The internet has changed just about everything that we do in our lives and religion is no different. For years now many churches such as my own the Westside Family Church has taken to the internet to create a better service for worshippers and it has given us many benefits and improvements to how we go about our beliefs.
In my view, churches like my own have greatly improved how we give thanks and praise and how we worship and I wanted to talk a little today about the important aspects, in my view, that internet-based worship has changed and altered our faith.
Community
The church has always been a community and it is the place where we come together as one to worship the Lord. When churches like Westside took to the internet they were instantly able to reach out to the largest community in the world, the internet, and help worshippers to feel more included. We are always taught that our community is about a much wider group of people than those who worship in the same building and the internet has given us the chance to reach wide and far in bringing together fellow believers.
Education
There is only so much that you can learn on your own when reading through holy books and scriptures and for many years we relied on the religious leaders at our churches, to share knowledge with us about our faith. One of the greatest benefits about the internet-based church is that we now have access to a wide range of teaching from a huge variety of different people which means that we can further our knowledge with ease. One thing that I like most about the Westside church website for example is that it consistently raises questions and doubts about our faith and seeks to constructively find answers for them through debate and discussion.
Round the Clock
No matter where you are in the world, you can come together and worship though the power of the internet and the 24/7 church has been one of the greatest benefits of using the internet for religious purposes. Whatever your situation is, you can find answers through the use of church websites and mine can even put you in touch with someone if you would like someone to pray with, perfect for those who feel alone.
Spreading the Word
We have always been taught that we should spread God’s message and we are now able to do that in a huge way thanks to social media, YouTube and individual websites. The church has the power to use the internet to share God’s love and his message with just the click of the button and we can reach millions of people around the world. Faith has become stronger and more inclusive since the invention of the internet and long may it continue.