{"id":889,"date":"2009-09-28T04:01:38","date_gmt":"2009-09-28T04:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/09\/making-a-case-for-online-church.html"},"modified":"2009-09-28T04:01:38","modified_gmt":"2009-09-28T04:01:38","slug":"making-a-case-for-online-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/09\/making-a-case-for-online-church.html","title":{"rendered":"Making a Case for Online Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: Is Online Church Really Church<\/em>?
\nPermalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nIt seems to me that in certain circumstances online church allows people who would otherwise be unable to do so to connect with other Christians for worship and fellowship. This would be rather like the experience of my grandparents in the latter years of their lives. They were no longer able to make the trek to their church because of their physical limitations. So they watched church on television: Lloyd Ogilvie, Robert Schuller, James Kennedy, and the like. On the average Sunday, they took in at least three or four church services. Surely this was a good thing for them. And, though they were getting \u201cchurch\u201d from broadcast television rather than live streaming Internet, what they experienced was rather like online church.
\nArguably, it would have been even better if my grandparents could have watched the worship service from their own church, something that live streaming would have made possible. Most churches could never afford televising their services. But live streaming is possible even for smaller churches. Because my grandparents could no longer participate in the worship of their own church, they felt increasingly disconnected from the congregation. Plus, most of their friends were homebound or had died.
\nSo, a case can be made for the benefits of online church for congregation members who are, for some reason, unable to be physically present in worship. This could be true for people who are sick or traveling or otherwise precluded from worshiping at their home church.
\nMy argument for online church assumes, however, that a person is connected to an in-the-flesh church. Virtual worship services are an adjunct to actual worship services. But the trickier issue has to do with the adequacy of online church. Some have claimed that it is enough for someone to participate online. In-the-flesh church is fine, but unnecessary.
\nOne of the strongest arguments in favor of this view takes seriously the increasingly virtual world in which we live, especially if \u201cwe\u201d happen to be under 30. Vast numbers of people in our society today communicate with their friends and associates through various online media (email, social media, chatting, etc.). Chatting on a cell phone, though not strictly online, is also pervasively popular, especially among younger folk. The \u201cworld\u201d where many people meet, converse, debate, joke, confess, and live is an online, virtual world. And, though it is not the same as the in-the-flesh world, it is quite real. When I\u2019m away from my family, for example, and communicate with them through some sort of online media, this is real relationship, even if it\u2019s not the same as a hug.
\nEver since Christianity began, Christians have sensed that they need to be where people are in order to share and live the good news of the Gospel. For the earliest Christians, this meant hanging out in synagogues and marketplaces, because that\u2019s where the people were. Since that time, missionaries have gone to far away places, Young Life leaders have gone on high school campuses, pastors have met with their members in their workplaces, and so forth and so on because that\u2019s where the people are. So, in today\u2019s world, if multiple millions of people are hanging out online, and if the Internet is an extraordinarily popular tool for communication and community, it only makes sense for Christians to be there because that\u2019s were the people are.
\nWhen I first joined the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, I had strongly mixed feelings about the television ministry of our Senior Pastor, Lloyd Ogilvie. I knew how much of his time flowed into the TV ministry and felt jealous for the church. I also knew that it took a large pile of money to televise our worship services, including Lloyd\u2019s sermons, and I wondered if this was a wise use of funds. Because of my personal loyalty to and love for Lloyd, I kept my concerns to myself. But I didn\u2019t have a sense of peace about the TV ministry.
\nAfter I had been on staff for just a few months, I was asked to participate in a fundraising banquet for the TV ministry. My job, in particular, was to be the guy with the roving microphone. During a portion of the banquet, people would be invited to share what the TV ministry had meant to them. I would hold the microphone so their witness could be heard in a hotel ballroom with several hundred people. As you can imagine, I had ambivalent feelings about this assignment, but I did it in order to support my pastor (who also happened to be my boss).
\nWhen it was time for the open sharing, hands shot up around the room. I hustled from one person to the next, making sure that all who wanted to share were able to do so. What I heard was stunning. I listened to stories of people who were terribly ill in the hospital when they \u201cjust happened\u201d to catch one of Lloyd\u2019s sermons that gave them hope. I watched as people got choked up talking about how much the TV ministry had made a difference in their lives. I remember one woman in particular, a highly-successful attorney, who \u201caccidentally\u201d stumbled upon our TV ministry in a difficult period of her life. She became a regular watcher of the program. In time, in response to one of Lloyd\u2019s invitations, she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior. By the time of the banquet, she was an active member and leader of her local church.
\nLloyd\u2019s television ministry was effective because he entered the \u201cworld\u201d where people were, the \u201cworld\u201d of television. He was able to be present with people in their hospital rooms, hotel rooms, and living rooms. Similarly, online church seeks to be where people are on the Internet. It reaches people who might never visit a church. It allows people to \u201ccheck out\u201d a church, even a worship service, before actually showing up.
\nThough there may be limitations to online church, some of which I\u2019ll discuss in this series, I would hope that we Christians would take seriously the need and opportunity to connect with people online. Even if virtual church is not enough, even if in-the-flesh church is necessary for one to experience all that church ought to be, nevertheless, online church is an effort to be where people are today. And this, I believe, is a worthy endeavor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: Is Online Church Really Church? Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series It seems to me that in certain circumstances online church allows people who would otherwise be unable to do so to connect with other Christians for worship and fellowship. This would be rather like the experience of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-online-church"],"yoast_head":"\nMaking a Case for Online Church - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}