Internet church

Internet church, online church or cyberchurch refers to a wide variety of ways that a religious group is using the internet to facilitate its religious activities, particularly worship services.^[1]

History

In the beginning of the internet, many ministries began posting informational and sermon-like messages to visitors. Through the years this method of teaching has evolved in the form of video, audio podcasts and blogs. Many of today's internet churches are descendants of brick-and-mortar churches, offering members an alternative to the traditional brick and mortar meetings within a church building. These churches even began to utilize the postal service for pastor-member interaction, or used transmissions, sometimes with pre-recorded television broadcasts. Modern internet churches provide similar alternatives to their members with a more ubiquitous and, often, interactive approach.^{[2] [3]}

Recent statistics have shown an increasing exodus of young people from churches, especially after they leave home and live on their own. In a 2007 study, Lifeway Research determined that 70% of young Protestant adults between 18–22 stop attending church regularly.^[4]

Internet churches now exist all around the world; however, they are still criticized for their lack on “human connection”.^[5]

Overview

Internet church is a gathering of religious believers facilitated through the use of online video stream, audio stream and/or written messages whose primary purpose is to allow the meeting of a church body of parishioners using the internet.

It includes different aspects of Christian community online, especially by those who view this phenomenon as a subset of emerging church, the developing expressions of the faith in relation to culture change. A cyberchurch is a ministry that exists primarily as a private website, an interactive space on a public website or social networking site.

An internet church describes an institution that teaches and practices its religious beliefs entirely or primarily through online methods. Though there are hundreds of internet churches available online, the term "internet church" is generally reserved for churches that have a majority of its members meet, connect or congregate by way or use of the internet; where religious services are conducted through Internet technology. The internet churches differ/contrasts from the traditional church through the physical media that links pastors, teachers and believers. Many churches in the United States have their own internet church campus, and many of them have members numbering in the hundreds.

Members keep in contact with pastors and ministers and collaborate with other believers through web communication tools provided. In some cases members communicate by phone with ministers.^[6]

As Internet usage continues to thrive, Christians are using websites, blogs, social networking sites, media services, chatrooms, discussion boards, and other electronic means to provide social connection, education, and enrichment of their faith.

Online churches

The word cyberchurch was used by web-developer Tim Bednar's paper "We Know More Than Our Pastors" which detailed the blogging movement's influence on the experience of faith.^[7] Religious pollster and author George Barna used the term in his book Revolution to describe "the range of spiritual experiences delivered through the Internet".^[8] Barna sees Cyberchurch as one of the future "macro-expressions" (large scale forms) of church in the future; one that will soon account for one-third of American spirituality, together with other "revolutionary" forms of church.^[8]

Social networking sites

Christians, like many Internet users, are increasingly using social networking sites like MySpace, Xanga, and Facebook. These sites incorporate much of the technology of blogging but forge more concrete connections between users, allowing them to "message" each other within the system, connect officially as "friends", rate and rank each other, etc. These connections may or may not materialize in the real world, but many people now consider on-line relationships a significant part of their lives, increasing the potential influence of a Christian presence in these environments. Criticism of Christian use of these sites has grown, however, due to prevalence of questionable content and issues of safety.^[9] As a result, several Christian alternatives for social networking have been developed.^[10] On the other hand, some advocate a missional stance, using social networking sites and networking components of other Internet mediums like blogging, chat, and instant messaging to proselytize new converts and spread the Gospel.^[11]

There has been some speculation and experimentation with the idea of starting churches within such "virtual environments". LifeChurch.tv is attempting to plant a cyberchurch within the Facebook community using an "Internet Campus" technology.^[12] Likewise, churches are beginning to appear in the Second Life virtual world where people can attend as avatars and worship together.^[13] Many of these churches retain elements that can be found in traditional churchgoing, such as sermons. However, they also attempt to adapt to the unique social norms of digital media; users attending these churches are often referred to by their online usernames and there are sometimes chat sessions before, after, and even during services.^[14]

On-line multimedia

Podcasting, streaming audio and video, media downloads, and self-broadcasting websites have made it possible to share the sights and sounds of belief. While religious recordings of different types have certainly existed before, it is the Internet's ability to make these files public for millions of users that has led to the growth and influence of this component of cyberchurch.^[15] Now there are millions of audio sermons, conference and seminar recordings, home videos, documentaries, faith-themed films and more accessible on the World Wide Web.

Tech-savvy bloggers can use multimedia to create audioblogs and videoblogs that present experiences, opinions, dialogs, stories, and teachings, creating a more live feel to the blogging experience. Many prominent thinkers, authors, and leaders have blogs that present a podcast or streaming audio of speeches, lectures, or sermons. Video sharing sites like YouTube and Google Video allow anyone with a web camera to post video alongside professional religious movie producers and make it available to millions of users. This allows believers to share ideas about faith in new and creative ways. Most of these sites allow people to embed video hosted remotely onto their blog or website, powering video-based communication across the Internet. Christian-specific sites have also recently sprung up to provide faith-based video sharing services.

Books

• Cyberchurch by Patrick Dixon (Kingsway Publications, 1997, ISBN 0-85476-711-8)^[16]
• "The internet church" by Walter P. Wilson (Word Publications, 2000) ISBN 0-8499-1639-9
• "Exploring religious community online: we are one in the network" by Heidi Campbell (Peter Lang Publications, 2005) ISBN 0-8204-7105-4
• The Blogging Church by Brian Bailey and Terry Storch (Jossey Bass, 2007) ISBN 978-0-7879-8487-8
• The Wired Church 2.0 by Len Wilson (Abingdon Press, 2008) ISBN 978-0-687-64899-3
• Church of Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community by Jesse Rice (David C. Cook, 2009) ISBN 1-4347-6534-2
• SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World by Douglas Estes (Author) Zondervan, 2009) ISBN 0-310-28784-7
• Under The Radar: Learning From Risk Taking Churches by Bill Easum and Bill Tenny-Brittian (Authors) Abingdon Press, 2005) ISBN 0-687-49373-0, a book citing Alpha Church for sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion on the internet, p. 33.

References