God does not live in a building called the church!
A reporter asked me recently, “Bobby, aren’t you concerned that having people go to church on the Internet would somehow take away or change the ‘God experience’ that people get at a church?”
My answer was “I hope so”.
Many believers and non-believers embrace the lie that God lives in a building called the church. They believe that you go to the church building to talk to God or to experience God. That is WHERE you find God…that is WHERE God lives. The truth, of course, is that God is everyWHERE.
Now, I understand that there can be a healthy debate regarding the social/community challenges (and opportunities) of an online church. But I find it crazy that other believers/church leaders are actually challenging whether God could use an online church and even video teaching to connect with people. How many limits are we going to put on God? Does God only show up on Sundays, mid-week Bible studies or an occasional men’s prayer breakfast? Or is it that God only lives in a building called the church?
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I think this concern is rooted in the fact that some people will come to feel that participating in an online church is a replacement for participating in a face-to-face one. This is further amplified when the services are at the same time, and people choose to go to the online service rather than be a part of the local church community on a regular basis. If this root is a real one, then it can hurt the believer and the church body alike to the extent that handshaking and seeing each other add to the mix that God uses within the church.
Still, for people who are unwilling or unable to simply show up at a local church worship service uninvited, an online church is an excellent option. I’ve seen God do awesome things through internet communities, and I can attest that God will use them in an awesome way if we as believers will take on the call to create and serve them.
Amen, all the way to that!
Bobby I agree! I am only beginning to understand this and I pray that is what makes LIFE ALIVE different. The Church should be a people not a place.
It seems that critics of online ministry endeavors, including social linking, electronic evangelism, blogging, internet church sites, etc. fail to understand what is happening in our culture. The online revolution will continue with unparalleled speed and unmatched ubiquity.
It’s often disappointing to see such “lack of vision” amongst Christians. Instead of being early adopters of new media technologies, which could be used for great Kingdom advantage, believers often represent the laggards or late adopters.
I hear there were a lot of people who thought the light bulb was a fad, too.
I think another concern people might have with an Internet church is that if the Internet church was enabling a consumerism approach, meaning people just went to the church to get their God-fix and leave, then a person can totally avoid dealing with fellowship.
However, LC is far from enabling church consumerism. Online or not, LC challenges people to serve wherever they are and challenges people to be a part of community. As Chris has mentioned, I’ve seen God do incredible things through online communities as well. We should embrace any opportunity to spread the Word of God.
We are the church, Bobby!
Bobby, I think the Internet Campus, and other ministries like it, could become some of the greatest evangelistic tools in recent history. Thanks for not trying to lock God up in the buildings!
I agree with Craig that the Internet Campus has mind blowing potiental. My wife and I “attend” the Internet Campus occasionally and we experience the same life changing God in our own home that we do at the OKC campus.
My wife and I were taken back by the internet campus and are praying about how we could use it to do church in our home. How rich would it be to have a small group of people, a very small group for our house =), participate on the Internet campus and then discuss the message over a meal and pray for one another and our community.
Thanks for taking a chance!
I think the church needs to meet people where they are, wherever that may be. The creative methods that are used may be the only way some will ever come to know Christ. Being online can be a “safer” environment for someone just beginning their journey…
So….what happens to the elderly who can’t go to “church”, or the disabled, or the folks who can’t afford to drive 20 miles to the nearest “church”…etc….I agree with rindy, bring the experience/message to the people. Isn’t that what we are called to do anyway??? Funny, I just heard of a situation where a “church” (locally…) is trying to decide if they should have a baby shower for a non-married member IN the building…cause you know, well, that would just be wrong. Man, when will people get it??
All great comments…
I guess those that disagree are not Internet users or at least not swerve subscribers :)
(applause, applause, applause)
“And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it? Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their “God projectsâ€? that they didn’t notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road.” Romans 9:31ff
[...] SWERVE is the blog of LifeChurch.tv who has among their physical campus satellites an Internet Campus. One of the blog’s contributors, Bobby Gruenewald, who is Pastor, Innovation Leader on their staff, recently posted “God does not live in a building called the church!” about his interview with a news reporter. A reporter asked me recently, “Bobby, aren’t you concerned that having people go to church on the Internet would somehow take away or change the ‘God experience’ that people get at a church?â€? [...]
“The Church is not where we go, but who we are”.
There are no limits but what we put on ourselves.
[...] SWERVE is the blog of LifeChurch.tv who has among their physical campus satellites an Internet Campus. One of the blog’s contributors, Bobby Gruenewald, who is Pastor, Innovation Leader on their staff, recently posted “God does not live in a building called the church!” about his interview with a news reporter. A reporter asked me recently, “Bobby, aren’t you concerned that having people go to church on the Internet would somehow take away or change the ‘God experience’ that people get at a church?â€? [...]
yes its true that we are the temple of god, meaning that god lives inside us not in the building. i really don’t understand why other people don`t understand. if you look closely in the bible it said that the temple was just a picture of our home in heaven.