"Thou Shalt Not Be Online During Worship"?

Face-booking and Twitter-ing during a worship service? Now that's (surprisingly) a first for me. Text-ing on a mobile during the sermon? Sure. Accessing an i-Bible during the Bible-reading? Why not.

But updating one's online status during the offering and before Communion? Hmm. With a growing percentage of worshippers owning PDAs' and i-Phones and, most importantly, bringing these to church, ignoring the issue would be unwise. Still, loads of reactions in the pipeline.

You can slam it for being disrespectful to God and the church, for invading the sacred with the cyber-secular (and very profane), for not being 'all there' for God, for not being able to give even those 2 hours to the kingdom without being distracted by the world (and its wide-web), for selling our your weekly fellowship with God to the altar of social media cum technology, for being unwilling to shed your worldly baggage to touch the divine, for not, in a word, wanting to worship truly.

Or, you can take an opposite extreme (or, in today's cool-scented parlance, polarity) and say that's what innovation for the kingdom is all about, that's the sacred growing on the secular, that's redeeming FB with the presence of worship (we don't, after all, know what the person is 'doing' on facebook whilst the sermon is on-going), that's 'infecting' technology with the spirit of worship, that's connecting the kingdom with the online community, that's ushering the online community into the Temple of God.

Neither is rock-solid. Who's to say that worshiping in "spirit and truth" (formerly the main criterion of Christian worship now rendered more complex than ever) is forsaken simply because the worshippr is updating his Profile? Conversely, if we can accept face-booking, why not bring in the burgers, the office, the TV and 'worship' at the same time?

Who's to say that unless we follow a precise liturgy we are not worshiping? Since when were all Christians bound by some theology of worship constructed in a specific place (usually continental Europe) at a certain time in the past (usually between the 14th and 16th century)? On the other hand, how would we distinguish a mere social gathering with a gathering of the people of God to worship, since traditional theological categories aren't binding anymore?

How far can technology work itself into the faith before "constructive infusion" becomes "alien invasion"? When does "being connected" become an anti-thesis to connecting with Being?

What will it be? "Thou shalt NOT Twitter during worship"? Or, "Twitter-ers Please Include the Latest Church Announcements"? (Go here for at least one point of view)

How Old is Your Church?

Had an interesting discussion with a dear friend last week about how pastors (and Church Council leaders) need to take a parental attitude towards the chuch congregation. Spiritual leaders can't (and shouldn't) avoid thinking like dads and mums when it comes to the welfare, nurturing and growth of their flock.

A point I raised was this: What's the age of the 'kid' in question? The parental metaphor and/concern is granted, but the more complex issue is whether or not the church is :

1. an infant who needs almost 24/7 care and spoon-feeding (think new rural or indigenous churches)
   
   
2. a teenager or young adult who's got lots to learn whilst seeking an identity and struggling with school/work/puberty/etc. (think new urban churches not predisposed to any particular theological framework)
   
   
3. adults who've already established themselves (think churches whose members have been with them for decades and with firm time-tested practices in place)

The best-case scenario is a young church with a vibrant missional spirit of out-reach and growth and learning. In such situations, a good dad would go about equipping his kids even more, encouraging them, etc. Also good is a grown-up church which is still growing strong spiritually.

The worst-case scenario is an old church who still behaves like a child, refusing to grow, to adapt, to impact the world in a more effective way than presently. If this is the case, then a responsible dad wouldn't spare the rod and big shake-up would be due.

So, again, how old is your church? And - if you're one of the leaders - how are your parenting skills?