Is online worship Destroying the Church?

 

Most of us, these days are familiar with live streaming or online worship. There's no doubt that it has changed the way we worship and attend Church for the better...or not

I'm talking mainly about the 'physical institution' of Church, the community, building and the Sunday services, meetings, whatever your particular Church calls them. 

In the days before Covid/The Pandemic/Lockdown forced us into finding ways of adapting and continuing 'Church' while distancing and isolating and following all the various government restrictions and guidelines, my Church, and I'm sure many others didn't really make live streaming a priority, it was thought about, flirted with, trialled etc but it was the pandemic that made it necessary to figure it out fairly rapidly and implement it or else there simply wouldn't be Church services or perhaps even a community as we know it.

The perfect way to attend Church?

To start with I thought it was brilliant, my antisocial & introverted side loved the idea. Church without having to get up early, no tedious bus ride to the city centre, I could turn up in pyjamas, eat my breakfast, skip boring parts, if I didn't feel like going or watching it I didn't have to, and no one would get mad or wonder where I was (or hold me accountable)

Perfection...of course there was a cost to that way of 'doing Church'. The lack of community, of real human contact and fellowship and so on, which was a serious problem and drawback...but it was necessary, the country and the world found us in the situation we were in, and we had to deal with it, whether we liked it or not. I thought I did...but I have since began to understand the real benefit of actually meeting in person, of experiencing the community of Church.

I did wonder, I suppose like many others, what would happen after the restrictions were lifted, could we ever go back to how things were? Would we want to? What would the Church, post-pandemic look like? Would live streaming become a way of life, or just a temporary measure...

The Post-pandemic Church

It's probably fair to say that the Church as a whole (and yes, I'm generalising) seems to have embraced online worship. It's become just a part of how things are done. Obviously I'm aware that this isn't universal, some Churches stopped recording after the pandemic, many, though have continued to do so. And it's been such a blessing for those unable to attend in person worship due to age, infirmity or ill health. It's long been established that an online presence is important for a Church, people these days like to visit a website before attending, or watch a video, maybe check out social media. It's a societal change that is probably here to stay.  And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Technology can help us reach so many more people than in the past. But as I said above there is a cost...

What is a Church service?

The use of technology, recording, live streaming etc makes me ask the question: what is Church? 

In the Salvation Army, Sunday services are often referred to as 'meetings' I once heard the phrase 'We call it a meeting, because service starts afterwards'. I can't remember where I heard it, but I really love that sentiment of a Sunday meeting being there to empower, equip and prepare us for going out from the physical building and serving others, and of course serving Christ.

In some Churches, the Sunday service is a celebration, music, dancing, loud cries to God. Others are reflective, focusing inwards, deep and prayerful experiences and there's every combination of those things, and various degrees of each. I'm not here to say which is right or wrong, but I suggest that whatever 'style' of worship we're used to, that our particular Church uses; the aim is always the same...to speak to God, to reach and to be reached by Him. Even in the loud, celebratory worship there is a desire and a hope for a personal moment, to experience God for ourselves, individually and express our love and adoration for God. Sometimes though, it's probably true to say that Church can feel like a performance; choirs, worship bands, organ music, brass bands are often a traditional feature in my denomination, we also have powerful speakers and preachers. But I would still maintain that it is the intimacy of being surrounded by God and our communities, shut off from the world for an hour or so to focus on and really worship God that is the main and most important purpose of a Church service.

Opening up to the world without losing the purpose and intimacy of corporate, community worship

My concern is that if we're not careful, opening up these personal and intimate celebrations to the world via the internet, is in danger of somehow lessening them, that even subconsciously we start thinking about how we look or sound online while we're worshipping, or putting on a show when our hearts and thoughts should be on higher things. And of course we have to think about the privacy of our members whose information or private (within the community) business that they might not want sharing...a bereavement, a birthday and so on...it could be argued that anyone could walk into a church and hear this information if it's is shared from the pulpit or platform or whatever. but in my opinion it takes it to another level if it happens to be plastered all over the internet. Church should be a place where we can be around friends, where we can be open and vulnerable...being filmed and ending up on YouTube is a legitimate concern...part of the process that goes on at my Church is sensitively editing announcements and personal moments which I'm grateful for...but some Churches that are live streaming there is no such process...which is potentially problematic.

