By now you know I resonate with all of these movements in one way or another but my heart lies with the Reproductive Movement. So I am happy to know that for the first time in many years more churches are being planted than are being closed.
The Sim Card Movement
The Sim Card movement is the only wildcard in this deck and I couldn’t resist briefly referring to it. Although it’s a recent player on the scene compared to the other groups, the Sim Card movement has the potential to multiply faster than the other groups, and it just might be a big player in shaping the future church more than anyone dreams possible.
A Sim Card church is a virtual online church where people do everything people do in a traditional church – form community, worship, get baptized, take communion, get married, etc. Sound silly? Well get used to it because it is already happening.
The reason Westerners have difficulty understanding the virtual church is because they think of the church as a place rather than a gathering of Christians for the purpose of carrying out the Kingdom of God. If the church isn’t a place but a gathering there is no reason the virtual church can’t be thought of as a real church. If the Sim Card church does nothing more than cause us to question the fallacy of thinking of the church as a place it will have served its purpose no matter how well it develops into a movement.
If people can meet, date, and get married based on an internet profile in sites such as EHarmony, surely Christians can meet, worship, and develop community online. So, instead of sitting around asking ourselves if the virtual church is real we should be asking how we use it to transform the world.
Although the verdict is still out on the Sim Card church, it’s worth watching because the whole world is going virtual and why shouldn’t the church?
If you doubt the possibilities of the Sim Card church just google “online church” and see what you come up with.