Digital Worship

Are you too busy to make your regular church service this week? Don’t worry. You might soon be able to worship on-line from the comfort of your own home.

Churches are quickly turning to the Internet to post videotaped services and other educational classes in an effort to make worshiping a part of your everyday life.

At first I scoffed at the idea as being nothing more than another way for the televangelists to rake in a quick buck. However, after more reflection, I am beginning to warm to this idea.

I believe that videotaped church services can be advantageous in several ways.

• You don’t have to worry about missing church if you’re out of town.
• The homebound can worship at their own church.
• Visiting a church Web site is a good way to “visit” a new church, especially if you are searching for a church before moving to the area.
• On-line video is an excellent way to educate a congregation.
• Video can be used to attract new members.
• You can replay the service if you don’t understand or remember something that you heard while attending your regular weekly worship service.
• You can attend church everyday.

However, use caution when it comes to the virtual collection plate. Like all other Internet related transactions, you should beware of scams and other on-line predators. Shady televangelists are still around, and the Internet provides a fertile new medium for them to pedal their phony prophesies.

As Mary Chapin Carpenter says, “Forgiveness shouldn’t come with a debt.”

On-line video provides an excellent medium for legitimate religious groups and churches to spread the Word, and is a hi-tech medium that all churches should consider employing.

Millions of uber-geeks are surfing the Web waiting to be saved. There is no better way to reach them than the communications medium that they are most comfortable using.