Dude, Beam me up

When we visit family in Florida, we often attend a church which is a satellite of a mega-church in Ft. Lauderdale.

After local announcements, singing accompanied by a live band, and prayer led by the satellite’s pastor, a giant screen descends from the ceiling. At that point, we see and hear the sermon being delivered by the pastor of the parent church some thirty miles away. It is always a great sermon, and we get the same message as if the preacher were actually in the sanctuary with us, but, for me, something is lost.

This idea, taken to the extreme, would make it possible for a few dozen preachers to deliver sermons to all of the churches in the country on Sunday morning.

With today’s technology, we could even watch from home in high definition without having to drive to the meetinghouse. We could time-shift, allowing us to watch when it is convenient for us, freeing us from a rigid time schedule.

This is all technically possible, but would it be church?

Teleconferencing is common in business today, and some people are able to telecommute, doing their jobs from home without ever going to an office, but could we telecommute to church? I think not.

There is something special about coming together in the presence of each other and of our pastor which technology can never replace. Progress is inevitable and we should embrace it when it serves us, but may we never allow it to displace that which is fundamental to our lives.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?