Will at home church stick around?

[Lamb]

A lot of people are still doing church at home by watching videos or streaming services live. Do you think this will stick around for a while? Do you think that even after Covid passes along that people will request that the services still be streamed or broadcast on video so people can stay home? There are a lot of elderly and sick who would benefit from it.

 

[tango]

I seriously hope not. Although it can be useful for those who have a specific reason why they can't get out, it seems to represent a really soft option - a "commitment lite" version of church. You can check in, or not, and not be accountable to anyone. Nobody necessarily even knows if you're there or not. It breaks part of the sense of community within a church - if you're just a tiny little icon on a screen nobody can see if you're engaging, nobody can see if you're leaving early or tearful or struggling with something. Nobody can reach out to you because you get a soft option to just hide.

For those who see church as a product to be consumed at will it works well. For those who see church as a community who come together to support each other where you give as well as take, it doesn't seem to work anywhere near as well.

 

[NewCreation435]

there are already enough sermons online to last a person's lifetime and then some if they don't want to go to a church building. Even if not another one is added.
I think some people will stay at home, but probably most will go back to in person services.