I recently sent an email to our Parish Council, expressing gratitude for those who are supporting the ministry of livestreaming our Sunday worship. My email triggered an exchange which, with my correspondent’s permission is copied below:

From: Christopher Page
To PC – On Dec 6, 2021

Subject: Re: livestream

While I understand that Youtube stats don’t mean much, it is possible they also don’t mean absolutely nothing.

I have no idea how many actual viewers there were at the time of yesterday’s livestream of the service but, since the service was posted, Youtube has recorded 44 views of our worship, which may not mean much.

But what does mean something is an email I received today from a person I know was not present in-person at the service. It said in part:

“I just wanted to thank you for another wonderful sermon yesterday expressing so much of how I feel at the moment. Trying to hold both the presence and the absence and to acknowledge that both can be held together. The sadness and the joy….the agony and the relief….all of it.”

This person would not have received this encouragement without the ministry of those who make livestream possible.

Thank you, 

Christopher 

To: Christopher Page

Subject: Re: livestream

It’s an interesting and perhaps problematic transition in the long run.

There are two different things going on with the livestream.  The first is a location shift from in-person to virtual. The second is a possible time shift from here and now to whenever you want.  So it is now possible for people to attend St. Philip whenever is convenient for them and not just at the appointed time (and place).

So, all this is ‘different’ and it will take a while to stabilize on a new model going forward and understand the new reality of church attendance. I personally don’t know what to make of it and appreciate strengths and demerits in all directions.

From: Christopher Page 
Subject: Re: livestream

Indeed. Good thoughts. 

I am aware of times when people are going through a particularly dark and difficult time. I see the church community rallying around bringing meals, praying, caring, running errands, visiting, etc. etc. in ways I am not sure an online “community” can provide. 

Christopher 

To: Christopher Page
Subject: Re: livestream

It’s the difference between “church as a service” and “church as a community”. The community demands engagement, is inconvenient, often frustrating but based on the reality of interacting with other people, walking through life with them, caring, nurturing and helping. The core of humanity, it takes effort. The service tends to reduce church to a commodity – something we may deeply value and cherish but in the end something that demands nothing from us, except some sort of payment to ensure the service continues to be provided.  I know I’m painting caricatures. 

From: Christopher Page  
Subject: Re: livestream

yes to all of this. 

But I hope it is not a choice between community or “the service.” Community without the service seems to me to risk becoming nothing more than a club for nice people with good values.

To: Christopher Page
Subject: Re: livestream

Just to be clear, I refer to the service as “church as a service” similar to “software as a service” (you don’t buy software, install it, maintain it any more – you just pay a monthly fee and it works) or “car as a service” (you don’t buy a car and maintain it any more, you just pay a monthly fee and drive your car, everything else is looked after and periodically you get a new one).  

I’m not referring to the church service, but to the emerging trend of ‘church as a service’. In both the community and “…as a service” models the service ie the act of gathering in worship and teaching, is the central activity.  Confusing, I know.

I think the trouble we are seeing is that we have not realized this shift from community engagement to service delivery is happening, and are still presuming that “church as a service” can be delivered using the same approach and resources as “church as a community”. It can’t.

Further, I think the majority of our congregation is becoming well used to the “…as a service” model for the vast majority of the things they engage in – the community model is obsolete and the suggestion they engage in it is likely quite foreign to the way they “show up”.

Is this the trend we are experiencing?  

From: Christopher Page  
Subject: Re: livestream

Wow! this is brilliant. Sorry the service/“service” distinction completely escaped me. My knee jerk reaction in church life is of course to equate “service” with worship. I see that we are talking about worship and “resource provider”.

So, I guess the question is, if in the church we make the “shift from community engagement to service delivery” is anything of church left?  

c.

To: Christopher Page

Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Subject: Re: livestream

I’ve been noodling about this transition to ‘church as service provider’ for a while, and Covid has pushed the point. It’s not surprising to me that some people love the “service” of providing the service, and it may be this is the future. The trouble is that I think we now have two not terribly compatible models of church to deal with.