Page 8 - Digital Church in a Lonely World

When I reflect, I had this moment when my church was shut down in the early months of COVID-19.
It was Sunday morning, and I had taken my family to the beach. I have been a full-time pastor for
almost 20 years, so, at first, not being able to physically attend church on Sunday felt completely foreign.
If I am totally transparent with you, after a few months, the initial shock wore off—I had settled into
my new habit of online-only church services. In fact, I had started to enjoy it!

It was one of those magical days. The sun was out, the water of the east coast of Australia was at its
best—a stunning emerald / aqua color that is unique to this part of the world. My kids were laughing
and playing in the sand. The nearby café served coffee and—wait for it—baked Portuguese custard tarts.
Six for $20. You already know I didn’t order just one.

I had prerecorded my sermon during the week, and, as I lay on the beach, my phone was live streaming
the service next to me. I occasionally clicked the heart button—after all, it was my sermon! Throughout,
my mind wandered to places it had never been.

I thought to myself, “Look how much more time I have on a Sunday, without having to drive to church!
I am still listening to the entire service, but I get to spend so much more time with my family.”

Also, I didn’t have to use my emotional energy to spearhead an entire church experience or deal with
people complaining to me about something that had happened in the service.

So, frankly, if you ask me if I prefer online church or in-person church, you got me. A part of me
certainly prefers relaxing on a beach eating Portuguese custard tarts with my piccolo espresso while my
kids enjoy themselves.

However, I’ve had time to really process my thoughts, and those feelings are not the sum total of my
perspective.

We pastors have a nagging concern that there is an aspect to online
church that is fodder to a culture that is already strongly driven by
convenience and personal preference. When we chart this over a
long enough timeline, it poses the question, where will this take us?

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