Why Churches Should Continue Their Online Services

An op-ed was published in the New York Times, making a case for churches to drop their online worship services. The author made the case that online worship was damaging the Christian community and the church’s witness. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and ministry is contextual, which is why it’s hard to make comprehensive scale cases when it comes to church. There is no “plug and play” solution to church. You can read Tish Harrison Warren’s article here, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/opinion/church-online-services-covid.html?smid=url-share  The following is my response to her article.

Her central thesis for dropping online worship is that it is the best way to love God and love our neighbors. I disagree. Expanding options and resources for online worship allows the church to love God and love our neighbors better. A couple of the points she makes support her thesis.

“For all of us-even those who aren’t churchgoers-bodies, with all the risk, danger, limits, mortality, and vulnerability that they bring, are part of our deepest humanity, not obstacles to be transcended through digitization.”

Where to start? Her comment smacks of ableism.  Some people cannot physically get to church. Many of these long-time saints of the church have been able to be a part of the church’s worship life through online worship. Some people go through seasons of life where they cannot physically get to church but are staying connected to the holy through online worship.

Yes, our bodies are important. Yet, they do not define who someone is or can be. Our bodies are fragile. The love of God is not. The church should be about more than physical bodies in one place at a specific time.

“Whether or not one attends religious services, people need embodied community. We find it in book clubs or having friends over for dinner. But embodiment is a particularly important part of Christian spirituality and theology.” 

She makes her point in her critique of online worship. People need embodied community. People are finding it in book clubs or having friends over for dinner (and many other places). Community is an integral part of Christian spirituality and theology.

It’s ludicrous to think that a one-hour worship service is the sole or primary dispenser of the Christian community. I believe the church has the power to teach people how to have meaningful and life-giving relationships and community in all walks of life. The church is not the sole dispenser of Christian community in people’s lives. It is a source but not the only source. I rejoice when our people find meaningful community and relationships in all places. I want to think they learned what meaningful relationships are like through Jesus’ teaching and life.

Throughout the pandemic, everyone has had to evaluate what is and isn’t essential. We as a society have had to ask whether in-person church attendance is more like going to a restaurant or more like elementary school education — whether it’s something that is a nice perk in life or something that is indispensable…But around the globe experts believe that the costs of school closures currently outweigh the risks of Covid-19. In Christian theology and practice, physically gathering as a church should be seen as similarly essential and irreplaceable.

She presents a false choice when she asks if in-person worship attendance is like going to a restaurant or school. It’s neither. Worship is one part of the Christian life. An important one, but not the only part. It’s an hour or so per week, traditionally at an appointed time in an appointed place. Worship has its limits when it comes to Christian community. If one chooses, one can go in, spend an hour, and leave without talking to a soul. (This is what some people need at times in their life.) Worship is essential for spiritual life, but it’s not the only thing. If church leaders (speaking to myself here) think that all we need to do to make an impact in people’s lives and the world is put on a worship service each week, then we surely will not experience the kin-dom of God in our lifetimes. Physically gathering is important and irreplaceable, but worship is not the only experience for which we gather. I could argue that it is the way we gather that translates better to an online experience than other ways to gather (small groups, bible studies, mission opportunities, meals, etc.)

Finally, although not a point she made in the article, one that is true. Offering online worship, in addition to in-person worship, empowers the church to reach more people than ever. Participation in the church is not limited by geography, time, or schedule. My youngest daughter had an all-day volleyball tournament this past weekend, gone all day on Saturday and Sunday. We would not have had the opportunity to worship as a family in the past. However, Sunday evening, after all, four of us were home. We worshipped online together. Online worship removes many barriers that our modern lives present when it comes to worship. Do you need some of that Christmas spirit come July? Why not go back and take part in the archived Christmas Eve service from the year before? Maybe it’s a particular song, sermon, or prayer that you need to hear again. Now you can.

To close, many churches made technological leaps they would never have made had we not been pressed to do so. Online worship is not a problem to be solved; instead, it is a gift that empowers the church to reach more people than ever before and expand our idea of what the Christian community can truly be. The best way to love God and to love our neighbors is to share that love as wide as we possibly can share.