ONLINE CHURCH #04

 

Previously, I suggested Online church is driven by two necessary “engines” – empowering and engaging. Let me expand a little more on empowering from the previous write-up before I start on engaging. Another example of empowering is based on the concept of the “School of Elisha”. Elisha’s students felt the need to enlarge the prophetic school. They came to Elisha and presented him the proposal. Although the idea did not originate with Elisha, nonetheless Elisha gave the go-ahead while he stood behind them. That is empowering.  The church in Acts did the same. Having no “commander”, the followers of Christ initiated house churches and ministries and the apostles were aiding and providing the necessary support. One of the “tentacles” of an Online church is in facilitating Bible study groups. Online church does not create Bible study groups. This is done by its members. The Online church support team (consisting of pastors, Bible teachers) will assist in providing a facilitator and necessary materials. The initiator of the class will be responsible to organize the class and the attendees. Classes can be held from anywhere, anytime. Online church rides on the platform of decentralization. To empower is to allow people and ministries to organically spring up from anywhere, anytime. Online church seeks to create a uniform platform for resources, for working together, and for accountability.

 

ENGAGING.

Engaging is about following instead of attracting. Jesus engaged people wherever they were. He went about preaching and teaching in villages and towns. He could be at the marketplaces, the seashores, synagogues, someone’s home, or wherever He was needed. He was usually out at “sea”. He did not have a home. And if He did, there will be a sign hanging at the door: “Out Fishing”. Jesus could have easily stayed put at one single location and people from near and far would have made the journey to attend His “services”. But that was not the church He had in mind. He raised a movement, not an institution. Perhaps the better way of understanding engaging is to take a snapshot of social media today.

 

Social media is used for just about anything. Individuals used it to keep in touch with friends and families. Others used it for career opportunities, finding people with like interests across the globe, sharing their thoughts, their feelings, their moments. There are plenty of social media apps available on devices and one of the more popular ones is Facebook. In FB people tend to follow others (friend’s requests) and in following, they get “followed back”. (friendship accepted). From here, they get to participate in groups of like interests (engaging). This is how church can be today. Instead of attracting people into our church with the hope they would like it enough to stay, we ought to be following people. And when we are “followed back”, we engage and build relationships.

 

Keeping FB as an example, let us imagine how house churches started in the days of Acts. Say you take evening walks around your neighborhood. You pass by many houses each time, but you took no notice. One day, a particular house caught your attention. After a couple of passes, you decided you would engage the owner because you are interested in how they managed to managed their garden so well. You rang the doorbell and soon the owner and you were chatting at the front gate. Seeing your interests in his garden, the house owner “followed” you back.  He invites you into his living room (that is engaging) for a cuppa and a friendship began. FB pages are like houses you browse through all the time. When something interests you, you follow and make a friend’s request. The host then accepts your request and invite you into his FB group where you will meet others with similar like interests. In the context of the church, this is called discipleship.

 

The way the early Christians behaved caught the attention of the unbelievers. In fact, they were first called Christians in the city of Antioch because they were so Christ-like in their communal living. People began to “follow” just as they did with Jesus, and the Christians “followed” back, engaging them into their homes. That was how churches sprang up throughout entire regions. And the beautiful thing was, house churches were operating daily, not just once a week.

 

I have so far shared with you the basic concept of what I think an Online church is. How it operates is up to one’s imagination and resources. They say, “the sky’s the limit”. Online church is literally a church without walls. You will never know where or how it will lead you. It is like jumping into a river. Unlike a lake, when you enter a river you cannot exit at the same entry point. The river is always flowing. Its currents carry you beyond your point of entry. In the Bible, there was a river in Ezekiel’s vision (Ez. 47). When we are willing to flow with the Holy Spirit, who knows where the “River” will take us, just as it had taken Jesus all over Israel and all over the world.

 

I am sure you have questions. I am not trying to “reinvent the wheel”. I am just trying to rediscover church based on the book of Acts. The world about us is evolving fast. Between “Tent” and “Temple”, I like the idea of the “Tent” (mobile) more than the “Temple” (fixed). Problem is, the “Temple” (big and majestic) had overshadowed the “Tent”. In this digital age we are in today, I think the “Tent” is making a comeback. However things will evolve, going hybrid, for now, is a necessity. We have to flow with the river. God bless.

ONLINE CHURCH #03

Previously I laid some foundations for an online church based on the book of Acts. A quick recap.

Online Church #01 – Church without location (church buildings) nor fixed time (services). They met anywhere, anytime.

Online Church #02 – Church that seeks, not attracts. It was a movement, not an institution.

