5 Core Elements to Be a True Online Expression of Jesus
· Ecclesiology / Life! / Online Ministry / Theology · Posted by Stacey L Barr · 4 Comments
08.01.10
Today is a vision dreaming sort of day for me. The worship gathering with our local church body was fantastic and intimate. I even had the pleasure of doing lunch with a good friend afterward. All in all, it’s been a pretty good day if you ask me!
At lunch, we chatted about the upcoming Online Campus we’ll be launching. Since the gears are turning, I’ve been mulling over a few elements which I believe define an Online Campus. While this is not a conclusive list, it is the very bare minimum five requirements to become a functional, biblically ecclesiological expression of Jesus.
(Credit: Doug Shelton, CreativeMYK)
1. Be in sync with the church’s vision. Habakkuk 2:2f
This is the first and foremost requirement. If an Online Campus is not part of the church’s vision, it simply will not receive the attention, prayer and resources it needs.
2. Be part of the church’s mission. Acts 2:42-44
Just like the church’s vision, being part of the church’s mission is critical. If an Online Campus is not part of the church’s mission to reach the lost, then it has no place and is just eating up valuable resources and people that could be used elsewhere for a greater good.
3. The Online Campus must have a specific vision, mission and strategy. John 15:16
I often talk as if an Online Campus is a church plant in and of itself. Well, it is! Doing ministry online is like planting a whole new church; the digital world is simply too complex with its own sociological, economical and philosophical norms. An Online Campus simply cannot get by without having a specific vision, mission and strategy that are tuned to the needs of the people it reaches.
4. An Online Campus must have safeguards to prevent online church junkies. Matthew 7:15f
I know, I know, this one is flamebait for sure. Bring it on.
Online church junkies have a like to travel from one online church to another without ever setting down roots and honestly digging into the ministry of one. If this sounds like the brick-and-mortar churches’ risk of church junkies, it should. Church junkies—online or offline—are a very real, and a very real risk to ministry in that they hoard resources that could be used on those who really need them and rarely (if ever) contribute to the ministry. Jesus talks about them in John 15:6, those branches not producing fruit need to be cut off from the rest of the vine.
5. The Online Church needs a way to get offline. Â 1 John 1:3
While I do believe in telepresence, there are inherent limitations in it, such as physical fellowship. We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and He is triune (existing in three persons at all times). This very nature of God imbibes us with the innate desire for fellowship, as the Father is in eternal fellowship with the Son and Holy Spirit, so are we to be in fellowship with each other (again, Acts 2:42).
SteveS
I’ll be interested to see how this works. I’ve been a part of virtual corporations (all online – none of us met each other f2f), and have pondered the question if the church can be virtualized. I’ve even been a part of an online Bible Study – everyone commenting on a blog post that was a passage of scripture. I eventually concluded that your point 5 is an insurmountable challenge that will always relegate online to a communication tool for a f2f church. I would however welcome being proven wrong.
Stacey L Barr
Great feedback Steve. What are your thoughts on the online Bible study format? I have been considering hosting one here, and would like some info from those who have participated in them before.
You are right that point five is the biggest hurdle, and one I still wrestle with! The last online Bible community I was a part of would have semi-regular get-together events, much like a Tweetup. These events did a great deal to build community within the group. Ultimately, I’m not sure what the best way to overcome point five is. I think finding ways to come offline is as unique to each Online Campus as worship style is to each brick-and-mortar church.
I also want to point out that an Online Campus (originating from a brick-and-mortar church) should not be just a communication tool, but part of a larger outreach initiative. Sure, there will be communication occurring between members, but an Online Campus should be more than a “Christian sub-culture Facebook” for that church.
SteveS
Re: online Bible Study format – I’ve only been a part of one. What we did was a blog – someone posted the next passage in the book we were studying as the blog post, and everyone commented on it. I think the format did fairly well; but have nothing to compare it to.
Stacey L Barr
That’s a very similar format to the study I would like to do. Shannon has been doing studies like this for a women’s’ group, and it has been very successful. Do you have any ideas or thoughts on how to improve that model?