Jumping-in Churches/Jumping-Out Churches
Which one is Trinity?
Some churches are jumping out of the live-stream and others are jumping full in. Those jumping full in are counting viewers as attenders and many are trying to find ways to invite them in to virtual community by providing virtual discipleship resources and ways to connect online. It was reported that a church in Seattle is even providing an app that allows people to go from virtual room to virtual room on their ‘campus’. You can virtually hang out and mingle in the church’s coffee shop then join a virtual Bible Study and then go in to “Big” church to ‘participate’ in cutting-edge worship and a relevant teaching. Your child can take their own tablet into their room and have kids church while you enjoy something more tailored for your demographic. Even more, you can do it all when it is convenient to you! Church (like social media, news media, and Amazon) can be algorithmic—for you—on your time—increasingly with people you look like and agree with on the issues that matter most to you.
Other churches, and not just old-fashioned technophobic ones, are jumping out of the livestream. Bridgetown Church in Portland is growing church that recently ceased live-streaming their services, though they still offer their teachings in podcast/video format afterwards. Check out their reasoning here:
Jumping in churches typically see the future of the church as more online, more virtual, and are more positive about how to utilize artificial intelligence, online platforms, and technology to reach and disciple more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jumping out churches, like Bridgetown, generally see the future of the church as more local, embodied, and ancient. They think a ‘virtual’ table can replace a real table about as effectively as Facebook friends can replace real friends. Jumping out churches are suspicious of technology’s boasts. Technology is always claiming to solve problems, but ends up creating other unintended ones.
Case study: Sex and Sacraments
In case you think I’m being provocative or even blasphemous, I am not the first to talk about sex and sacraments in the same breath. St. Paul covers both in 1 Corinthians 6. Much of the online space is as fixated on sex as much as our current culture is sex-obsessed. Online stimulation and ‘sex’ is common, but online pregnancy is impossible! You can get your kicks, but you can not create life—actual life. Likewise, it is possible to observe people eating and drinking or getting dunked, but it is not possible to really participate in the “take and eat” or “take and drink” or in the “I baptize you in the name of…” without actually being really present with others. Jesus didn’t say you need a sanctuary or stained glass windows, but he did say “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18.20). In regard to sex he said, “and the two shall become one flesh” (Mark 10.8). This ancient way is radically local and embodied. Technology says that monosexuality is possible and that individualistic discipleship is possible. Neither are true. What is true for both sex and sacraments is, “it is not good for you to be alone” (Genesis 2.18).
You have probably detected by now that I am of the jumping out variety. I believe that technology can deliver many gifts, but life-together-community, real-presence-sacraments are not among those gifts. So, why does Trinity continue to live-stream our services?
Some of our people can not come. When I say “our” people, I am talking about Trinity people that have been in the congregation, who are brought communion on a regular basis, and who are unable, for legitimate reasons, to join with the gathered congregation. I might add that these individuals are usually the ones that sorely miss gathering with other believers. They often make comments like, “I love being able to try to figure out who is there on Sunday.” Or, “I’m getting pretty good at identifying the back of people’s heads!” Sometimes these folks are looking for Trinity people to check-in on them, either in person or other contact. Let me know if you are interested in being a check-in person.
Most guests check-out our live-stream before coming in-person. They are wondering what kind of church they might be getting into. This feels like gracious hospitality that aligns with our statement: welcome home.
What about other scenarios? Well, let me do my best at answering some questions.
What if I am traveling? Sure, tune in! But, could I suggest something even better? Find a local, embodied congregation and join them on Sunday. Bless them with an offering! Find one of their leaders and point out what was meaningful to you during the service or sermon. Bring back some good ideas to Trinity so we can grow!
What if there are no congregations where I live that I feel comfortable attending? Great question—and hard question. Here are a few suggestions. First, is there a congregation that is doctrinally adjacent to Trinity? I often find that there are congregations that might be in a different movement, but are close to our tradition, like gospel-centered Anglican or Presbyterian or Non-denominational churches that might have some differences, but the Mere-Christianity or creedal faith is evident. Maybe you are more remote? Have you considered starting a house church? Meet together with a few others in your living room for worship? I’d love to chat with you about how this might look in your context. Reach out if this is of interest to you! We have some equipping opportunities and creative solutions!
Trinity’s livestream supplements my own participation in my local church, is that ok? Absolutely, as long as it doesn’t water down your participation in the faith community where you are actually planted. It is great having grandmas in Texas watch their kids in ministry here! We love having mission partners join us from a far to keep in touch with their extended family in Christ.
What if I find it more convenient to just stay home and tune-in? How do I say this gently? You gotta come back. You need us and we need you. Really. Harry Nelson is my patron saint for this question. He was severely hearing impaired, but in the last chapter of his life he told me he experienced near total loss of hearing. When I asked him why he still came to weekly worship, even though he didn’t hear a thing, he smiled a big-Harry-Nelson-smile and said, “I need other people and they need me.”
Yes! Ultimately joining with other believers in worship is jumping out and jumping in. We jump out of our own agendas, our own schedules, our own preferences, and we jump in to God’s time with God’s people—when and where they are gathered. We hear a common word for US. We make promises to support one another “with the help of God.” We confess our sins and receive his word of absolution. We share the body and blood of Jesus together. With one voice, we praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We worship the Trinity: persons in community. We are Trinity: persons in community. Welcome Home, and please come home.
There are some Sundays when "getting ready" for church becomes so complicated, and it's "TMI" to explain why, that I am so grateful that the service will be available online. And, there are Sundays, like yesterday, that even though we were present, I "double dipped" and listened to the service again today! The message was so pertinent to my daily life with Alzheimer's... one of the things I couldn't have borne 50 years ago if I had known. Today's Grace, just for today. <3
Tyler Staton is one of my heroes, so you got me at the beginning of his video. As a widower, living alone for the first time in my life, I can bear witness to the pathos of the not good and the power of the two or three...We are the ekklesia...the gathered ones.
By the way, there is an interesting parallel between worship and work when it comes to the ways the synergy of being together trumps the technology of being alone.