What it means to be church, especially in the area of worship, has changed dramatically due to recent technological advances. Douglas Estes’ SimChurch (2009) continues to be an important book in this emerging field (you can read my review here). In that text Estes focuses on this new way of being church, which he labels third wave. In the first wave churches used the virtual world as a marketing billboard, primarily via a website with little or no interaction. The second wave offered a little more interaction through podcasts, blogs and downloadable resources. The third wave includes churches creating internet campuses and new church plants that exist only in the virtual world (i.e. no real world edifice).
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about Darkwood Brew, which is one relatively new example of a weekly gathering that allows for real-time interaction between those who are gathered in a coffee house and a larger online community. Their site also offers the opportunity to engage the content
Today, I introduce you to another new ministry: Studio 4:40. Launched last June, this ministry is a part of Trinity United
Methodist Church in Emmitsburg, Maryland. According to an article by Carrie Madren, published just a few days ago, the online offering has grown to nearly the size of the church’s only live face-to-face service:
Now, more than 80 viewers – almost matching the 90 people who attend Trinity’s live Sunday service – link online weekly to the Studio 4:40 ministry to watch the five-minute video clip of an informal (Rev. John) Rudolph (pictured at right), sitting in a chair with a Bible at times open in front of him, share a Christian message.
The ministry is committed to building a full-service online church.
So What?
A generation ago the only kind of church people knew was one that gathered for worship in person. Several years ago, only the very large traditional churches or those that received special funding from denominational programs or grants were attempting to do/be church online. Today, online worship, including interactive real-time experiences, is a possibility for churches of all sizes.
Two generations ago, growing churches often added a second (or third) service of worship to meet demand. These services were often similar or even identical and were held back-to-back in the same worship space. A generation ago, growing churches often added an additional service to meet demand. These services were often dissimilar in style to the existing services (e.g. traditional churches adding a contemporary service) and didn’t necessarily meet just before or just after the other service or services. In fact, some met on other days of the week. Also, many met in different physical spaces. Today, growing churches must seek to supplement existing offerings in a variety of ways. While they can and should consider adding worship services in varying styles, they must also consider adding services that do not invite people to come together in person but rather to gather in a virtual setting.
Consider your church.
- How many services of worship do you offer? How many different styles do those services represent? How many years has it been since you last added a service?
- Which “wave” (first, second or third) most accurately describes your congregation’s current use of technology? How many years has it been since you moved up a wave?
- What do you see as possible benefits of online worship? What limitations or concerns do you have about it?