The fourth reason why online ministry is important is because it allows the church to minister and disciple their congregants throughout the week, not just on Sunday's or in groups in-person. Most churches rely on in-person contact to minister to their parishioners. This is logical because this is the most natural method and it has been the format that ministry has been conducted for two millennia. However, ministry happened that way because there were no other options. Though, the apostles moved from the traditional means of communication to letters as a means of adjusting to the 1st century church's rapid expansion and itinerant work. Nowadays, due to the advent and subsequent ubiquity of the internet, there are more options that provide more immediate, constant, and reliable communication to maintain contact over geographical distance and other impediments, such as email, social media, text messaging, with social media and website offering the best modern form of communication and platforms for developing, growing, and maintaining spiritual online communities. With congregants in the church's online community, they can receive spiritual food throughout the week as well as going through a discipleship track, assuming a church were to offer such an opportunity for their members to engage.
Fifth, it affords the local church the opportunity to reach into places of the world that it would not normally have the opportunity to reach. Most local church members and attenders may never travel overseas to a foreign country. Most may never learn a second language adequately enough to develop a relationship with someone from another country to share the gospel message. Additionally, many churches may not have the ability or finances to create short-term mission trip opportunities for their members. Though, having an online ministry present affords the members to engage others from different parts of the country and the world.
Sixth, ministering online allows the church to continue to provide spiritual nourishment to the elderly, those with physical aliments, and others with sociological or psychological conditions that might make it difficult for them to attend services and meetings at the church building. Bringing ministry to the ailing is nothing new for churches. This has happened before. For instance, priests would deliver last rites and communion to the dying wherever they were. Even now, the same thing happens. Ministers will visit the sick in the hospital. In a sense, local churches offering online ministry are expanding this type of ministry delivery.
Finally, online ministry allows the church to stay connected through a centralized form of communication through its website or social media platforms. The current pandemic revealed the importance of having tighter and consistent communication in place to maintain the sustainability and vibrancy of the community. Without communication, or if it is sporadic and decentralized, a community can fall into disarray, lose vitality, cohesion, and eventually dissipate.
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