Responses to Concerns About Church Online

In a world of multi-site churches and video venues, Church Online is a logical extension of church into the brave new world.  While some are excited about the benefits of this new form of "church" others are claim that Church Online is not a valid alternative to church IRL (In Real Life).  We sat down with Tony Steward, the Pastor of Online Community at LifeChurch.tv, and shared some of these concerns. Here are his responses:

When watching church online, isn't it much easier to get distracted? Do you think people are generally very focused on church while it's happening online?

I can remember gorwing up in church and my friend Justin and I would play that game where you drew the dot grids on a piece of paper and then line by line worked to have the most completed squares. Distraction or the ability to focus is present during any experience that we have for both church online or church on the corner. We see evidence of many people having the ability to focus during our online experiences.

And I personally believe that online experiences have the extra potential of having greater connection between the attendee and the message being taught. Learning patterns in education show us that once we can move from just hearing and seeing something, to actually having a conversation around it our retention of it greatly increases. Church Online allows us the opportunity to both view and have conversation around the topic of the message during the experience.

It of course also allows the conversation to go in different directions from the message, but that is where we train our volunteers in chat to be proactive. Not proactive to control or force people to pay attention (because you can’t control or force people to do anything online) but to help guide the conversation into healthy areas about God, life, faith, etc. Out of this church online is better prepared to meet some of the specific needs of the people who attend in ways that would be challenging at physical locations.

In general, I do believe people are engaged during the online experiences, and at times to a great benefit in their understanding and retention of the teaching.

Are you concerned about people’s ability to interact and connect with others during Church Online services?

We are always concerned with people’s ability to interact and connect – it is one of our consistent priorities. I do boldly disagree with the assertion that “…over chat, it’s difficult to have a meaningful conversation.” During church online we facilitate Live Prayer which is available for people who need or desire prayer one-on-one. Often these chats end with expressions of emotion, tears, and the very tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. Even though we offer Live Prayer, often those same conversations take place in our main chat, and the same responses are very common. Meaningful conversations can and do happen in chat, and real relationships are formed to the point that when people meet face to face, it’s as if they are old friends – because they are.

Those assertions aside, we do recognize the challenges of helping people to connect at Church Online, especially as it is a “permission” environment. For us to be able to connect and reach out to people – and for them to connect with others – they have to give that permission, we can’t control it. This is very much the “permission environment" that Seth Godin talks about in his book Permission Marketing, where people are in the position of control, not the organization.

But, in all honesty, over the past couple of months we’ve recognized we need to up our game and do a better job helping people to connect. It isn’t as much an issue with the virtual environment as it is with us continuing to make relationship and those connections a top priority.

Does Church Online reinforce the idea that “church” is primarily going to a worship service with preaching?

The simple answer is no. As a community we do gather during our online experiences, but we continue to have conversations and live life together throughout the week. Our online experiences are the “engine” that both attracts people into conversations about God and sends followers of Jesus to grow-in and live-out their faith. It is that energy that we constantly seek to follow up on and leverage throughout the remainder of the week.

We have LifeGroups (small groups) that meet throughout the week where people gather to walk through their faith in community. These groups are facilitated both online or in physical community in locations around the world.

We also reinforce the messages that are started during our online experiences with content and conversation on our Facebook page and blog. In these interactions we seek to take the understanding of the recent teaching deeper in a community environment.

Finally, we have an amazing group of volunteers who literally lead and run the online experiences all throughout the week. The culture and community in these teams are close knit relationship and often our volunteer chat is peppered with prayers, praises and biblical discussion.

Is Church Online just the “new” or “cool” trend but lacking in its ability to help those that attend to experience true spiritual transformation and discipleship?

Yes, Church Online or internet campuses are one of the new and cool trends. We get questions all the time about the details of starting an internet campus and it is usually all about the technology and video. Rarely do I get questions about the ministry opportunity, processes or discipleship environments. And I am quick to caution anyone considering it that it is so easy for technology to become the purpose instead of reaching people with the gospel of Jesus AND knowing how to build discipleship community.

To be clear, the “coolness” of Church Online isn’t why our ministry exists. LifeChurch.tv has a saying: “we’ll do anything short of sin to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Church Online is one part of how we express that passion.

I do believe that Church Online is capable of providing an environment for people to experience spiritual transformation and discipleship in their faith. The web is extremely relational. And through those relationships we see people’s lives being transformed and growing in their faith all the time.

No we do not have it figured out. We regularly recognize things we’re doing that have failed, are broken or ineffective. But even though our primary gathering point is online, this online community is physically expressing their faith all over the world.

Thanks, Tony!

15 Comments »

1. tony is so cool.

   great thoughts.

   Comment by John (Human3rror) - Sep 01, 2009 @ 10:06 AM

2. Great thoughts Tony…I love your first answer.  I don’t care where Church is being done…people are distracted with all kinds of things.  I used to play MASH in church with my friends….pass notes…daydream, take notes (by the way, I tend to think note taking is a form of distraction for many as well)....

   Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

   Rhett

   Comment by Rhett Smith - Sep 01, 2009 @ 10:22 AM

3. Thanks for sharing this. I have been saying similar things since the mid 90’s. God is the creator of technology and the internet. Just as Rome connected much of the known world during the time Christ walked the Earth, the internet has “connected” much of the world. We need to leverage it and reach into online communities like we have RL communities. We were created for relationship. Albeit, online may not be optimal, yet it touches people unlike other media channels. Keep it real. Keep it grace-filled. Keep pushing it Tony!

