the tindog coffeehouse

The question is, can a church exist completely online? A lot of other Christian writers and bloggers have already addressed this pretty extensively, but the question keeps coming up.

The short answer is no, and here’s why:

First, as Northland’s Joel Hunter (who looks eerily like George W. Bush) pointed out, a church is more than just a building. The church is the people, and those people can meet anywhere: a traditional church building, a house, at Starbucks, or even online. But it’s about more than just meeting at the same place to hear a sermon or sing some songs; it’s about relationships. The church, at its heart, is a community of believers who learn together, worship together, pray for each other, and serve one another. And an online-only church can’t do that effectively.

I’m sure some would disagree with me, arguing that it is possible to build such a community online. But just because you communicate with someone via Twitter or Facebook or a blog or whatever, that doesn’t mean it’s a community in the truest sense of the word. As author Anne Jackson points out, that’s not a community, it’s a connection:

In some instances, these online conversations have translated into personal communication (by email, chats, or phone) and some have even turned into face-to-face meetings. The platforms of social media certainly give these personal interactions a “jump start” so to speak, because you do, in some regard, know bits and pieces of the other person’s life.

But this is where it gets muddy for me. Is it community?

Given my experience living in both worlds, it may be surprising to hear, but I am beginning to lean on the side of no – what happens online is not community. Before you send me an army of frowning emoticons, please hear me out:

I believe what happens online is connection – not community.

People can be vulnerable and honest online. And at times these online connections can be more life-giving than many of our offline relationships, but they are not the same.

Can you have a church comprised solely of online connections? Absolutely not!

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes the Church as the body of Christ, with each member having different spiritual gifts and different roles. Just as each part of a physical body has to do its job in order for the body as a whole to operate successfully, each member of the Church body has a responsibility to do their part. How is that possible if the extent of our church experience is watching a live stream of a worship service over the Internet?

Simply put: going to church and being a church are two totally different things. Sure, you can go to church online if you want. But that’s not the same as being an integral member of the church body.

You can go to a worship service every Sunday, come in, sit down, sing a few songs, listen to the sermon, then leave without ever talking to another person. Yes, you went to church. Yes, you worshiped alongside other believers. Yes, you heard a message. But you didn’t participate as a member of the body.

That doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with what Northland, Lifechurch.tv, or other churches are doing. Certainly, there are a lot of benefits to using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to help reach out to people all other the world. That’s a good thing, it just doesn’t need to be the only thing.

Previously:
Who are you following?
A little social network housecleaning
Proof that in social networking, smaller is better