Types of Web sites that are "online worship
services"
Asynchronous
Within this category a few sites can
be found. They model a traditional order of worship and basically
transplant the form in the online context. Printed text, music, and
real audio push information at the worshiper. These web sites more
than prove what online worship should not become. Even if the web
pages were well done, nothing is improved or added to the world of worship
by such creations. The medium is not fluid; it is boring; and it
is "hokey". The only advantage of this system is that a worshiper
can come when s(he) wishes. Please look at these pages and click
on their buttons to get a "online worship experience."
Full service:
Word centered, music centered, or devotional
web sites
Synchronous not real time.
These are prayer based web sites that
use the power of the web in getting the word out in a simple medium and
offer an opportunity for the "worshiper" to respond with a need or with
a prayer. Though the theology of these web sites is quite extreme
the method is quite useful. A church with an online presence could
connect with its parishioners and with the broader community. Prayer
chains and prayer circles that enhance weekly worship enforce the "8th
day of worship services." Again these web sites are quite "extreme"
but fun to watch. The design of these pages and the use of other
media is quite "scary," but that is another discussion.
Synchronous
These types of worship services would
entail a full worship service that maintains an order of worship in real
time through either a chat room or video conference over the internet or
some communication medium. These may exist in some places, but I
was unable to find one. This type of worship service could enhance
the normal worship service in a local congregation. It would offer
some worshippers that were away to attend their local congregation and
"feel present" in their own community. A prearranged time would be
set like any worship service. The problems with this type of service
have been clearly outlined above, yet question as to the value of this
service could still be debated. Even if a person would were to stumble
in during the service or was not part of the church community, this medium
could serve as a pastoral worship service, an evangelizing worship service
to the wider community of the world. There are some redeeming qualities
to this type of service but traditional forms and orders should help to
keep the proper focus. From the definition above this would still
not be considered corporate worship.
Combination
Uses chat rooms, web forms for prayer,
email addresses for prayer or pastoral care
Lots of text for parts of worship services
or devotional life. Uses Multi-media sound video or images
for worship or personal devotion.
http://www.execpc.com/~chender/index1.html
http://www.geocities.com/~drybones21/main.html
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