   Comment by Eric (WeirdGuy) - Sep 01, 2009 @ 10:26 AM

4. Tony:
   Very needed perspective, thanks. In the “transformed media landscape” that Clay Shirky talks about, we need to be where the action is.

   The internet has enabled connection like never before and God’s transforming power (shown through transformed, loving humans) needs to leading the way. I so appreciate the leadership that Church Online has shown.

   We are all learning from you guys.

   Dawn

   Comment by Dawn Carter - Sep 01, 2009 @ 10:43 AM

5. Great post Tony!  So refreshing to see a logical and honest post from someone actually part of an Internet Campus team.. So many times, those that are critical of Internet Campuses have never actually attended one or have even sought to understand why they exist.  Thanks for leading the way in such a vital part of reaching people around the world.

   Brian

   Comment by Brian Vasil - Sep 01, 2009 @ 11:04 AM

6. Great insight.

   Though I still disagree with internet venue churches, I can see and understand your thoughts, as well as your heart behind it.  Thanks for sharing this!

   Comment by Val - Sep 01, 2009 @ 12:05 PM

7. Very Very Nice Tony.

       “I do boldly disagree with the assertion that “…over chat, it’s difficult to have a
       meaningful conversation.”

   I grew up in AOL chat’s and I have friends that I still talk to that live on the other side of the country. Sometimes I’ve had more meaningful conversations with them then I have with people I know in “real life.” I really feel that the internet helps break down barriers of insecurities and fears of being judged. You don’t have that face to face confrontation that so many people are afraid of.

   Good show man.
   Nick

   Comment by Nick Hempsey - Sep 02, 2009 @ 09:01 AM

8. Tony, great thoughts and insight! Before I started attending Church Online a year ago, I was a bit sketchy about the online ministries. But know I fully understand that Church Online and other online ministries are there to spread the Word all around the world!

   Thanks for sharing,

   Tommy

   Comment by Tommy Cavalier, Jr. - Sep 02, 2009 @ 09:10 AM

9. Awesome thoughts, Tony! I love how LifeChurch continues to push the envelope in dreaming up what is possible for the Church in her current context.

   Although I’m probably a natural doubter of forms of discipleship that vary drastically from how I’ve experienced Christ in the most transformative ways, your crystal-clear heart to reach people rather than just having cool technology in church or doing something innovative really makes me believe in what you’re doing.

   I pray for more and more fruit from your online community.

   Comment by Mike Filicicchia - Sep 02, 2009 @ 02:51 PM

10. Good stuff Tony.  I have watched the Lord reach and grow people through Internet ministry.  Whether it is iTraining or iCampus, I find it to be effective.  As a former “online professor” for a large Christian university, I had more authentic relationships with students from around the world than I did with many of my on-campus students.
    I love it when people drop their alias and use their real name with “aka alias”.  This is a significant step toward personal openness for change.  There are many people at our physical campus’ that are still living behind an alias.
    iCampus has it’s challenges, but so did going to the moon.

    Comment by Jim Evans - Sep 03, 2009 @ 10:22 AM

11. Love the comments and if anyone has any further questions please leave them in the comments or feel free to email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or on Twitter at @tonysteward

    Comment by Tony Steward - Sep 03, 2009 @ 10:43 AM

12. Tony,

    I am all about the new and savvy ways of gettting out the gospel message, but don’t we lose the actual value of real relationships that are built in true biblical community? I know that you, as we do also, have small groups, and I was wondering what percent of people in the online community are in small groups? I realize that it works for Life Church, but for most churches I would dare to say it would not be as effective. However, keep doing what you are doing. As long as the Gospel is going oiut and people are receiving Christ, who am I to say? Thanks for thinking outside the box.

    Comment by Chad N. Zueck - Sep 17, 2009 @ 07:34 AM

13. Thanks for you response Chad!  We don’t do church online because it is new or savvy, we do it because people are online looking, searching and askng for help through their Google searches, blog posts and Twitter updates by the millions. 

    As for the questions, everything we see at church online would answer with:
    1. No
    2. Not sure on percentage but since our discipleship environments can happen both online of off, I’d say they are much more effective.
    3. I agree, neither you or I have room to “say” without proof versus just having preferences that are different.

    Comment by Tony Steward - Sep 17, 2009 @ 08:25 AM

14. Thanks for the quick response. I am a huge supporter of the things coming out of Life Church. You all are setting the standard in alot of areas. Keep up the great work! Let’s build the Kingdom together.

    Comment by Chad N. Zueck - Sep 17, 2009 @ 11:08 AM

15. i just wanna say that i feel like andy stanley and others pastored me through online church for a long time when i didnt have a church home.There was a season of my life when i was working nights and making it to church wasnt an option.I felt like i got much better teaching/pastoring online most of the time than i could get in my community.I came from a mega church in seattle so finding teaching like that is hard to find.But even though i was pastored online for awhile i stayed accountable to relationships and stayed as connected as i could.I was always texting,trying to meet up for lunch or coffee.I also made my church life groups mid week.I agree that there are dangers to online church like the lack of interaction but for some people its a start because they are too afraid to go.There are many other reasons as well.Im just sharing my experience.Podcasts saved my A** when i didnt have a church home and in that year when i couldnt make it to church because of circumstances out of my control i wrote a book.Its getting ready to be published in 2 months.I hope to get it into the hands of andy stanley one day and thank him for pastoring me via podcast.I hope this message finds him.Keep it up andy!

    sincerely,
    cisco guerra @816-456-8431
    national communicator
    lifecoach
    author
    former pro athlete
    personal trainer

    Comment by cisco guerra - Oct 08, 2009 @ 10:42 AM

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