 

Today I want to lay down some basic blueprints as to what I think an Online church ought to be.

Online church is not a replica of an Offline. Broadcasting Sunday services online do not make it an Online church. Online church is driven by two main thrusts. It is about empowering and engaging. When the church started in the book of Acts, they were without buildings or hierarchy. Like ants without a commander, churches (gatherings of Christians) sprung up everywhere in houses throughout the entire Asia Minor. How did it happen?

EMPOWERING

In an institution, there is always a hierarchy. At the very top is the CEO (head). Everything flows down from there. The empowering of the organization comes from the top and accountability from bottom up. Like a spider, if you thumb the head, the spider (organization) dies. Basically, this is how the church functions today. There is a flow chart with the senior pastor right at the top. Everything else (church board, pastoral team, etc.) flows down from there and all accountability flows upwards. The church in Acts did not have a “head” – command and control centre. It functions like a starfish. A starfish does not possess a head nor brain, yet every tentacle manages to coordinate with each other and move as a singular unit towards a common goal. If you cut a starfish radically (right across the center) into five parts, the five parts will regenerate into five starfish. It does not die. That is how the early church survived and thrived during severe times of persecution. Having no head to thumb, no hierarchy to disrupt, no church buildings to tear down, the church thrives anywhere, in whatever conditions because you cannot stop people from coming together. A church can be as small as a family unit of two or three. Like the starfish, each member can function in any of the five-fold offices and various ministries as the Spirit of God empowers them. The house churches moved as a single movement in a divinely coordinated fashion. There was no stopping the church of Jesus Christ, not even the gates of hell.

As an example of empowering, members of Online church ought to be given the freedom to use their tithes for "fishing". To a “fisher of men”, the tithe is a powerful tool. Like in the book of Acts, it can be used to help people find their way to God. The generosity of the early Christians towards their communities caused many to turn to Christ daily. Having no building to maintain or a big budget for staffing, Online church empowers its members to personally  and effectively fulfil the role of “fishers of men”. "Fishing" will take on a whole new dimension! In contrast to Offline church where everything revolves around the church, tithes and offerings are brought into the church and the church is empowered to manage it as it sees fit. Usually, big portions are set aside for buildings, administrations and staffing.

 

Again, I have need to state my stand. I am not suggesting our current church model is wrong. In any organization, there is a need for hierarchy and management. As long as there is transparency and accountability, it can function well. I am just bringing to your attention the concept of Online church the way I see it. Church in Acts was a powerful movement until it was institutionalized. There is a big difference between a river and a lake. In my personal opinion, I see the need for church today to go hybrid if we are going to be effective and relevant for the future.

Offline church's primary responsibility is towards its congregation. As can be seen in this pandemic, the immediate response of the church was to find ways to reach out and stay in touch with its congregations. It dedicated much of its resources towards its congregations. Online church on the other hand, do not incur much expense. It is simple, duplicable, and not in need for big budgets, either for start-ups or maintenance as it is a church without buildings. Its primary responsibility is the harvest fields. Online church do not gather. It decentralize. That's the power of the internet. It connects people via social media no matter where or when. Most people are engaged in social media. The church needs to hop on board. We need to go to sea in order to fish.

On the side, let me emphasize the fact that although anyone can start a “church” (as in Ecclesia) online, we must not neglect working with others. In the spirit of the Bible, we practice servant hood - the attitude of stewardship and accountability. I do not condone independent spirit. We are designed by God to interact with others. We are stronger when we walk and work together. The smallest unit of accountability must be towards at least two or three. There is safety in numbers. The devil is prowling and looking for the stray aways. Online church is not meant to be an independent entity. As churches sprung up in Jerusalem and other regions, they still move together as a single unit. The apostles formed a council (not an organization) and cultured a spirit of check and balance. The apostles travelled to where Christians had gathered and they preached and taught the Word. The early Christians allowed themselves to come under an umbrella of safety, of check and balance as they yield to the counsel and influence of the apostles. Somehow, by the Holy Spirit, like the starfish, they were able to move as a single unit of hearts and minds. Today, it is hard for us to imagine a church without hierarchy. It is even harder to see the church as a movement because mostly, churches work independently of each other. Perhaps this pandemic has shaken the church a little. we need to rediscover church and fall back to the core of its existence. Try envisioning the church Jesus initiated. To me, it does look different from the church we know today.

I am sure you would have questions popping into your mind. You can post it in the comments section. Next week, I will write about engaging. The Online church seeks to engage, not attract. It practices the “School of Elisha” - a concept I introduced into Vineyard some years back. God bless.