The overwhelming success of streaming church services has created a huge problem for church leaders. The problem is, people like it!
What’s not to like? The service doesn’t start until I say it starts. I can sleep until noon, stagger around making coffee, skip the shower, then sit in my underwear listening to a sermon while scrolling on my phone. This is what I imagine heaven is like (except for the part about listening to a sermon.)
Church leaders have spent 2 full months telling me to stay home so I don’t accidentally kill somebody. They told me gathering together would be reckless, selfish, and irresponsible. Staying home was an act of love. So, sitting in my underwear sipping coffee on Sunday morning is not only convenient, it is righteous. That’s a double win in my book!
I can’t think of any reason to ever go back to the church building on Sunday mornings. The people with compromised immune systems will still be in danger. I don’t want to live with the guilt of wiping out the Geriatric Adult Sunday School Class. Then there’s the personal risk of catching some fatal disease myself. If faith was not a good enough reason to gather together in April, it’s not good enough in May.
Now, you’ll say:
“The law said we couldn’t meet together! We are obligated to follow the law. When the law says we can meet, then you should come back to church. Do not forsake the assembly…Hebrews 10:25 and all that…”
Nope. If civil law is the first consideration on church attendance, then scripture is irrelevant. You can’t tell me to ‘submit to local authority’ and ‘submit to scripture’ at the same time. Jesus Himself said it’s impossible to serve two masters. When you ‘forsake the assembly’ to comply with the Governor’s edicts, you’ve told me which authority reigns supreme.
The Governor didn’t say I must assemble with fellow believers. Therefore, I can decide for myself what I do with my Sunday morning. Apparently, you’re going to continue streaming Sunday events on the internet. Perfect! I’ll be tuning in sporadically to see if you’re doing anything that entertains me. I suggest you keep things lively because I get bored very quickly.
This is what you get from decades of telling selfish, lazy, detached church people that they are “disciples of Jesus.” The church has become a body of consumers. Church leaders are guest service representatives whose job is to make as many people happy as possible. “Church growth” really just means “satisfied customer.”
Lots of businesses went belly-up in the pandemic. The Sunday morning assembly is one of them.
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It was said at our online service today that if there is a silver lining to this it is that for a long time it has been preached to the congregation that the church needs to get out from beyond the four walls of the building and be the church. Hopefully people will see more clearly that the way they are loving those around them by simple acts of service is being the church and those activities will continue once we are back in the building.
I get what you’re saying. Totally agree that our primary function is not to perpetuate church services. At the same time, I appreciate the irony of a sermon about “leaving the four walls of the church building’ to shelter in the “four walls of our house”. 🙂
I’ve been listening to and watching online sermons for years and I’m super thankful them. HOWEVER, I realized over a decade ago that they cannot offer what an in-person gathering of disciples offers. They cannot welcome me personally, pray for my immediate need, allow me to pray for their immediate need, offer personal correction and accountability, give me opportunity to practice the “one anothers.” I so treasure gathering together!! In fact, if I’ve learned anything in quarantine it’s that I don’t function well without others around me…literally.
“The church has become a body of consumers. Church leaders are guest service representatives whose job is to make as many people happy as possible. ‘Church growth’ really just means ‘satisfied customer.’”
After having served in church leadership at various levels in 3 different churches in 2 cities, I can attest to the fact this is a real pattern…and a dangerous one.
Thanks, Pkarlgh.
I think the advocates for online church service are creating (often unintentionally) a reality where all theology is filtered by the internet censors. I agree it is dangerous to make Christian doctrine subject to the whims of non-Christian gatekeepers.
I’m sorry to admit it, but I have enjoyed my Sundays at home.
Well, I did say it, didn’t I?
My father is the pastor of a small, older congregation. If EVERYONE attended we would have around 20. Though most chose to stay home my Dad refused to stop preaching. And I should add that doing an online service really wouldn’t work. So our church opened every Sunday and the congregation of six had a Spirit-filled sermon and worship service. He’s pretty old school and says as long as there is one person in the pews and he’s physically able, he will be behind the pulpit because that’s what God called him to do. I wish there were more like him.
This sounds SOOOO wonderful! <3
We worshiped with a congregation of about 30 when we lived in Fort Wayne... There were so many quirks and annoying habits we had to deal with, when everyone was in each other's business. But, it was exactly like FAMILY in every way.
When a farmer delivers hay to the barn and only a couple of cows and horses bother to come over to him, he still feeds them. 😉
Oof. I genuinely wonder what church is going to look like coming out of this, and if any of these conversations will be had.
I’ve not been successful in having these conversations with my team. We’re content to kick the can down the road for “two more weeks to see what the Governor says.”
It’s a brave new world.
Or is it a cowardly new world?