Internet Church

Have you heard about the new internet church?  Well, it’s not like this is the first time that services are being streamed online.  In fact our own ministry relies on technology heavily to get prayers across the world.  Most churches also have their services streamed online or they have on demand video.

So what is so different about this one?  Well, to have a church based only on the internet where you conduct your own baptism, serve yourself communion and click on an icon to say whether or not you received Christ is far removed from the picture of the early church.

What happens to the holiness of the sacraments? Is your next door neighbor qualified to baptize you because she happens to be the one there at the time?

Here is what the scripture says Acts 2:41-43 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” When does this take place in an online church?

Technology is great and  a gift from God but it should never take the place of personal contact and fellowship.

Where is the fellowship online? Based on the concept of this church email addresses are exchanged and Facebook information for people to connect.  The pastor is removed from the process of connecting with people.  If they want to speak with him they can do so via an online chat room.

I guess this church will never have use for the Matthew 18:15-17? “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” With this model all they will have to do is shut off the computer.

When does the gift of hospitality come into play?  It is enough that our youth have lost their social skills due to too much time spent infront of television, computers & sending text messages.  Now we put them behind a computer to connect with the church.  I think this is despicable.  At what point can we say that we’ve crossed the line?

One church said that they only intended for this to be used by shut ins and for those abroad in the military but it has taken off more than they could imagine.  Is the pastor encouraging the viewers to get from behind the computer screen and connect with human beings?  I sure hope so.

The only place where my conscience sees the need for such a church would be in the persecuted nations where believers cannot gather together.  When we have been given religious freedoms in North America and elsewhere to meet together and fellowship with one another we should rejoice in that freedom and embrace what God has given us.

I’ll pray for these pastors and for their ‘congregation’ that the Lord will guide them into His way.

This is just not sitting right with me and I had to share.  You can read an article here about the church