Online churches?

[mythrainbow]

So I have a question, how does an online church work?

I have no home church in my area, and everyone I know either is not christian or attends a church already, and seems content where they are.

I am considering online church as an option but am unsure so if anyone has had experiences with online churches I'd be glad to hear them

 

[TheAJKMan]

mythrainbow, I'd recommend a fair measure of caution, more so than real life churches. Simply because you can't see the people and see their body language. You can't hear their tone of voice etc etc. In other words, the non-verbal cues that would give you some clues as to that person aren't going to be there. You'd have to be having a decent walk with the Spirit to be able to hear His leading/prompting when something goes awry in that "church." Best of luck in your search.

TheAJKMan

 

[mythrainbow]

Hmm... well it was only a consideration anyway, maybe I should just forget it.

I am regulary attending a home biblestudy, and it has rarely been cancelled. This is the only kind of meeting I am able to have with other christians which is why I was searching for other options.

Now that I think about it... an online church would most likely not provide what I'm looking for, which is a chance to work with other christians in a ministry/outreach. The bible study is great and offers support and fellowship, but it is only a bible study and we don't do anything outside of that.

Oh well I tried

 

[TheAJKMan]

mythrainbow, I hope I didn't come across as discouraging you from searching for alternatives that you participate in. I didn't mean to come across like that.

Have you spoken to the bible study leader about your desire to live ou your faith a little more actively. He may know of something that you could participate in. Keep up the bible study sessions, they will prove an invaluable resource in all kinds of ways you will yet discover

TheAJKMan

 

[Dewi Sant]

Who needs an online church when you have Christian Forums

 

[GK]

Six years ago, I was ordained and installed as the "senior pastor" of an online church. The denomination recognized there are many people who see the online world as their primary social place. They might physically reside in one town or another, but their friends (and sometimes even jobs) exist online. Our thought was that it would be better for people to gather together in physical locations than online locations, but that online locations would be better than not gathering at all.

Over the first year I was with that church, I learned a few things about online socialization and the denomination I was working with. We parted ways. They wanted to reproduce traditional brick & mortar models online while I wanted to find new models native to the online world. I spent the next few years working with a small group of men and women, creating a new type of online ministry.

We had a centralized website, but most of the ministry took place away from that site. We had forums and a sense of our own community, but much of what we did involved joining and taking part in other online communities, especially communities that were not explicitly religious in nature. Through this, we built relationships with other people online. We found a niche we had not expected. Our ministry shifted toward helping people who had been hurt in one way or another by "the church." We found scores of people out there who wanted to find God, but were too scared off by the institution to go looking for help. We provided a safe option for them to connect with God and with other members of Christ's Church.

While that was going on, the "members" of our ministry continued to share, fellowship, pray, encourage, and teach in our semi-private forums. Most were members of traditional churches, but not all.

What we recognized was that "the church" already existed in the online world. The important part wasn't creating some sort of technology or building a centralized meeting place where people would come and read and make donations, but getting out there and sharing Christ with our neighbors. Hmm... Pretty much the same stuff that's important in the offline world.

 

[*Starlight*]

Hi, everyone I haven't heard of online churches before, so I'm really curious about it... What is an online church, exactly? Do many denominations have online churches? Can anyone recommend me a good online church, preferably a liberal or moderate one?

 

[mythrainbow]

Wow this is really good
This is the type of thing I was imagining reaching out to those who were hurt or neglected by a church.

I witnessed other being hurt, and also saw myself being confined (just as everyone else was) into a specific role that was chosen by others. I did not try to confirm this role with God or do any sort of studying about it, I just went with it and I started drifting from God and didn't know what the problem was.

I stopped attending and became closer to God than ever. CF really helped me by providing me with fellowship.

Then I had that home bible study and God just took me from there.

I am still apprehensive about offering services to a church...because I fear that the church will fit me in a convenient spot rather than allowing me to seek God and they themselve seeking God to guide us to the best services to give.

 

[mythrainbow]

It did discourage me, but only as much as God wanted me discouraged at that time.

I think God wanted me to let the subject alone when I first posted. He first had to lead me to the people I know today, so that I wouldn't think my town was completely void of "real" christians.

I now know that's not the case. I am still interested, but I now have sort of a support base that I can work with.

God used your post to help me get to a point where I could do it without completely losing touch with people on the outside.

Thank you

 

[MrJim]

http://www.jsm.org/explore.cfm/familyworshipctr/fwcmediachurch

Here ya go-an online church just lookin' for new members.

...and don't forget that tithe...

 

[christandisrael]

So I have a question, how does an online church work?

I have no home church in my area, and everyone I know either is not christian or attends a church already, and seems content where they are.

I am considering online church as an option but am unsure so if anyone has had experiences with online churches I'd be glad to hear them

Just be a family. If you put God first in everything then he'll exalt you!