start online-only ministries<\/a> from the jump, seeing an opportunity to attract diverse congregations while freeing themselves from the financial burden of physical buildings. Many religious traditions see the online space as a “new mission field” to reach people who otherwise wouldn’t be drawn to worship, Thumma said.<\/p>\n Life.Church, a pioneer in the digital space and creator of the YouVersion Bible app, has been holding online church services since 2006 “as a way to reach people who might not otherwise come to church,” one of its pastors, Bobby Gruenewald, said in an email. Life.Church has also created an online streaming platform it offers to other churches free of charge, Gruenewald said, and has seen an explosion of demand during the pandemic. The platform helps churches go “beyond one-way video streaming” and offers chat translation, a donation function and ways to connect congregants with service opportunities and small-group meetings.<\/p>\n
But providing a fully online platform for worship poses unique challenges. Thumma said that virtual worshippers can very easily become spectators, watching a service without fully participating and being present in the religious service. In January, a New York Times column drew heated debate by calling for a return to in-person worship, arguing people “need physical touch and interaction,” but Thumma said community can be formed online — it’s just a matter of putting in the effort to make it happen.<\/p>\n
“How do you move from just watching to actually being involved, actually engaging with people, actually getting committed enough to give money and to do service and volunteer and things?” Thumma said. “And I think that’s going to be a challenge for clergy.”<\/p>\n
There are also theological considerations particular to each religious tradition when it comes to worshipping online. While many Catholic churches streamed Sunday Mass during the strictest of the pandemic shutdowns, sacraments such as Holy Communion cannot be taken virtually. Pope Francis has said “spiritual communion” that can be done without physically eating bread and drinking wine should not be considered a replacement.<\/p>\n
Jews, meanwhile, have had to grapple with whether gathering virtually counts toward a minyan, the quorum of 10 required to conduct a prayer service. While members of the Jewish Reform movement embraced remote worship long before the pandemic, Conservative Jews have also had to decide whether it’s acceptable to congregate over Zoom on Shabbat, the day of rest that usually forbids technology use. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, which provides guidance for the Conservative movement, allowed Zoom worship as a temporary measure during the pandemic but says that “guidance for post-COVID times is currently under discussion.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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