Have some Christians gotten a little too comfortable worshiping at home in their pajamas?
Trey Morgan asks that half-serious question about livestreamed services.
“You honestly have to wonder,” said Morgan, senior minister for the Childress Church of Christ, a thriving Texas congregation halfway between Amarillo and Wichita Falls.
When COVID-19 prompted the cancellation of in-person assemblies in March 2020, countless churches turned to internet platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Zoom to connect and encourage members.
Some congregations made the “rip and sip” communion cup — a small wafer contained atop a tiny cup of grape juice — available for members to pick up during the week. Other Christians bought juice and prepared their own unleavened bread.
Two years later, most congregations have reopened their buildings, but overall attendance remains down from previous levels — often by as much as one-third to one-half, a Christian Chronicle survey found.
While some leaders worry about Christians forsaking physical gatherings, a majority of those surveyed said they see benefits to maintaining virtual options — especially for the immunocompromised, shut-ins and traveling members.
“My husband and I are elderly and sickly, so we really appreciate being able to participate in worship with our congregation via YouTube,” said Bettye Garrett, a member of the Rolling Hills Church of Christ in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.
“Otherwise, we would miss worship most of the time,” she added. “Personally, it will never replace in-person worship. I especially miss singing.”
Morgan, the Texas preacher, describes livestreaming as an excellent tool for outreach, in addition to its benefits to members.
At the Childress church, average attendance has declined just slightly since the coronavirus became a concern. It’s now about 350, down from 375, Morgan said.
“We’ve added several new families to our church in the past year who began watching online,” he said. “We will continue to livestream for the foreseeable future.”
Still, the minister worries about members who have stayed away for reasons other than health concerns.
“I’m afraid at times we may make it too easy for people to skip fellowship and just sit at home if they don’t want to get up and around,” Morgan said. “Church and people were created for fellowship. While online worship is convenient and necessary, it can also be tempting when it comes to being lazy.”
One church’s livestreaming experience
Elsewhere in the Lone Star State, online services for the Tolar Church of Christ, about 45 miles southwest of Fort Worth, began with elder Wes Ives and his wife, Lisa.
“The first few months, we actually filmed from a tripod and my iPhone,” said Lisa Ives, one of about 250 readers who responded to the Chronicle’s online survey. “Now we have a great system on our computers at the building that works well for our small congregation.”
Ives said her family usually chooses to attend church in person. After all, her husband typically leads worship.
At the same time, Wes Ives is a firefighter and sometimes must work on the Lord’s Day.
6 Responses
Most of us who started community home churches/ministries, over the past 20 months, will continue to do so without any pastors/churches that shut down any worship, out reach, or assistance for the at risk during the lock down. They said listen to Ceaser, stay home, we are powerless to serve God during this difficult time, and you are on your own until Ceaser tells us differently.
People who had been taking pastors/churches at their word most of their lives, really opened/read their Bibles (alone and in groups) for the first time in years during the lock down. They have discovered the churches/pastors do not practice what they preach or they expect the congregation to live a standard they themselves do not follow.
The churches are reaping what they sowed, are now complaining because their inaction’s woke up a lot of the congregations about who they truly serve, and people are no longer buying whatever the pastors are now selling.
The tone deaf, dismissive attitude in this article and that I’m hearing from many church members on social media and in person is one of the many reasons people left their pre-pandemic churches. They aren’t all still at home worshiping online, many attended different churches virtually and found better ones they now attend in person.
“ …gotten a little too comfortable worshiping at home…”
“…forsaking physical gatherings…”
“…we may make it too easy for people to skip fellowship and just sit at home if they don’t want to get up and around…”
“….online worship is convenient and necessary, it can also be tempting when it comes to being lazy…”
Asking questions about why they didn’t come back to those particular congregations and listening to the answers rather than automatically bearing false witness against people would be a good start. That’s a character trait lacking in many evangelical (and probably other types of) churches.
Some cold hard realities for not attending their pre-pandemic church after lockdown:
1. Many people left churches that became primarily political rather than primarily Christian.
2. Some had been in churches that are spiritually unhealthy. (See any article or podcast here at this website for examples.)
3. Lockdown and online worship made them realize they never lost a sense of church community because their pre-pandemic church never had one.
4. Many attended out of habit or cultural reasons, not out of the devotion that results from regeneration, because they have never been regenerated.
I definitely agree with Lisa on most of what she has said, especially reason #4, for why people haven’t returned to Church. I think also, Churches need to honestly evaluate their ministry and pray for the Lord’s guidance. Amazingly, we’ve lost some people and have seen a new group come in. Perhaps God is simply telling us that the Pandemic is an opportunity for a fresh start for many Churches.
I agree and appreciate Lisa’s response. The assumptions about why people do (or do not) attend sessions in person run rampant in this article and in the attitudes, threads, and comments on this topic.
A good way to handle this is for believers – those in ministry and in congregations – to personally reach out. Instead of assuming, talk to those who attend live AND those who attend virtually. Inquire about their needs, interests, and prayer requests.
In addition to helping care for a mom who is immunocompromised, I also picked up a second job (to help pay medical bills) that often required me to work right before or after services. I am grateful for the ability to log into online services with my mom, or to listen to the sermon while commuting to my job. I regularly pray and thank God for how technology has made such access possible.
It saddens me that there are so many of my fellow believers making assumptions on why I’m not in service, and turning their noses up at increased accessibility to praise and worship. Many of us need it; it is our spiritual lifeline.
I agree with you, Lisa. Well said.
My mother in law was living with me while she was dying of cancer and she would watch services from Duke Chapel every Sunday. This was before Covid. I still remeber the tears of gratitutde she had for the programs which brought her much comfort in her final days.