CHURCH ALIVE

How the e-Church Works for Us

BY ALAN HESS

From the June 2010 issue of The Christian Science Journal

I'VE BEEN SURPRISED BY the unexpected possibilities of online services ever since our church began experimenting with them five years ago. At first I thought they would be fairly passive, like listening to a prerecorded Christian Science Bible Lesson over the phone. Instead they have added an entirely new dimension to our services and our church.

We've found that attending a service or meeting online can be much more than an emergency substitute when you can't attend a church service in person. On one level, online services meet the need of more people who simply want the comfort of hearing the Bible Lesson at a Sunday service, or the fellowship of reports of healing at Wednesday meetings. But they also allow more people to dive into the deep work of church, reaching out to our community and world, and cementing strong bonds of fellowship with our church family — all over the telephone line and the Internet! Online access has increased, not reduced, participation at our church's metaphysical and business meetings, too. It's actually increased our membership.

Our services can be accessed by both teleconference and via Skype on the Internet. Each has different advantages: the telephone is widely available to virtually anyone, while Skype is free and the sound quality is better. Either way, many people attending electronically report feeling the same love, the same communion with like-minded thinkers, and the same embrace by our church family as when they are present physically in the room. Many have reported healings of physical conditions while participating in our services online, just as have others attending in person.

These new media allow for two-way communication that, at its best, can be as good as speaking face to face. Certainly more and more people (and especially younger people) feel completely natural interacting with friends, family, and colleagues via cellphones, texting, or Facebook today. Even over the phone lines, the sense of immediacy, of "live" interaction, can be palpable. The sound quality can be so good that people giving testimonies online at Wednesday meetings sound as if they are right there in the room with us. In thought, they certainly are.

Several of our e-church (electronic church) attendees have become members. Even though they live in other states, they attend regularly by phone or internet, and are involved in our church's work. They host at services, engage in community outreach efforts, contribute to church business meetings, and even read on Wednesday meetings over the phone.

The e-church is one way that church can adjust to the way people live today. It allows church to remain a vital part of their daily lives. One of our members travels much of the year for her business, and yet through the Internet she can participate at church regularly, no matter what city she happens to be in on any Sunday or Wednesday.

To make the e-church a true two-way street for everyone, we've had to be creative; it's not just a "plug and play" operation. Each church using online media will have to adapt to their specific needs and conditions. Trying new ways to encourage the sense of inclusive love and participation at our services, we've updated our hardware to ensure a high quality of sound for those on the phone or Internet. We want them to be able to hear clearly, and to enjoy the music, which is so much a part of a Christian Science service.

CHURCH ALIVE offers reports from around the world on what Christian Scientists are doing to share their love for Christian Science with their communities. The views expressed in these reports are entirely those of the contributing authors.

We've also adapted our presentation to make sure those online feel included. We do this through the simple kindness of introducing ourselves. So we let people calling in give their names (if they want to), so that we can put a name to a voice. Those of us in the room also give our names when we are giving testimonies at Wednesday meetings for the same reason.

Patterns of living and communication are constantly advancing today. Church can clearly stay flexible as it rouses thought to spiritual understanding.

As a result, our online participants have definitely become a part of our church family. We rejoice in their victories, and we support them in their struggles, just like any member. Opportunities to pray for each other and to embrace each other in love are constant.

Ofcourse, we've also learned that the e-church is not for everyone. Many still prefer to attend in person. Some of those online call in simply to listen, just as do some of those who attend brick and mortar churches. That's their choice. They can be active as little or as much as they see fit. My hunch is that any participation in a living church is likely to lead, sooner or later, to a deeper desire to share the way it lifts and rouses human understanding in powerful and often unexpected ways.

And once someone wants to be fully engaged in the work of church —healing, embracing their community with love, putting on public services —today's electronic means of attending can often be just as effective as attending in person.

When we started, I hadn't suspected that a real sense of church community could grow over the phone lines. Now that we've opened our thought to that, we've seen the blessings of church spread.

Patterns of living and communication are constantly advancing today. Church can clearly stay flexible as it rouses thought to spiritual understanding. The fact that some people are present in our room, and some are present online, makes little difference. The sense of love, of connection, of common spirit, communicates just as effectively.

The live link is: https://journal.christianscience.com/issues/2010/6/128-6/how-the-e-church-works-for-us