Last night while watching the Lakers play the Celtics, a commercial came on advertising a local church. The preacher stood in an empty chapel and petitioned me to join him this Sunday either at the church or in the comfort of my own living room. The comfort of my own living room - interesting.
Seeing church on TV is nothing new to me. I am sure that most people are familiar with the ministry at Lakewood Church in Houston, and Joel Osteen has become a poster-child for this generation's "televangelists." His charisma is treasured by the thousands that attend his church and the thousands more that tune in from their couches. Because of this, when I think of church on TV, I think of a huge production.
The lights must be perfect. Camera angles must be perfect. The sound must be perfect. The audience must be perfect. Churches spend thousands of dollars on producing their services to be sent out through the cable lines, but no amount of money will be able to reproduce the essence of a church's community. I feel like the true picture of a church is jazzed up when the camera comes on, and the focus moves more to the tangible elements than the Gospel.
One of the greatest things about going to church the being reunited every week with a community of believers. Most of my friends are friends that I have grown up with at church. Going to church forms relationships, and these relationships are an integral part of spiritual growth. This is why I am critical of having church on TV, because it makes it too easy for a person to become complacent with their faith. With no personal contact, there is no accountability, discussion, or confession. It takes an entire dimension out of God's reason for establishing the church.
I would be remiss by failing to mention that church on TV has proven to send the Gospel to people and places that would have otherwise missed hearing it. Some people watch church on TV because they are physically incapable to leave their houses. Others watch it because they feel that they would face the judgment of hundreds upon walking through the back doors of the chapel. But at the end of the day, these people are still hearing God's message, and some of them eventually leave the house, go to church, and become a part of that community.
As a church, we should make more efforts to personally reach out to those who cannot/do not come to church. Putting our services on TV is one way, but going to where they are will have a better impact.
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