Page 18 - Digital Church in a Lonely World

The Linchpin Word: Community

When assessing if digital church is a viable alternative to physical gatherings, most pastors are looking
at one thing: community. We already know that digital church can convey content. However, the fact that
it can be used as a tool for content has not been enough. We know church is more than a sermon or
information; it is a community of people.

Furthermore, there is a growing consensus that the future of the Church will involve digital
components, especially because we are seeing that new generations use online platforms to help
facilitate community. Social media and new platforms, for example, are helping to strengthen
interpersonal connections. I have developed friendships with colleagues over Zoom that are very real
and special to me, even though I have not yet met these people in person.

With online church, people can chat, request and receive virtual prayer and engage in some form of
interactivity by clicking a “like” button.

I guess this raises the question: If something can be a valid form of church based on its practice of
“community,” what actually is “community?”

The definition of the word community becomes the linchpin.

For a business, converting from physical to online stores is a simpler decision: They are selling an actual
product or service. Or a university that is delivering curriculum. Or a bank that is offering financial
services.

However, church is not a product, a service or a transaction. Providing community is not just one of our
offerings. It is not a minor add-on. Community is an essential part of the history of the Christian faith
and the Church, and is the very essence of why a local church exists.

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