.”. My only comment here is that we as humans are not all the same. We have different tastes in music, different political opinions, different culinary palets. You get the picture. So I say that an individual that is solely a church member via a church stream is just a different kind of member. We all connect in different ways and just because you and I both like the face-to-face interaction with a local community doesn’t mean that’s right for our friends who visit us online.
I do hear what you are saying about discipleship, accountability and servant-hood, being done in person and I totally agree. But perhaps our online members have that type of Christian connection somewhere else… locally.
I know you are not completely bashing the online worship service, as you stated, it has been beneficial for you personally as you and your family are living in another country. I am just hesitant to say that online members shouldn’t be considered “real members”.
Eric Dye says
Wherever online attenders are connected locally, that is were their membership is found. Life is far too dynamic and complex to be left in an online vacuum. I have a feeling the term “real members” may be a bit semantical.
Also, online services are awesome.
Graham says
I get it. I also think the term “membership” can be a bit semantical 😉
Eric Dye says
LOL!!!
You, sir, are awesome!
Semantical, indeed!!!
Joanna says
I agree with you that in some situations (living in an isolated location, curious but very shy non-Christians, sick at home), church streaming has significant benefits. I’m not convinced though that it is an appropriate substitute for normal in person church attendance.
I would question the degree to which church can be done online in a theologically sound manner. Obviously there is the sacraments like baptism and communion which can’t really be done remotely. Accountability and church discipline are super difficult in an online environment where people only know what you tell them and you can easily disappear. Not to mention whether online really counts as meeting together.
I would also wonder if by making everything absurdly convenient we risk stunting people’s spiritual growth and sending really mixed messages about the Christian life. Could making so much effort to make church super easy and comfortable for people be sending the message that following Jesus is meant to be super easy and comfortable? With the exception of those with a really good reason, a Christian who cannot be bothered to leave the house for a few hours a week for the sake of their faith probably needs to be challenged about their priorities and dedication, not accommodated. If people won’t invest in their faith in such a basic level, are they really likely to at the more significant level God often requires of people?
There is also a whole lot to learn and grow in that cannot be transmitted through a video stream. A lot of learning growing comes when you have to deal with inconvenience , difficult people and things not being how you would like. It is easy to avoid these things in an online environment. A lot of learning and growing also happens in the context of informal fellowship like sharing meals, working together on something like an outreach project and watching how people live. These things can’t be done as well online.
Eric Dye says
Good points.
Thank you for sharing!
Alexandra says
Our church also uses all possible forms of media available like live stream, TV broadcast and social media (Twitter and Facebook). People from all over the world connect with us especially through Facebook during our live services. Our larger audience is third world countries in Africa and so many of them wish to be there in “body”. It’s awesome to realize how media has impacted the world and that we can reach them through technology.
Wow, really good article.
Thanks.
Eric Dye says
It really is awesome how church media is impacting the world!
I wonder what the long-term effects will be?
(Hats-off to your church for using web technology to the fullest!)
Alexandra says
Thanks Eric. We have only just recently started using the Social Media aspect within our church services, and Wow, its had a phenomenal result! You actually feel very close to your “online audience”.
Eric Dye says
🙂
Kyle McClain says
I agree that it’s easy to chunk a stream online and that is both good and bad. For the last year I have had the honor of moderating one of the four online experiences at my home church. And I can tell you that real community occurs online. One of the really powerful things about online services is the freedom for some one to come as they are. I don’t mean in their jammies. I mean broken, hurting, afraid or even trapped. Most people in these stages of life will never cross the threshold of a church, invited or not.
To give you and example we had a person find us online and began attending on a regular basis. Their family is fully engaged in another religion. This individual began seeking God and received Christ over the phone after expressing the desire to do so through our interactive prayer system.
So I think the potential for beauty is staggering. The potential to redeem those who would never walk through the doors of a traditional venue is mind blowing. I do agree that it has an ugly side, I do wonder though if it’s any different than the family that attends in person every week but never really engages.
It’s a great point of discussion, thanks for posting it!
Eric Dye says
Thanks for commenting!
Phil Thompson says
My church, AliveChurch.com has been streaming for over three years and we have actually found that people who view our services online end up showing up! Streaming your services creates “more windows” into your church. People can get a good feel for how you do church and if they like it they will many times start attending.
We also use StreamingChurch.tv, they have a very interactive platform that helps connect people.
Eric Dye says
Awesome!
Streaming that’s beautiful!