Not so fast…
Earlier today I saw this post by Ron Edmondson. In it he gives a intriguing rationale for pastors being online in just seven words. I have to confess, though, I find myself unconvinced. I write that even as an enthusiastic advocate of online Christian presence. I have numerous concerns:
- Online relationships must have offline impact if they are to be of lasting value.
- If we go online because that is where the people are, what about those who are not? (8.5 million in the UK alone have never been online)
- Reaching and keeping are two very different things, as any Pastor will tell you. How do we nurture those whom we meet online when they need a physical pastoral presence?
- If we believe in the sacrament of pastoral presence – allowing God to be made manifest in the actions of his people, is there an online equivalent?
- Is there a danger of turning into digital giraffes?
I am grateful to Pastor Edmondson for his elegantly simple post – but there is a debate to be had!
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Hello, Richard – I understand your concerns and have considered them to a great extent over the years. Your spiritual development is probably like mine: before online ministry even existed, there were people who came into my life and planted seeds and made an impact before leaving while others down the road were clearly put in my path to disciple me to a deeper level for an extended period of time. As I’ve grown in my faith and relationship with God over the years I find that He’s using me in a similar way now – sometimes I am blessed to make a few spiritual connections with a person, and other times I receive the honor of being more involved in their spiritual life online or in a local setting.
It would be a tragedy for the church not to have an online presence. I don’t want the church to underestimate the value of planting seeds and nurturing relationships both online and offline. God can orchestrate local discipleship opportunities and online spiritual nurturing for each person who seeks Him. We make ourselves available in order to be part of this process since God is obviously connecting to lost people via online outreach efforts of the church. To indicate pastors don’t need to be online discounts the way peoples’ lives are being changed by online ministry. The fact remains, we the church need to draw from God’s creativity and prayerfully find additional ways to make local connections with those who are unwilling or unable to attend a local church.
God is sovereign. If we are taking the proper approach to online ministry by offering to meet people face to face where possible or helping them connect to trustworthy contacts in their area who could help them along, we place our faith in His ability to connect us as the body of Christ.
Dana – I am completely with you on this. It seems to me that the key is finding ways to responsibly bridge the online-offline gap.Both are valuable, and both have kingdom implications. In the end, though, discipleship must be inhabited in human flesh and not just their pixellated equivalent. May God continue to bless you in the wonderful online work you are doing.
I’ll enjoy this dialogue. Thanks!
Thanks, Richard. Some (very obvious) responses (which I’m sure you already know!):
I’ve heard people worry before that talking online excludes offline people. But talking in English excludes people who don’t speak English, and talking in London excludes people in Aberdeen. No one is suggesting evangelism should *only* happen online! Online is where many people do their spiritual searching – so that needs to be one part of Christian ministry.
As for digital giraffes – you should look at what really happens in digital ministry! I’ve seen conversations that are more honest and shocking than anything I’ve heard offline. Christians have always been tempted to be “church giraffes” – people who go to church once a week and pretend they are holy. Online ministry is one way to overcome that ancient problem.
Finally, don’t forget that online and offline are already connected, Talking to people online has just as much impact as talking face-to-face, and requires just as much real discipleship. There’s no such thing as “pixellated discipleship” or “an online relationship without offline impact” – the moment you get emotionally involved in something online, you’re already using your whole self, body and all.