The Church is scattered across the web every day, and in almost every part of the world. The scattered church is opposite to the gathered church. There’s nothing complex going on here.
When Christian believers meet for occasions of worship and fellowship this is what is meant by the church gathered. When these meetings are dispersed, then we are ‘scattered’ into the world to live out our calling in and for the world.
The church, represented as the community of believers everywhere is therefore present (though never entirely so) in all places that Christians are to be found. Millions of Christians can be found on the web, as cyber residents living in, and creating alternative virtual worlds.
Thus the church is also scattered across the web. The church offline has still not fully grasped the implications of this reality. Hopefully, when we come awake we will see the need to do a different and better job of being church in the the world in general, and in cyberspace in particular. Furthermore, in being the church on the web we must do a better job of being the church than we have been doing off the internet.
Here are 10 Tips that should help us in carrying out this task in developing and maintaining the presence of the church on the Internet. The list is hardly original. They are more like reminders, and my own experiences that I am sharing with you.
1. Remember who you are. The web offers a kind of anonymity that gives persons the freedom to become what they secretly desire to be. Is who you are, or are becoming, on the internet consistent with your offline identity. And does it reflect a more Christlike person?
2. Be smart not stupid about giving out personal and sensitive information. Yes, the Bible does says, ‘Thou shall not lie.” Please don’t take that to mean that you are to dumb and divulge all your personal details to strangers. And by the way, don’t feel that people should trust you with their details just because you tell them you are a Christian.
3. Be honest in your dealings especially in dating and conducting business. These are two areas where many Christians hope to find greater success online than they have offline. Ethical considerations should never be thrown out the window to ‘get what you want’. Pretending to be someone or something else is dishonest offline and equally so online.
4. Clarify your motives for being where you are. Is this place wholesome? What is your agenda for being where you are? If this isn’t the kind of neighbourhood you’d be hanging out in real life, then what am are you doing there? Research huh?
5. Be genuine towards others. Too many fakes are offline. Even in church we are sometimes nothing more than superficial ‘friends’. The web, and especially “Social Networks” offers the perfect setting to create alternative identities and superficial ‘friendships’ and “communities” very often lacking in depth.
If you don’t want to be known as a fake in the offline world, why should you strive to be considered as such online? Genuine people prefer dealing with other genuine people. Cut the act, and be real.
6. Be mindful of the impact of your actions. Be aware that you are influencing persons on the Internet just as you do in offline world. Watch how you are affecting the lives of others especially the young and otherwise vulnerable. Consider that you are, and determine whether your impact has been negative or positive.
7. Live and share your faith in humility and love. Don’t go jumping and stomping your faith all over people. People don’t like you being pushy offline. They will not like you pushy online. I am a Christian and I am not afraid to admit that I have had terrible experiences with arrogant Fundamentalist Christians who dominate the Net. If I am turned off, imagine persons who are not Christians.
8. Remember that you are a missioner. The internet offers one important thing for mission – you can “Go Ye into all the world” without leaving your bedroom, kitchen table or home office. Isn’t that wonderful! It certainly reduces the need to physically travel land and sea. Moreover it does not reduce the impact of the Gospel if we set out to teach by living what we preach both on and off the internet. Evangelistic outreach just got better when we truly befriend not bombard.
9. Be respectful of people’s rights and privacy. Usually, (hopefully) by permission you get to enter people’s homes and personal space. They do not slam their doors in your face as they probably would off the web. But don’t abuse that privacy. We do not have any right to SPAM mailboxes, or message boards. If it is illegal for the ‘world’ to SPAM, doing it in the name of Christ does not make it right and sullies the name of Christ.
10. Cultural ignorance is not cool. This is perhaps one of the biggest indictment against the scattered church on the web. The internet allows us access (literally) to a world of information where we can be informed about other cultures. Yet even as there is a great deal of cultural cross-pollination taking place, there is at the same time an appalling level of ignorance and intolerance as well.
Christians want to tell people about what we believe but we are not prepared to understand what others believe. Neither are we prepared to learn about other people’s culture beyond what the popular (often misinformed) news tell us.
I am a Christian and I am offended by the way some Christians make assumptions about me simply because I come from a certain part of the world. Worse, I am sometimes embarrassed and annoyed at some dominant voices who ‘know not and know not that they know not’. There is such glaring ignorance accompanied with a misplaced sense of cultural and religious superiority that is baseless that sometimes saddens me.
Where do you stand in light of these reminders?
Remember you, we, Christian believers all over are not just Christians when we gather in worship. You are representing the church in all your online dealings. Are you satisfied with your representation?
Check to see how many of these items you are already applying to your online presence and I hope we will all continue to make improvements where necessary.
Marvia
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Great Post! Useful reminders of stuff we forget.