Friday
Jan292010
How will the church look like and operate in the future?
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 6:37AM 
Q. Now a question for you.......How do you think the church will look like and be operating in the future? ..... Personally, I think it can operate on a web basis with meeting events on a fortnightly, monthly, evening basis. well, just a lot different to how it is going now. Im not sure if, with the way our lives have developed today, church can continue in the same way, or if people need 'Church' when they need it (instant gratification with WEB), rather than Sunday Morns/Eve nite in week and nothing the rest of the time. I will look forward to your reply. Have a lovely day!(Name Withheld).
A. Hi ... An awesome an thanks for asking me and provoking thought. Here's my thoughts
1. I think pastors today have a big challenge. They must provide better revelation, community and entertainment than the web. Those 3 factors will determine whether folks value church more than online church. If folks have a great ''experience'' online more than they do in traditional church they simply wont go to church.
2. Secondly I believe its really important to have church simply because we as humans are made for community. Recent studies show that folks today are more disconnected from community than ever before. We chat but dont connect. We build communities but dont have real relationships. We have internet cyberfriends but no offline real friends. Imagine being maried to a cyberhusband ???
3. Thirdly theres nothing like the real thing? where you can get down have a ball, experience real people and see God move in a corporate gathering. I can't imagine the 17-21 year olds 'not' going to cardifff night clubs anymore because they can have music from itunes and buy booze online, and, neither can the church. Why, we love the company of our friends. Further I rather have fun and church with my friends than just be online with them! nothing can replAce the real thing, but we can and must reinvent the way we have church.
4. When we dont go to chruch we can rob each other of what's inside us, gifts prophecies encouragement etc there's nothing like a personal conveyance of these things when we are together. something that cannot be duplicated 'with the anointing' online.
5. The church should have church in both worlds, the web and in our community. We should conquer the two worlds and build a family on both, if we are to influence this generation and be effective. Finally the way we have church has been the problem not the church itself.... I think theres far more we can do to have a mega power church sunday night out...
A. Hi ... An awesome an thanks for asking me and provoking thought. Here's my thoughts
1. I think pastors today have a big challenge. They must provide better revelation, community and entertainment than the web. Those 3 factors will determine whether folks value church more than online church. If folks have a great ''experience'' online more than they do in traditional church they simply wont go to church.
2. Secondly I believe its really important to have church simply because we as humans are made for community. Recent studies show that folks today are more disconnected from community than ever before. We chat but dont connect. We build communities but dont have real relationships. We have internet cyberfriends but no offline real friends. Imagine being maried to a cyberhusband ???
3. Thirdly theres nothing like the real thing? where you can get down have a ball, experience real people and see God move in a corporate gathering. I can't imagine the 17-21 year olds 'not' going to cardifff night clubs anymore because they can have music from itunes and buy booze online, and, neither can the church. Why, we love the company of our friends. Further I rather have fun and church with my friends than just be online with them! nothing can replAce the real thing, but we can and must reinvent the way we have church.
4. When we dont go to chruch we can rob each other of what's inside us, gifts prophecies encouragement etc there's nothing like a personal conveyance of these things when we are together. something that cannot be duplicated 'with the anointing' online.
5. The church should have church in both worlds, the web and in our community. We should conquer the two worlds and build a family on both, if we are to influence this generation and be effective. Finally the way we have church has been the problem not the church itself.... I think theres far more we can do to have a mega power church sunday night out...
...Paul
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