This is a question that as a church right now, is vital that we answer. Since we have started utilizing video, there have been some comments from people saying things like, "well, we can just watch a video at home" or "I can watch videos online." While these things are absolutely true, they reveal a much deeper issue. If church is nothing more than going to listen to a preacher talk, then yes, you can absolutely do that at home. HOWEVER, is that all a church is really about? My answer is a big fat NO!
Church is much more than "GOING & GETTING." Church is about "GOING & SERVING," "GOING & CONNECTING," "GOING & GIVING." There is a big difference between the first one and all the ones that came after. Church is not about sitting and listening to a live preacher, it is about much more than that. It is about WORSHIPPING CORPORATELY TOGETHER, it is about BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE TO SHARE LIFE WITH, it is about GIVING YOUR GIFTS TO THE BUILDING OF GOD'S CHURCH. You can't do these things from your computer at home or from your couch.
So let's reevaluate what we are saying when we begin to make comments about what the church is really about. It is much more than watching a live preacher. May God grow us in our understanding of the church, and lets move from being consumers of a service, to people who are consumed with serving.
Amen Pastor! My family attended the Video service in Lebanon last Sunday and as we were leaving my comment was..."That was an awesome sermon! I almost forgot it was a video!" We are relatively new to The Journey and we have quickly come to love this Church. Every week we meet someone new! We are just blessed every time we walk through the doors! Keep up the good God work!!
ReplyDeleteAmy, that is awesome! I'm so glad you added your comment. I hope your family is able to attend this week, it is going to be a great day.
ReplyDeleteI know that there have been Sundays when I have missed church for various reasons. I always try to watch the sermon online the following week. While it is definitely beneficial for me as far as learning is concerned, I still feel the void of not fellowshipping with other Christians. The message is definitely important in our growth to be more Christ like, but it is not all we need. And we definitely are commanded to give of ourselves. And at the very least, our attendance at church can be an encouragement to other Christians.
ReplyDeleteTansy, thanks for the input. You are 100% right. The preaching is important, but it is not the entire reason for being a part of a church. I really appreciate you jumping in the conversation, you made some good points.
ReplyDeleteWorth a viewing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5pomuG-MZQ
ReplyDeleteThanks Anonymous for your post. Next time please sign in so we can engage in dialogue and not in seclusion.
ReplyDeleteI agree whole-heartedly with Ed on his belief that we should always be evaluating what we are doing, be it multi-site, single-site, video teaching, or multiple teachers.
Our move to video was made as an elder team at the church. Personally, I am fine with The Journey being one church in multiple locations, with multiple teachers. We made a decision to utilize video for a number of reasons, but as Ed pointed out, it has not stopped us from raising up teachers. I would venture to say that our church has raised up and given new teachers an opportunity to speak in the last year more than most churches would do in a period of several years combined. We believe in the value of raising up people with teaching gifts, not just relying on me.
Video teaching is a mechanism to deliver a message, not an evil or taboo thing. Ed has spoke at several multi-site churches where his mug is on a screen, so I know he's not against it. He's just calling us to the development of leaders, which I believe multi-site requires you to do even more so than single-site.
Thanks again for your input. Next time sign in under a name.