The Day We All Became Digital-Only Expressions of Church

So, for a couple of months now we, THECHURCH.DIGITAL and Stadia Church Planting, were on an experiment to develop a new model of church. One that was not grounded on physical locations for ministry, for discipleship… one that met the biblical standards, the biblical ecclesiology of church, digitally. I’ve written blogs, recorded podcasts, facilitated virtual conversations, even sat around coffee shops having these philosophical “what if” questions. 

The response? Before Coronavirus (BCV), the conversations were mixed at best. The controversial idea of a Digital-only Church affects people differently, as the conversation ultimately challenged people’s opinions, traditions of church. Honestly, the conversation leads to extreme reactions. I either get the joyous “Thank God, I’ve been waiting for someone to do this! How can I help?” to the furious “I don’t know what you think this is, but it’s not church.” Very rarely is it a lukewarm reaction. Regardless, we pressed on, developing a theoretical model.

Mike Tyson is Right

Then, Coronavirus happened and we, the Church world, got proverbially punched in the face. The great theologian Mike Tyson said it best: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Well, Coronavirus forced the church overall to rethink its strategy. Pastors who had once said “I am theologically against streaming services online” were now scrambling to find streaming solutions for online. Volunteers who didn’t even know Zoom existed a couple weeks earlier are now creating tutorials on how to use the software, and training church members on how to use it. Our worship centers, our buildings, our physical church… shut down for the foreseeable future.

Congratulations. Today, many, many churches are digital-only.

Welcome. Glad you are here.

While you’re here, let’s pause and ask some questions.

Questions the Church Should Ask While Socially Distancing

Church, while asking these questions you may find yourself not only learning more about Church Online in this Coronavirus season, but maybe you’ll discover something about Church overall. Continually praying for not only our digital-only churches, but all churches in this Coronavirus season, that God would do something God-sized in our midst.