Page 10 - Digital Church in a Lonely World

So, if the broader practice of “church” becomes “I listened to a 90-second clip of my pastor’s message on
Instagram,” or “I listened on double speed to the sermon on a podcast while I was at the gym,” or “We
had the live stream of church playing on the living room TV while we ate breakfast”—and this becomes
equivalent to “I went to church this week”—how sustainable and meaningful is this? Technology brings
so many incredible benefits, and we will explore these. Certainly, we must embrace digital innovation
to reach new generations—Barna data show plenty of adults, Christian and non-Christian alike, are
expecting it. However, if we define the Church as “Christian content,” we are in trouble. People can
get unlimited content anytime on their phones. We need to articulate a clarion call for what a church
community actually is, and then call people up to that standard.

One of the reasons why I embrace the path of following Jesus is because it pushes against my
preferences and makes me develop biblical convictions. We need to fundamentally shift the
conversation. Instead of the focus being on what people prefer in terms of digital church vs. in-person
experiences, perhaps the better discussion is less about technology and more about community.

We need to articulate a clarion call for what a church community
actually is, and then call people up to that standard

Benjamin Windle

Benjamin has been a local church pastor for nearly
20 years in both the U.S. and Australia, including
pioneering Lifeplace Church. Known as an innovative
and empathetic speaker and writer, he combines his
academic expertise with deep grassroots experience
as a practitioner. His work helping churches develop
generational intelligence in reaching Millennials and
Gen Z has grown into a range of resources.
A father, husband and basketball fanatic, Benjamin is
married to his high school sweetheart, Cindi. They have
three sons and a Cavoodle named Romeo.
For more resources, please go to:
www.benjaminwindle.com

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