There has been so much controversy over the past couple of years on online church.  Some Christians love it,  some use it as an excuse to stay away from everyone or for convenience, and others very much dislike it.  

Unfortunately this is an issue that seems to be dividing churches and causing friction between many.   I wanted to share some of my own thoughts and experiences with online church.

If you follow our blog http://www.talesfromnorthcountry.com, you are aware that we were in a car accident in December of 2020.  The accident left me in the hospital and inpatient rehab for almost two months, and then homebound quite a bit after that.   Between Covid, and Ben’s health,  we were already attending church online part of the time.  With the accident,  online church became full time for now at least.

As I mentioned above,  I realize that some people use online church as an excuse to avoid “real church.”  Yet there are those who depend on online church as a way to connect when they can’t get out.   There are also people who have anxiety or other struggles that make it easier to attend online than in person.

Online church isn’t the same as in person church,  but that doesn’t mean people can’t form connections with others and grow in their faith. Online church is church in a different format.

I think we often forget that the church is not a building. The church is made up of the people in it, not a building. There are people who connect with others better in person and people who connect better online first. God created us all as unique individuals, and while we all need connection with other believers, it looks different for each person.

For example, one person might connect with a friend over coffee, another through a football game. Still another might connect while working on a craft project and yet someone else may make connections through an online chat.

The important thing is to make those connections. We need each other. Someone who just attends online but never interacts with anyone will not be able to form connections. In the same way, someone who goes to church but just sits in the pew and leaves right after will not form connections with anyone either.

Online church today can offer connections for people through Facebook groups, chat, Zoom meets, and so much more! From those connections people may be able to even meet up in person. Just as someone in an in-person church can form connections with people through going to different events and not just services, those in online communities can do the same. The key is to be making those connections, whether in-person or online. The hope is that the online connections made will lead to in-person connections being made, just as a person in church should be making connections outside of just sitting in a pew.

The Bible tells us in the book of Hebrews to not forsake gathering together. Online church wasn’t around back then, but today it brings us whole new opportunities to gather together, whether through Zoom, chat, or another format. Hopefully this leads to in-person connections as well.

I think sometimes we want to limit gathering together as in church on Sunday. We forget that the early church broke bread and were together daily. (See Acts 2:46). In our crazy world, it is tough to meet together daily, yet with the power of the internet, we have the ability to do so.

Whether you connect through online church or in-person, make those connections. And don’t just keep them to Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights. Make connections that last throughout the week. We need each other. We have such an amazing opportunity to connect with others both in-person and online. We can even use these opportunities to meet with believers from all over the world, and pray with them in the moment through the internet. Let’s not waste these opportunities by arguing about whether or not church should be online or in-person. Instead, let’s look for opportunities to connect with each other and help each other grow in our faith, with or without technology.

-Cindy