4 Disadvantages of Online Church Services.
For the sake of our spiritual growth,
there are some realities we shouldn’t accept in our Christian faith, and that includes us forsaking the gathering of the saints to attend our ‘Online Church’.
Author: David Oletu (DCM)
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic shook the whole world, rendering everyone isolated,
many minds haven’t yet gotten over some discoveries that were made during that dreaded time.
For instance, the online church for Christians!
Who could have thought that church services could still be held then, despite how everyone was restricted from going out?
No one!
The church came up with the idea to use social media space to broadcast their services online,
where the pastor would simply sit in front of the camera from his house to deliver his message to his congregants, who are watching live either on Facebook or Zoom.
The COVID-19 pandemic opened our eyes to the reality that sometimes we do not need to meet in person to have a fruitful meeting when online spaces such as Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook Live, and the like exist.
Now, people can comfortably sit in their homes to join any meeting from any part of the world.
How beautiful!
Today, even as the pandemic is over, many Christians have become so comfortable experiencing their Sunday church services online,
coming up with numerous excuses that God can bless anyone from anywhere, distance is not a barrier, etc.
4 Disadvantages of Online Church Services.
While those claims may be true, in Christendom, attending your church online should not be encouraged, and below are four reasons:
Hebrews 10:25 KJV
[25] not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
- You will easily get distracted: While you are at home streaming online, you are at liberty to do whatever you want when the service is going on.
You may claim to be a very disciplined person who will stay online till the end, but as far as you are human, that is not possible.
You shouldn’t even think of its possibility for the sake of your spiritual growth.
For instance, who will wake you up when you ‘doze’ off when the service is going on?
Or, while your phone data is on, to stream the service on social media or other online platforms,
-do you think you will be able to avoid responding to some other official or business messages you get on your social media chat box?
All these may sound funny, but anything can happen.
A true disciplined believer will step out on Sundays to church when there is absolutely nothing hindering him or her.
You won’t function well when you are not in the right place which will help you stay disciplined in your course.
COVID-19 was a general issue, where every believer had a common mind to improvise using such online platforms.
Now that it has long been over, why should everyone be in church for service while you are at home trying to stream online?
That is a big distraction, which you must avoid!
4 Disadvantages of Online Church Services.
- You cannot be pastored online: Many people have this mentality that once they start following a particular pastor’s preaching online, the pastor is automatically their pastor.
That is a lie.
The sheep know their shepherd, and the shepherd knows his sheep.
The reality is that you don’t know the pastor; you only watch his or her messages online.
For the sake of your spiritual growth, you must submit to a spiritual leader.
You may claim that it is difficult to have access to your pastor due to how big your church is.
But the truth is that a pastor is not ignorant of the needs of his sheep.
That is why in most churches, we have cell leaders, Sunday school teachers, house fellowship pastors, etc., that can help you grow more spiritually.
So, you can’t submit to an online pastor effectively, nor will the online pastor even have the chance to respond to you online when he has his people to feed.
Know your pastor in person and be where he is and where he has placed you!
4 Disadvantages of Online Church Services.
- You will render yourself useless to the body of Christ. It is God’s desire to see his children serve in his vineyard.
How can you make yourself useful in God’s vineyard when you are always streaming online?
You may say that, after all, you pay your Tithes and offerings to the church account every Sunday, so what else do they need you for?
Your money is not enough; your time and skill are also needed to do God’s work.
- You will miss supernatural relationships with others: A church is a gathering of believers, where believers come and get edified by each other through the word of knowledge and prayers.
So, it’s possible you go to church and get blessed by a member of the body of Christ.
This is one reason the gathering of the saints should not be neglected.
Also, on a lighter note, to those who have been single for years, how would you possibly meet your future partner when all you rely on all your life is online meetings?
As funny as that may sound, it’s something worth considering in our online world.
You should make it a habit not to miss any church meetings so you can relate to other members of the body of Christ.
You may end up being a blessing to them, and they may end up being a blessing to you.
That is how iron sharpens iron.
In conclusion, you may want to disagree with the points made in a bid to firmly face the reality that the world is now digital, hence stress-free.
For the sake of our spiritual growth, there are some realities we shouldn’t accept in our Christian faith,
and that includes us forsaking the gathering of the saints to attend our ‘online church’.
Also Read: Love Letters to My Daughters – Diademng (thediademng.org)
4 Disadvantages of Online Church Services.
Business dicker This was beautiful Admin. Thank you for your reflections.