You’ve heard of Web-based colleges and Internet stores, but what about a virtual church void of an actual physical church?
That idea may be a little too far from reality for most Alabama Baptists.
“I don’t think that is possible or biblical,” said Derek Gentle, pastor of First Baptist Church, Tallassee, and creator of the Web site www.baptiststart.com.
“A church is a group of believers, bound by a common relationship with Christ and committed to living in covenant together,” he said. “You can’t do that on the Internet.”
Yet while many churches are just beginning to utilize the Internet to strengthen their in-house ministries, others are leaving the church building entirely and making the Internet their one and only dwelling.
By being disconnected from any “traditional, organized church,” one Web-based church believes that it “can deal with biblical texts based on what’s actually there, rather than the traditional interpretations of what’s there.”
The site stated it is not a place to show off one’s ‘spirituality.’ “One of the biggest problems with a traditional church environment is that it may be hard to tell the difference between what we’re doing for God’s approval and what we’re doing for the approval of the congregation.”
Growing congregations
Many other Internet churches began as an outreach effort of a physical church and then branched out to become a completely separate entity.
Stephen Schwambach, pastor and founder of Zchurch.com, another virtual church, believes God called him to start this type of ministry, despite the religious community’s views of this kind of church.
He states, “Right now, almost nobody believes you can experience online everything God intended for His Church to be. Together, you and God and I are going to prove them wrong.”
Despite attempts of virtual churches to create a close-nit congregation online, some Alabama Baptist pastors believe that seekers of these types of sites deny themselves one of the vital parts of a physical church.
“I’m sure there are people who frequent these churches and services,” said Virgil Payne, retired pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Foley. “But I feel these people are missing out on the fellowship and service, and more importantly, the accountability found in a neighborhood church family.”
Cyber church
“First of all, you can’t observe the ordinance of baptism,” he stated. “Secondly, you can’t observe the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper and third, real fellowship requires proximity.”
Despite these views, this type of outreach is growing rapidly. According to a Barna Research Group study, by the end of the decade more than 10 percent of the population will rely entirely on the Internet for its entire spiritual experience, with millions dropping out of the physical church in favor of the cyber church.
Other Internet churches, including Virtual Church and Fellowship Church, believe that their existence is simply another method of using modern technological advancements to fulfill the Great Commission.
According to Gentle, Web-based churches may inspire more interaction than television ministries due to the nature of the Internet.
“But it is one thing to show your [church] services on your Web site; it is another to replace the local church,” he said.
Largely, Alabama Baptist pastors feel that virtual churches may be helpful to people who may not be able to attend a neighborhood church, but it should not be used as a substitute.
“There will always be a need for brick and mortar churches,” said Doug Chappelle, pastor of Valley Grande Baptist Church, Selma, formerly Central Baptist Church.
“The Internet can be a help to the local church but can never replace it,” Chappelle said.
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