Have you found a good place to Worship on the Internet

How do you help people worship on the Internet and is it possible to have a communal act of worship on the Internet?

I’ve seen many examples of churches who have tried to provide some kind of worship experience over the Internet. Some of them are better than others but just a few miss the mark completely (it seems to me).

The problem is that you can’t expect the Internet to do something that it is impossible for it to do (at the moment). We must of course allow for developments that will make something possible but I’m talking about how things are in April 2008.

You wouldn’t expect to be able to use a car as a toaster (I’m sure some bright spark would work out a way but most of us normal people wouldn’t expect to be able to do this). However some Christian web sites seems to want to be able to do something similar with the Internet.

The Internet for all its developments is still a text based medium. Yes there are videos and streaming and video conferencing and Internet phones etc but still the vast majority of it is about people sitting down and reading text or looking at pictures.

People like the Internet because it enables you to find things out at a time and place that is convenient to you.

Even with the rise of social networking the vast majority of this takes places at times and places that are convenient to the users.

So how do churches overcome this problem to help people worship?

Some sites think that the only way to worship is at the same time. So they try to persuade people to sit in front of a worship service at the set time the church has chosen.

It always seems to me that if you wanted to sit in worship at a set time you would probalby have gotten in your car and driven somewhere to do this. One of the problems that Christians who leave church find is that they cannot worship when the church expects them to and so they stop going. So why do churches try to get everyone to look at their website at a set time. Surely this is an opportunity to include people who can’t get to church by being far more flexible.

Of course there will be exceptions to this because some people will be housebound or not able to travel as far as is needed to participate in the worship.

Some sites think that they have to involve people in the worship (otherwise it isn’t real worship) and so they will get them to type some kind of affirmation or prayer while the worship is going on.

Why?????

Surely this makes it less like true worship which comes from the heart and not the fingers.

Churches need to get far more creative with their approach to Internet worship.

Try not to think along the lines of set times or physical audience participation. These are both nonsense when it comes to the Internet.

Instead allow for flexibility in the timing. Don’t make it out to be less of a worship experience if peopl enjoy it at a time that is convenient to them. Instead think that this is a way to get people worshipping God 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Instead of thinking about how you can get people to participate in the worship understand that people participate by logging on to your websites worship area. They participate by opening their hearts to God not by typing responsive prayers etc. They might participate in some way but please find ways others than what would happen in a more ‘normal’ churchs service.

I have searched high and low for a good online worship experience but have not found one yet. Perhaps it just is not possible. However the only way we are going to make it possible is to stop thinking like clones of the ‘regular’ church and start getting creative. I have a feeling that we will discover online worship is possible only through the age old medium of art, music and the written word.

Let us all know by posting a comment below

Is the Internet Good for God?

Christians are struggling to know what to do with the Internet (in my opinion).

One of the things that Christian preachers have enjoyed over the years is that they know more than the congregation do about the Bible and what it says. Some might even argue that they have deliberately kept it that way although I’m not sure that’s true myself. The studies that Clergy undertake are available and have been for a long time to others as well.

However the Internet has opened up a whole can of worms (or should I say Diet of Worms – Luther fans will know what I’m talking about) for Christian leaders.

Now whatever is said in the pulpit can be looked up on the Internet. Some of the information that is presented will be good some will be bad.

What are the consequences and are they good or bad?

The consequences are that no Christian can now make statements about the Christian faith and expect it not to be challenged in some way. It is no longer adequate for preachers to just quote a few verses out of context and not expect to be challenged on the topics raised.

This is bad for those who like to use the Bible as a tool to glorify themselves and to justify bigoted opinions.

This is good for the Christian faith in general.

If Christians believe (as I do) that the Bible is in the inspired word of God then why should we fear being questioned about it?

If the claims of the Christian faith are valid then why fear anyone challenging it?

If people challenging the Christian faith leads to open and honest enquiry then why should anyone be upset?

Do we honestly think that God should be worried because someone somewhere happens to think up an argument that isn’t very nice for Christians?

I believe that there are many answers to the critics of Christianity (search out some apologetics websites if you doubt me).

I also know from experience that most people who challenge the Christian faith (even famous atheists) often do so from a position of ignorance about what Christians claim.

Surely it is far better for Christians to be able to take a good long look at what the Bible says and then to test it and see if it stands up to scrutiny? If this was not to be allowed then why did we ever let it be translated into languages that the average person can understand? This problem was answered back in the days when the printing press was invented it’s just now that it has become even more available.

Of course we need to understand that not every website tells the truth (but this is also true about Christian web sites) but given enough research its possible to have a reasonable go at understanding what God’s will really is as it is revealed in the Bible.

I say the Internet is great for God and the more Christians learn to use this powerful tool for getting our viewpoint across the better.

Of course those preachers/teachers who like to use out of context Bible passages to justify their own viewpoints will be upset by the Internet because it must mean their days are numbered. At last!

What do you think?

Is the Internet good for God – leave your opinion