Virtual Church?

A BBC article caught my eye the other day, it was billed as “the virtual reality church that isn’t shutting its doors.”[1] This church holds virtual services in many different time zones. They’re even church planting in different virtual cities and worlds. That might be hard to get one’s head around but it is a creative expression of the Great Commission. Though I’m supportive of using technology to a degree, I also believe the idea for Christian fellowship is not virtual but live, face to face. Acts 2:42 says:
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And they [the early Church] devoted themselves to…the fellowship…

One of the things the apostolic Church devoted themselves too was fellowship, an interactive sharing in the bond of the Holy Spirit. Though some professing Christians minimize the importance of it, fellowship is indeed part of the bread and butter of the Christian life, an essential ingredient, and an ingredient that Christians around the world are longing to return to post-Covid-19.

In the meantime, in light of the reality of Covid-19, the short term social distancing measures and public health measures to ban religious services, these need not stop the Church from gathering to worship and to enjoy fellowship. I am very thankful our church is in the position to be able to find creative ways to minister at this time:

• Like how so many people are picking up the phone or sending texts and emails to encourage, pray and minister to one another;
• Like how our Life Groups are meeting through Skype and speaker phone;
• Like how our website is being used more as a ministry platform (our stats have increased by 50% in some cases, and almost 100% in others!); and
• Like how we were able to hold our first ever live stream service this past Lord’s Day.

This last point was an amazing experience for us all, from those physically present to lead the service to those who watched lived, phoned in on speaker phone if they did not have internet, and to the family members or those on other continents who joined us. It was such an encouraging time to share in a measure of fellowship and togetherness. We had so many email and texts after the fact stating how blessed folks had been through meeting together, if only through live stream.

And this is my great hope, not only that we will find creative ways to minister at this time, but that when Covid-19 is past, we will all join together in person to worship our Lord, and what a day of rejoicing that will be! It is my hope that Covid-19 is teaching us the eternal importance of Christian fellowship and that we’re all longing for the day when we can put social distancing behind us and fellowship in person, together, the way God designed it to be.

Until then, we’ll see you online/by phone, in one form or another.


[1] In sharing this article I am not endorsing this church.