We woke up to news of church services being canceled all over the region. The snow was not bad, but the roads are steep and curvy. As the Russian proverb says, "The church is near, but the way is slippery. The tavern is far, so I will walk carefully."
We had our regular Sunday worship service, with attendance from across the country, perhaps across the world.
Any church can broadcast free over the Internet, using a fairly new computer, a $75 camera, broadband, and Ustream. Many members have the broadband to watch the service, whether broadcast from the chapel at home or from the church.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Snow Did Not Cancel Our Service":
Compare this with Freddy’s story “If we build it, they will come.” Almost any congregation can get online and begin sharing the Word. Yet, hardly any do so. Why? Evidently it is not as rewarding to the pastors – the same pastors who keep talking about doing the work of the Lord.
There are a multitude of possible reasons including the following:
1. Monuments & Recognition. Tangible objects like buildings provide monuments to their efforts.
2. Metrics, Peer Pressure & Group Think. Synod places a high value on buildings and judges pastors accordingly.
3. Supporting Membership. A web-based ministry does not increase the headcount – again very important in the synod. You end up giving away the Word and get nothing in return.
4. Outreach. Most pastors will do anything to avoid doing outreach either directly or indirectly.
5. Myth. Pastors subscribe to the false belief that buildings bring in lost souls thereby saving souls and the church.
