You Can’t Live-Stream Church, But You Can Live Stream Some Things

My last post stated that you cannot livestream the church, which may have raised some questions about what churches are doing during our pandemic situation.  Is it wrong to livestream a service and have people watch it?  

Let’s step back a few paces and work up to that question.  Let’s start with the bigger concept of technology. Is it wrong to use technology?  That is actually just a modern way of asking if it is wrong to use tools. The answer is: not necessarily.  Which meansyou can use tools in a wrong way, and you can use tools in a good way.  

Presently, we use technology in all kinds of ways in our church.  We text and email and call one another. We project lyrics during our singing.  We have spreadsheets and software for organization. We facetime our missionaries.  There will be more and more ways technology helps the ministry of the church.  

But since technology can be used in bad ways, we need to be cautious.  Texting may be a bad idea if you need a big conversation. Email may be a bad idea if you need an eye-to-eye conversation.  A phone call may be a bad idea for heavy issues. Virtual communion would be bad, and an app that prays for you is ridiculous.  Technology cannot do everything. It needs to be used wisely.  It is not a matter of if it can be used, but should it be used and in what ways.  Can you squeeze a watermelon through a straw? You can certainly get some through it.  But to attempt to get all of it though is going to be extremely difficult, messy, and time consuming.  It is the wrong tool for the job.  

But what if you have no other tools to use?  That is where we are in this pandemic. Most churches wisely are not meeting together presently.   So while the church cannot get the whole watermelon of ministry through the straw of technology, there is some that will go through.  Those parts that go through have value, as small as they may be. 

The danger, I fear, is that some will begin to think that this really is a good way to do church.  There is a strong fleshly impulse that accords with the Burger King philosophy: Have it Your Way.  Church through technology feeds the mindset that I can get teaching when and how I want it, I can get interaction when and how I want it, I can get direction when and how I want it, I can get worship when and how I want it, etc.  The gathered church is the ordained way to assault that very impulse. You gather with people who don’t do things when and how you like it. You have to die to yourself when you go to church. You have to interact with people who are being led by the Spirit to speak to you and spur you on in ways that are not how you like it.  Sometimes the people of your church will bless your socks off. Other times you will want to strangle them with your sock. Technology allows you to filter all of that, or at least turn it off with the click of a button. But the Spirit of God wants to use the close and personal presence of people to expose, sharpen and purify you.  Gathering together is the physical act of submitting to the Spirit and His decision for when and how he uses people in your life.  

So is it wrong to live stream your church.  It’s wrong because you can’t do it. You can’t squeeze all that the Spirit is doing through each person through a video feed.  We must keep “church” distinct from the elements that happen when the church meets. You can’t live stream church but you can live stream a sermon.  Is it wrong to live stream a sermon? Like any tool, it may or may not be. It would be wrong to stream a sermon if that encouraged people to try to get the ministry of the church at home. A church should not facilitate that mindset and that is the danger of using a tool like this.  But it would not be wrong if it helped shut-ins stay connected in some little way. Since we are all shut-ins right now, live streams can be a help. A little bit of the watermelon of ministry can get through and that is better than nothing. But the church must be vigilant to keep people from thinking that this is church.  There is something way better and way more important than what comes through any screen.