TV Church: Effective Outreach or Temptation?
Many churches today have television ministries. You can watch an entire worship service from a wide variety of denominations and independent evangelists from the comfort of your home. Is this an effective outreach or a temptation?
Television church is an excellent resource for those who are ill and homebound or in the hospital. It brings the church to the individual who cannot attend. This is an obvious benefit. Television is able to reach so many more people than the church can hold. Surely this would be a benefit. We are getting the WORD out! Television church allows someone a preview of the experience should they actually attend. You get to see how big it is, see how people dress and behave, and decrease anxiety about fitting in should you attend. You can sample the preaching and music to find a church that fits your tastes and interests. All this seems very beneficial.
Broadcasting gets the WORD to those who would not even consider entering a church (yet), other than for a wedding or funeral. Does it? How many non-church goers or “non-believers” tune in to Christian television? Then again, perhaps just in surfing the dial they might catch a word that grabs their attention or speaks to a need. Certainly it has potential to reach someone with good news. Isn’t it better to have Christian options available than wait for people to come to the church?
So how could it be a temptation? Many of us can remember the temptation that broadcast evangelism presented to the evangelists themselves. Jim Bakker and Word of Faith scandals come to mind. There are those televangelists who see themselves more as media figures than servants of God. There are musicians and “producers” who likewise confuse their role and calling, so the message can get mixed depending on the messenger (which is true of every preacher as well).
There are Christians who no longer attend church, although physically able, because they can get a spiritual fix right in their own homes in the comfort of sweats or PJs, with a cup of coffee and a side of the Sunday paper. No fuss, no gas cost, no parking hassle, no volunteering pressure and no offering. Sure there is always the appeal for funds and the sale of the CDs, but it’s a hope that we’ll buy, not an expectation that we’ll give. It’s a low commitment form of church! Perhaps, we could call it Church of the Observer.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe there is a place for Christian television. Let’s just not call it church. Church is about community. It is about the worship of God in the context of the community of God’s people. There is energy about being in church (at least in good worship) that cannot be transmitted across media to an observer. It’s just not the same. There’s no question if it’s “live or Memorex” here.
Don’t fall for the temptation of seeing Christian television as a convenience to avoid having to get up and shower on Sunday morning. Let Christian television prod us into wanting to be with a group of God’s people – in person. It doesn’t matter if it is Sunday morning or Wednesday night or Saturday night or a weekday early morning prayer breakfast. Let Christian television be a spiritual snack rather than your main meal. Get out of bed and get to church. Get into relationship with God AND with God’s people!