There persists several lines of thought on annoyance of online church. This is getting repetitve but it is worth repeating:
- Some prefer not to be “on webcam”, or see other people on webcam, during a service
- Interaction in church is a good thing, not replaceable by “online”
- Negative connotation of “have” and “have not”
There is a sense, too, that we are much less at a lost about COVID-19; the scale of total lockdown might be an answer to minimise transmission, but this has other impact such as health care, education, and the economy.
Churches that have done online services of various forms are likely to continue doing this for the coming months, while COVID-19 is still at a significant level. It is important to reinforce the care and support for those in our congregation who prefer to come on-site, and those who prefer not to, and also those who could not decide what is best for them and for others.
There is rarely anything that is “easy”, and bear in mind, we are people of God, and our spiritual journey is about going against not flesh and blood but the power of darkness, with the victory that is already in Jesus. Preparing our premises for outreach event (coffee morning, parent and toddler, Messy Church etc.) is a difficult task. Getting our programmes and buildings accessible for all is difficult too, in some cases having to fulfil legislative requirements. Some may not treat the “online church” in the same way as these other aspects of church activities; in any case, consider that online church can be an annoying distraction, but while we have the need for it, we should endeavour to do our best.
