Is an online church service a valid way to do church?
online church service
Faced with a pandemic and various restrictions set by civil authorities, churches around the world have chosen to respond in various ways. Most are following the government guidelines out of respect for the government and genuine concern for the safety of their congregations. More and more pastors, including many who have never done so before, are live streaming their sermons on the internet. An online church service might include music, announcements, and a children’s sermon as well as the pastor’s sermon to make it feel as “normal” as possible.
So, many churchgoers have by necessity stayed at home on Sunday mornings. Corporate worship time becomes a family affair, with the family gathered around a computer monitor to view an online church service. There is nothing wrong with “doing church” this way. Streaming a church service online does not invalidate our worship, lessen the impact of God’s Word, or hinder our prayers.
There are some real benefits to going to an online church service. The most obvious benefit is that an online service offers everyone the ability to view the sermon live, even though they cannot be personally present. It’s a way for the pastor to continue to shepherd his flock and care for their spiritual needs in a time of physical threat.
Many churches that have gone to an online service during the pandemic find that people who never or seldom attend their church are viewing their service online. It’s a good way to connect or reconnect with those whom the pastor may not see very often. Having an online presence also increases the chance that people looking for a church will be able to find yours.
Another benefit to producing an online church service has to do with archiving. After the live stream is finished, the service can remain online, available for playback at any time. A growing collection of past video sermons is a good resource for anyone searching for biblical answers or looking for a church home.
Of course, there are drawbacks to viewing an online church service. We lose the fellowship that comes with interacting with other believers face to face. It’s more difficult to encourage or exhort through a computer screen, especially when we are limited to posting comments and emojis. We need to supplement our time viewing an online sermon by making contact with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can send an email, text, make a phone call, deliver gifts, and mail letters and cards. The church can still be the church, even in quarantine.
When a church is exclusively online, as many are during the pandemic, the pastor will find his experience altered. Preaching to a camera is different from preaching to a live audience. In front of a live crowd, a pastor will often adapt his sermon as he is delivering it: he may make subtle changes in wording and tone or he may emphasize the gospel a little more, based on his knowledge of the audience and who is present. That’s hard to do online.
God is not limited in what He does (Luke 1:37). He can use live, in-person preaching, and He can use live streaming on the internet. Many of Billy Graham’s crusades were filmed live and are still being broadcast on television and streamed online. And they are still having an impact. “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1). It is the gospel that saves (Romans 1:16); as long as the gospel is preached, the fact that it’s online doesn’t matter.
An online church service cannot totally replace “the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25, NKJV), but it is a valid way of doing church, especially when we are faced with circumstances beyond our control that prevent us from being together.
Many churches have Zoom meetings too, thanks to Covid-19.
It's not the same as meeting 'in person', but technology does help people to connect.
I have a church I consider my home, and they have a very active on line presence... The Lord laid it on their heart that due to oncoming persecution, they need to be ready to reach people through digital means.
They're based in NYC, but draw people from all around the globe.
Wile I understand the usefulness of online church services, just like radio and tv churches of the past... it's just that nothing beats a face to face in person gathering.
🤔🕵️♂️ From 2004 to 2016 i was a part of and even deacon administrator to some online churches over @ paltalk.com
Some of them were strictly praise and worship bible study times others were in regards to apologetics/ debating . I found them quite beneficial considering my disabilities as well as homeless stints too. Discernment from the Holy Ghost need apply when approaching online churches just as you would physical churches
Are church closings an appropriate response to a pandemic?
Churches around the world have chosen to respond in various ways to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some are complying with the government mandates; many are live streaming their sermons; others are finding a different work-around, such as hosting drive-in services in a parking lot; others are meeting outside in undisclosed locations and changing the meeting place every week; still others are openly defiant and holding services as usual. Should we be shutting down the church, or keeping it open? Here are some things to consider:
1. The church is not a building; the church is the people of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ. So, in an important sense, no one can shut down the church. A building may sit empty, but the church can still be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).
2. Followers of Christ should always seek to obey civil authority unless that authority requires that we do something sinful. We see this principle played out in the lives of Daniel (Daniel 6:10–28) and the apostles (Acts 5:25–42) and in the response of Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem to register for taxation (Luke 2:1–5). Paul states that we are to obey those who rule over us, for they were placed there by God Himself for our good (Romans 13:1–7; cf. 1 Peter 2:13). So, it’s always wise to obey governmental authority unless compelled by Scripture not to obey.
Those churches who defy the mandates of civil authorities, claiming that “we must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29), may be overlooking the fact that the orders are not designed to stop us from worshiping and ministering. In the early days of the church, when Peter and John defied the Sanhedrin, at issue was a direct order to stop preaching in the name of Jesus Christ (verse 28). Similar restraints are in place in many nations around the world where the church is persecuted. But neither parallels the current situation involving COVID-19; the stated motivation of federal, state, and local governments for the personal distancing rules is the protection of the general public, including our own congregations. No one is trying to keep us from preaching the gospel.
3. Churches have their good testimony in their communities to consider. We do not want to be seen as rebellious and reckless. Rather, we want to follow the biblical command to “be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:17–18). The church’s response to the COVID-19 crisis should be to show the love of Christ, finding ways to minister to our hurting, fearful neighbors.
4. There’s wisdom in staying out of harm’s way. For instance, we wouldn’t allow our children to be in a cage with a wild animal, even if we have “faith” that God will protect them. It’s not an issue of having faith vs. lacking faith—it’s an issue of wisdom vs. foolishness. We should always choose the path of wisdom.
5. Given that the COVID-19 virus is very contagious and potentially deadly, the church is right to take steps to ensure the physical well-being of God’s family. Temporary social distancing and the cancellation of larger public gatherings (such as church meetings) may be necessary for the protection of people. Pastors are right to be lovingly concerned for their congregations. Churches sometimes close their doors due to harsh weather conditions: ice storms or snowstorms can make travel dangerous. Churches who call off services because of weather emergencies are not disobeying God; they are showing appropriate concern for people’s safety.
6. The situation churches face due to the COVID-19 outbreak is unique and temporary. Once the threat has passed, we will be free to return to our meetings and ministries as before. Pastors should not feel they are disobeying God by obeying the governing authorities during these unique times.
The days of COVID-19 are difficult, to be sure. Yet churches are still finding ways to minister: through the internet, email, texting, and good, old-fashioned letters and phone calls, pastors are staying up with God’s people in the churches they serve. The uncertainty and hardship surrounding the pandemic will not last indefinitely. This time will conclude, and things will get back to relative normalcy. In the meantime, we are patient. We stay faithful. We obey the law to the degree that we are able.
We may be isolated, quarantined, or forced into a temporary separation, “but God’s word is not chained” (2 Timothy 2:9).
