Covid-19 and virtual church

Virtual church in a day of virus

There’s an old joke about the benefits of hospitals without sick people and schools without children.

How about a church without people?

That’s come to life recently because of the Covid 19 scare. As a public health measure, and in the light of official advisories to avoid large public gatherings, some churches have gone virtual. Bible talks, and even prayers and musical items are being posted online for members to access in asynchronous mode in the comfort and privacy of their own home or wherever they choose.

Such measures prompt the question, is it necessary to physically gather to be a church?

Let’s argue the case for virtual church.

The inbuilt cameras on smartphones can be used to record talking heads doing Bible talks, prayers etc and these can be posted on social media at little cost.  DIY music can happen through YouTube (and each can choose music to their taste – avoiding these pesky worship wars). Prayer requests and other responses can be collected through chat groups, where small group meetings can also be facilitated. Communion can be celebrated through individual wafer and juice packs delivered to the door and likewise for baptisms with vials of water drawn from the church taps. Funds can be collected through the electronic banking schemes that many churches are already using. All this enables a virtual gathering of God’s people, perhaps on a wider and more regular scale than may happen presently.

One advantage is cost. Churches can downsize their property holdings. Away with those large auditoriums, classrooms etc that are only used for limited hours per week. Away with the paid staff and volunteers who invest their time and energy to do physical setup, clean buildings, provide security and parking control, along with greeting people as they arrive and caring for them until they leave. Another advantage is security, in places where to attend church is risky or where governments practice building surveillance or simply forbid church attendance on pain of arrest. Yet another advantage is convenience. Church members travelling for employment or leisure can participate on a ‘whenever and wherever’ basis. Likewise for those in remote or institutional locations or those who are housebound with their own infirmity or that of those they care for.

In a setting with even modest technical affordances, there is a good utilitarian argument for virtual church. And in situations such as corona-virus or some of the just-mentioned special needs, there is much to be said for it. Maybe the day is not far off, or already is, when many churches will add an asynchronous virtual church package to their standard offerings.

And so we return to the earlier question? Is a physical gathering of God’s people necessary or preferable?

The quickest of concordance searches shows many references to church as God’s people physically gathered. (Try searching under the groups of words clustered around ‘assemble’ or ‘gather’). For example, Israel gathered before God on Mount Sinai to make covenant and receive the law (Exod 19:7f). They gathered to hear Ezra read and explain the same law after returning from exile (Neh 8:8ff). They gathered again to choose new leaders after the apostasy of Judas (Acts 1:15) and to pray when Peter was arrested (Acts 12:12). Such physical gatherings were not just in times of crises. Passages such as Acts 2:42-47and 1 Cor 14:26 suggest that physical gatherings were regular, involved the whole church and were the norm. Even given the technology of letter writing, John recognises that there are things best done face to face (2 Jn 13; 3 Jn 13). Paul longed to see  his readers (Eg, Rom 1:11; 2 Tim 1:4; 1 Thess 2:17).

Why is a physical gathering of church so desirable? The reasons are many. The 70% of communication that happens with body language happens best with physical proximity. That quick twinkle or moistening of an eye, furrowed brow, pause in response and sagging of the shoulders can be concealed even when a camera is used. The warm handshake, brotherly hug or simple touch on an arm that can signal “I’m here for you” can only happen in person. The encouragement that comes from gathered voices raised in prayer and praise is hard to replicate when we each sit in our own lounge room with headphones and splendid isolation. Indeed, there is much to be said for God’s people physically gathered.

So, by all means let’s use virtual church when public health, security and other circumstances prevent physical gatherings. However, just as we seek and await a face to face experience with the Lord (eg, Exod 33:11,18-23; Rev 22:14), let’s do all we can to gather with his people week by week (Heb 10:25).