Here's an example, not a big issue, but one that bothered me slightly. A few months ago before my Church service began, the cameras were running, and although it didn't appear online, I still felt a little uncomfortable having myself plastered on a big screen just in our main hall waiting for the meeting to start. Yes it's not a big issue, I wasn't exactly going to walk out over it, it wasn't online or anything like that, but if I felt uncomfortable like that during an ordinary moment, how much worse might some people feel during a vulnerable moment? Would it stop them being themselves, or being open? Even stop them wanting to attend? Or just make them feel uncomfortable, which in itself is a problem and if so, are we failing our members in favour of accessibility of our meetings, and is it a fair trade?

There's a lot of questions there, and I suppose to answer them we have to decide what the main focus of our corporate worship is. Is it outreach, to put on a show, is it empowering members, making them feel comfortable. Is it so we can all sing together, to feel part of something... essentially we need to decide if we're reaching inwards, or outwards, how do we find balance between the two?

I'm aware that I'm acting like a politician there and answering a question with another question. But these are things we need to think about.

I quite like the balance at my Church, filming, recording but editing before it is posted to YouTube or social media, particularly for those who are unable to physically attend corporate worship, but even that, measured approach has a drawback. It means that the services are posted a few days afterwards, meaning that those not able to attend in person are unable to watch/be involved with the meeting like those in attendance, in itself potentially damaging the community.

I am probably going round in circles, and I don't really have an answer to question I posed in the title:

"Has streaming/online worship destroyed the sanctity, intimacy and reverence of the Church?"

Perhaps there is no one size fits all answer or response...but there are concerns, questions to ask, and warnings to acknowledge...we can't go back to a time when the whole country stopped and went to Church, we must find ways of reaching out to people where they are. We must be accessible and relevant to survive and fulfill our calling. There are many benefits to online worship. I'm certainly not advocating scrapping it, far from it. But as discussed, there are drawbacks. I just think that we need to look inwards, as much as we look outwards, to be the Church for its members as well as for those outside our walls and above all to be a worshipping community, that puts God first before anything else.

Maintaining community, supporting each other and being truly present

The biggest danger I think of online/streaming in my opinion; is the convenience, the ease of and attractiveness of attending church that could lead to a slippery slope of losing the sense of community that only really comes with being physically together. Participating in community, a handshake, a hug, sometimes, the silly things like a joke or an in the moment comment, maybe even a smile or a brief moment of eye contact between friends, or a hundred other unplanned or unexpected brief moments that build rapport with each other, that show we're functioning and real human beings.

I suppose the most important thing we could potentially lose is the chance to welcome new people properly. Numbers on a YouTube watch count represent more than just a measure of popularity, or of success, each number could represent a new person, exploring the church and Christianity. Now obviously it's an easy and safe way to get to know a potential church before attending, but again with the convenience comes the danger that community becomes only surface deep, rather than the meaningful, intimate and trusting community that the Church must be.

To an extent I am talking from personal experience. As above I am naturally introverted, online worship is, on paper a perfect way of attending church for me. Mix that with being a shift worker and often unable to attend in person and I can confirm that it makes building real relationships really difficult. Going beyond the small talk and platitudes that church attendees often share during brief pre-service moments is not easy. It takes time, effort and vulnerability. 

If the day ever comes that the Church goes fully online, or distance worship, we lose something truly precious.

I'm not saying, by any stretch, that we should scrap online worship altogether. It certainly has an important place in today's world. It opens our buildings to a far wider audience, it allows members who are unable to attend to still be an active participants, to feel part of our churches as the internet often does it connects us. And it creates a worldwide borderless community. I certainly don't believe that it's destroying the Church... but the danger is that in this expansion, in the ease of access, without the effort of being physically present; dealing with alarms and traffic, late buses and having to make it on time (potentially really early) after a long week of work and deadlines, the danger is that our bonds and community and intimacy is lessened. That is something that we really have to make effort to guard against. We can use the tool of online worship/streaming to enhance our churches and communities, but we must not let it cheapen or lessen who we are, or who we can be... and who and what we are called to be.

Be present, physically but also emotionally. Whether you feel like it or not, the Church is far from just being a building, or a weekly service. It is a people, a community set apart, to love and support the world and spread the gospel. But it also a community that must love and support and build each other up. And whether you attend every week, in-person, front row centre, if you can only attend occasionally, if you only have access online always remember that you are the 'Church' part of the community, you and I have a responsibility to truly be part of that community and to guard against apathy and surface deep relationship.

The final word goes to Hebrews 10:25

"Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more"

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