Back in 2002 I published a little dissertation called Phishers of a Generation: An Irreverent, Unorthodox, Heretical Way the Church Could Reach a Generation.  It is buried somewhere in the stacks at the Andover Newton Theological School Library.   On and about page 237 I shared my thoughts on virtual community.  At the time chat rooms were a thing and people were gathering in virtual space to discuss a variety of topics.  I questioned whether a group of people coming together in virtual space would constitute a church.  When Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)- could he have known that someday there would be a thing called ‘virtual space?’   If people gathered in virtual chat rooms on the world wide web, and shared a discussion about Jesus would that make it a church?

Here we are almost 20 years later and with ‘social distancing’ becoming a new reality we find ourselves understanding that virtual space is a very real space.  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and all the others have offered us alternatives to real space.   We can fabricate an alternative life.  Now we find ourselves wrestling with the idea of alternative worship in a virtual space.

Community happens in virtual space.  For decades now, people have been taking care of those in their virtual community.  Those of us who have been grounded in the soil with brick, mortar and clapboard churches are finding ourselves attempting worship in an uncomfortable place.  But here we are.  We are going to have to figure it out, or we will no longer exist.

The First Congregational Church of Lebanon is moving in the direction of attempting worship in a virtual space.  We are going to try things, and they are probably not going to be perfect.  This will be a work in progress.  What we hope will be edgy and polished may appear to the early adapters as sloppy and rough.   But we are going to work at it.

A finding from that elusive doctoral project was that perfection is not necessary.  What speaks to my generation (a generation mostly absent from the church) is authenticity, simplicity, experimentation, spontaneity, playful, inclusive and ambiguous.   It’s my hope that in the coming weeks and possibly months we will incorporate all of those traits into our worship space- and that you will find our virtual community to be real ‘koinonia!’ 

And let’s face it.  I’m here right now.  You’re reading this- so you’re here.  And according to the Bible..we have a quorum- so Jesus is here too.  And now that we’re all here together, Let us worship God!