I heard today that of the six denominations that tiny town has to offer.

Five of them don't have a designated full time pastor, priest, Deacon or whatever.

They are using interim people
Allegedly temporary.

Am wondering if the WWW is
partly the reason ?

The Church is not a building, but rather the people that come to worship.

Usually there are people like my late mother who couldn't make it to church through her last year or so.

I could get the church website on the computer or her kindle and she could watch the whole service, announcements and all.

Interestingly, I guess many of these churches are on youtube also but they can only broadcast the sermon because sometimes the songs before and after are copyrighted and will be flagged or such by ytube.

Personally, we would have rather attended. Better experience.

ETA: My mothers previous church closed and was sold as a satellite church to one outside of town.
Her last 3 yrs at the new church, the first year they were looking for a new pastor and were cycling between 4 or 5 until the chose one.

Our current & former churches both had an online stream of the service.

Ours tries to emphasize being present at the church vs the online option.
I prefer to be there in person

This message has been edited. Last edited by: P250UA5,

Popularized during the covid plandemic.

It's also possible the churches can't find the staff. Or that the churches aren't large enough to support a full time person.

Some people can't make it to the scheduled service. The fire department guys might watch at
the station.

Others can watch online at a later day/time.
.
.

There's a priest shortage.

Lots of churches broadcast their service live and online. It's not surprising some churches don't have a full time pastor especially a small congregation so until they find someone they rely on a interim pastor until a full time pastor can be found. Online services became a thing during the pandemic and online services are great for people who can't get to church for one reason or another but there's nothing that compares to actually be in church.

I guess it depends on what your church is.

If it's a Catholic Church, then you have the sacraments. You can't live stream the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. You can't live stream into a confessional and receive God's pardon, peace, and absolution. The smell of incense doesn't waft through the screen.

If you are a denomination that has a service that resembles a Ted Talk with some music, or belong to a mega church with a rock band and laser show.... then why not? Aside from the Starbucks on the lobby... but a Keurig would suffice in a pinch.

Folks (93, 95) routinely attend on-line services. Mom, on a daily basis, dad, on Sundays. Given their ages and no desire to 'leave the house', this is a great option for them.

I’m now an on-line service guy after attending in person all my life. I was looking forward to returning to the sanctuary after COVID but it turned out that my special-needs son wasn’t. We tried a few times, his autism kicked in high gear each time, and we had to leave due to the disturbance he was causing. I miss being in the worship setting and the interaction with other members and visitors, but I can still get something out of the service this way versus nothing at all if the on-line option wasn’t offered.

^ Ours has a sensory room, nursing mother room, fussy toddler room. They definitely try to accommodate as well as they can.
But, sometimes, remote is the best you can do.

quote:

Am wondering if the WWW is
partly the reason ?

I doubt that online services are the reason those churches have apparently low-enough attendance that they can't support a full-time preacher. It may be a small factor, but likely not a significant one.

In my area, which is also a county of "small towns", attendance at some churches suffers because they haven't been able to attract a younger demographic. The lasting effect of COVID, combined with increasingly elderly congregations, has led to more than a few churches nearing dormancy. Churches that have had young people get a foothold are growing.

The church I go to, and many others, offer online streams of the services, as others have mentioned. It's, IMO, not a substitute for actual attendance. Not in the way that you aren't fulfilling a duty or requirement in choosing to partake of the streamed service, but in the way that you're not getting the same connection with the Holy Spirit that you do if you're in the sanctuary.

If someone can make it to the church, they should. No one should fool themselves into thinking the online event is the same. I understand that some folks have no choice, and I am not digging at them. They understand that they're "settling", and they make the best of it. I respect that.

Been a thing for a while now

My church streams on a YT channel, it doesn’t IMO replace going to church but is good for catching up on a sermon series if I miss a week.

I believe there are a number of new churches that spring up w/o a pastor, minister, etc. My sister is a retired ordained minister and does 'pulpit supply' on occasion in her area.

Lay ministers can do many things within a church, but churches require an ordained minister to administer communion, baptize, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Cous2492:
If it's a Catholic Church, then you have the sacraments. You can't live stream the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. You can't live stream into a confessional and receive God's pardon, peace, and absolution. The smell of incense doesn't waft through the screen.

It also, near as I can tell, doesn't fulfill your Sunday obligation.

Interesting issue though, this. The parish I grew up in has gotten large enough nowadays that there is overflow seating in the basement of the church. These folks watch the Mass on a large screen from the basement. It shouldn't be any (or much) different than watching a live stream or Zoom from home. Of course, one would not be able to receive communion, or experience the other things you list. I've not gotten a definitive answer on this and it interests me as I live two hours away (one way) from the nearest SSPX church and it can be difficult to get there at times.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I heard today that of the six denominations that tiny town has to offer.

Five of them don't have a designated full time pastor, priest, Deacon or whatever.

They are using interim people
Allegedly temporary.

Am wondering if the WWW is
partly the reason ?

As others have said, many small churches have lay pastors or at least bivocational pastors simply bc they cannot support a full time pastor monetarily. There just isn’t enough money coming through small churches to pay a pastor a living wage. Very common.

Generally, online services happen concurrently with an in-person service and is just a taped or live stream of what happens in person with the congregation.

I would say the popularity exploded with Covid but many larger churches already streamed their services live for years prior to that. But the technology got easier and cheaper so it is accessible to even small churches now.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by Cous2492:
If it's a Catholic Church, then you have the sacraments. You can't live stream the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. You can't live stream into a confessional and receive God's pardon, peace, and absolution. The smell of incense doesn't waft through the screen.

It also, near as I can tell, doesn't fulfill your Sunday obligation.

Interesting issue though, this. The parish I grew up in has gotten large enough nowadays that there is overflow seating in the basement of the church. These folks watch the Mass on a large screen from the basement. It shouldn't be any (or much) different than watching a live stream or Zoom from home. Of course, one would not be able to receive communion, or experience the other things you list. I've not gotten a definitive answer on this and it interests me as I live two hours away (one way) from the nearest SSPX church and it can be difficult to get there at times.

Love streaming does not fulfill the Sunday obligation. Many diocese made a dispensation during COVID, and those who have a valid reason are dispensed anyway. Love streaming just serves those people.

What exactly is a “Sunday obligation”?

Good thing I’m not obligated to go to church, I go because I want to.

The Sunday Obligation is just what it sounds like. Catholics are obliged to to attend Mass and participate every Sunday and on other holy days. There are exemptions and dispensations for certain circumstances.

I happen to be obliged and want to go.

Nothing complicated, its also in the ten commandments.