Question Thursday- Internet Campus
Each Thursday, I try to post a question for conversation. Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts.
This week, I ran across a blog from an associate pastor at the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City. Church of the Resurrection is the largest United Methodist Church and is seeking to expand their reach through an internet campus. My first reaction to this idea is surprise because UM churches are not know for technological innovation. The interesting thing is that COR is assigning one of their associates to pastor this campus and even organize home groups out of this internet campus.
I have to plead a whole lot of ignorance on this matter. I have never been a part of an internet campus, nor have I even known someone who has.
My question for this week: what is your reaction to an internet campus? What if a church near you adopted the idea of an internet campus? How could community be formed through this kind of experience? Have you ever seen this done? What does it mean to be the church when you are not meeting face to face?
This is an interesting concept. The question I would ask is, “What are they trying to accomplish with an internet campus?” The blog post was relatively vague about what exactly that meant. The Internet, like all technology, is a tool. Tools are a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves. If their goal is to have an internet campus in order to stand back and say, “Golly, that’s neat!”, then I would say that this is a terrible idea that will quickly backfire.
If they have a real need in their church/community that this is addressing, then it could be a fantastic fix for their problem… or not. I would suggest that any church that would try to do this should do it on a trial basis, and in 6 months to a year look back on the project and ask, “Did this accomplish what we set out to do?”
Approximately half of what I do I do so I can sit back and say, “Golly, that’s neat!”
Stephen – Our purpose is to build a Christian community where non religious and nominally religious people are becoming deeply committed Christians. My hope is that the internet campus will be a tool for that purpose – connecting people with each other and God.
It is certainly a project that will continue to be under review for effectiveness.
Sounds like a pretty good goal to me. Godspeed to you and your efforts. If you achieve what you have set out to accomplish, be sure to come back and let us know what worked, what didn’t, etc. etc.
just a thought:
COR isn’t the largest UM church. It maybe in the US, but the US isn’t the world
internet campuses in some ways are less engaging in that they don’t involve rubbing shoulders with others. something that most churches force you to do, even if you don’t talk to anyone, or they don’t talk to you.
however an internet campus actually lets a person engage, and be involved a bit more than the average service does that is only one way.
Mark, Have you participated in any internet services before? If so, in what ways were you involved more than the average service?
yes i have briefly.
there is a chat room on the sidebar during the sermon and the worship people type thoughts or questions about what is said.
Spencer – Thanks for your post and the link. I am thinking about some of the same questions that you have raised. If you would like to have a conversation directly, please feel free to send me an email.
Hmmm… guess it depends on the purpose. But here’s my internet service bugaboo, if you will… the audio quality is almost always hit and miss, and usually pathetic. Unless someone’s going to pay for an on-air mix (ha!) then the actual sound will not represent the level of excellence one would hope for in reaching an audience expecting, well, excellence. If I was geographically isolated, and needed connection with the home base, then I can see the application. But I don’t think the unchurched will transition to being connected to the body of Christ this way. Is the internet campus the new “televangelist” or hotel room Gideon Bible? We’ve all heard stories mentioning the epiphanies had using such media but I wonder about the opportunites for maturing. Hmmmm.