DOING CHURCH WITHOUT THE CHURCH
When Brandon Grady departed for the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 2007 he left behind his family, his friends, and his home church of more than two years. As a Christian, he knew he needed to be actively involved within a church body, but there was a problem: He struggled to find a church in Norman, OK that was comparable in terms of theology and teaching to his home church, Cross Timbers Community Church, in Argyle, TX.
After two months and visiting six Norman churches, Grady became frustrated with the process. Consequently, he began downloading and listening to Cross Timbers sermons, an activity he found to be easier than blindly hoping to find a church match in Norman. Through the online sermons he was spiritually fed by hearing the Word, and he weekly attended church, albeit from his dorm room and not always on the weekend.
“I felt that personally I got more out of listening to the online service because I was interested in the message instead of trying to decipher whether or not I agreed with the particular theology or preaching of the area pastors and churches,” said Grady.
Grady is not the only Christian who “attends” church without attending a service within the confines of a church sanctuary filled with fellow worshipers. For varying circumstances like job transfers, living far away from a favorite church, working on weekends, choosing to sleep in Sunday mornings, or skipping services in favor of another priority, there are people who do not regularly attend church, but rather choose to listen to services on the Internet or watch them on television. And with advances in technology, it is becoming more convenient to listen to or view sermons without attending church.
“I do believe a Christian must be actively involved in attending church as well as serving or helping within his or her respective church,” said Grady. “But I listened to the services on the Internet because I knew that even if I did not find a church to attend I could always have a lesson to fall back on.”
MEDIA COULD PRODUCE IMPROPER MOTIVES
Should Grady listen to the podcast of an electrifying pastor or attend a local church with which he might not necessarily agree? Should he suffer through a weekly sermon, yet dig in with other believers? Or should he remove himself from church community altogether and listen to podcasts?
And what role should churches play? If contemporary culture dictates that companies and universities adapt to the Internet and emerging technology by offering work-at-home jobs and online courses, should churches adapt as well? Should rising gas prices affect the decision?
The answers to those difficult questions vary, mainly because the Church is not a building or a sermon. Church is the body of believers that follow Jesus. Church is community, doing life with other believers, and that lack of opportunity for community is why those who dislike the idea of worshiping through media outlets see it as a matter of selfishness.
“I say as a supplement, [listening or viewing online sermons] is a great idea,” said Judd Rumley, a pastor at Denton Bible Church in Denton, TX. “But as a substitute, this is a very bad idea. We should be altering the way we think about getting to church instead of the church coming to us. The bottom line for those wanting to stay at home for church is a desire for the content without the demands of commitment. It is a consumer-oriented mentality.”
Rumley referenced Hebrews 10:24-25 when he added, “Biblically, we are called to meet together and spur one another on to love and good deeds. It helps us grow as Christians and keeps us accountable to one another. Culturally, we are growing more and more independent of one another.”
The basis of the selfishness is that church becomes sort of an a la carte offering for the believer, who can choose whenever and whatever he or she wants to worship, fitting the sermon into his or her schedule rather than giving back and being surrounded by others who serve to challenge and support. After all, everyone polled for this article agreed that a Christian needs other people along the journey.
TECHNOLOGY AS OUTREACH
But some see the rise in technology as an opportunity to attract new believers. For them, not using the Internet as a resource is being disobedient to every talent God has provided. And one of the leading churches taking advantage of the Internet is LifeChurch.tv.
In 1996 Craig Groeschel and his wife began Lifechurch.tv in a dance studio in Edmond, OK. And according to the web site, by 2007 “LifeChurch.tv was meeting at 12 locations in six states, reaching over 21,000 people through 49 worship experiences.”
An important function of LifeChurch.tv is the Internet Campus, which became available in April of 2006. According to Brandon Donaldson, the Internet Campus pastor, “An average of 1,200 people watch the video experience each week. On top of that, there will be 3,000-6,000 unique IP’s (individual computer visits) each weekend.”
An initial concern from critics of Internet campuses is that they promote lazy Christianity in which the Christian is being fed without much participation. But with LifeChurch.tv, that is not the case. Each campus, including the Internet Campus, actively promotes LifeGroups, LifeMissions and volunteer opportunities, if available, within the viewer’s area of residence.
“The Internet Campus is different than just our webcast or podcast,” said Donaldson. “It was set up for the reason of being more than just content to consume. That is why it is not just a live streaming service. It was setup to facilitate community and ministry. Outside of the video stream of the experience, we have volunteer opportunities, small groups meeting through the week (online and in physical locations), mission opportunities, and dedicated staff. So with that in mind, we feel the responsibility to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ, which means they are actively the Church that God designed.”
LifeChurch.tv is so technologically advanced that attendees can tithe using PayPal, partake in blogs, and participate in an Internet-based 3D virtual world called Second Life that is sort of like The Sims for churchgoers.
PROVIDING A SOLUTION
As far as a solution, Steve Cohen, an attendee of Gateway Church in Southlake, TX, believes that churches should offer more Internet-based options. “I think it is not only a good solution for those who are watching their budget, but also for those who may not have a strong church home in their area,” said Cohen.
Ultimately, God can and will use whatever method to reach the lost, and the Bible does state that believers should be involved with the body, but the church also needs to be willing to engage through all available resources, including technology. Besides providing free online sermons, churches could offer support chat rooms, membership classes, online Q&A sessions with pastors, and remain up to speed with current movements in technology.
Even though some churches believe that only live preachers and teachers should be the vehicle, other churches see technology as an answer to reach more people. Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Every vehicle should be used as long as the right message is being sent. And for believers, we need accountability and community regardless of whether we listen to the message via podcast or within a sanctuary.
Ryan Barnhart is a freelance writer who lives in Denton, TX.