Life.Church’s Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel and Bobby Gruenewald (Creator of YouVersion and Church Online) talk about the future of hybrid church.
In this interview, Craig and Bobby talk about the limits of digital and physical church, the strengths and weaknesses of each, their new presence in the Metaverse, and how different kinds of church can break through people’s physical and spiritual facades to get to authentic life change.
Welcome to Episode 471 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
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Instagram: Craig | Facebook: Craig | Twitter: Craig |
Instagram: Bobby | Facebook: Bobby | Twitter: Bobby
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Insights From Craig and Bobby
1. Online and hybrid church models are here to stay
Craig Groeschel and Bobby Gruenewald–founders and creators of Life.Church, YouVersion and Church Online–open our conversation about the future of online and hybrid churches with an overview of how attitudes toward online gatherings shifted during the pandemic.
Online and in-person church gatherings are equally important, but are effective in different ways. As Groeschel says, “We shouldn’t let our preferences for either option drive our theology.”
2. Critics of online church must reckon with its benefits
Online church has several drawbacks—the largest of which is lack of physical gathering with other believers. However, online church also has several benefits that in-person church services may struggle to replicate for some people.
For example, some people are simply unable to meet in-person. And for a variety of reasons–from living in area where there aren’t many believers to health conditions that prevent them from leaving the home.
Additionally, online church–specifically within the “metaverse” where people represent themselves via avatars–may open up avenues for people to be more vulnerable and authentic with themselves and others than they would in a traditional in-person environment.
3. The Metaverse is on the horizon, but it’ll need to change before widespread adoption becomes commonplace
The “Metaverse” is a hot topic right now, especially as it pertains to virtual/augmented reality. But does the Church need to be paying attention? According to Craig and Bobby, the answer is a resounding, “Yes.” However, the interface system (clunky VR goggles, video-game graphics, etc.) will probably need to evolve before it becomes more widespread and influential.
That doesn’t mean church leaders should ignore the metaverse–far from it. Instead, church leaders should plug themselves into the metaverse and experiment with it (i.e. experience a VR church service for themselves) and brainstorm on ministry applications.
Quotes from Episode 471
We have to be really careful not to let our preferences drive our theology. @craiggroeschel Click To TweetI cannot imagine Jesus saying, ‘Hey, share the Gospel everywhere. But don't do it online.’ @craiggroeschel Click To TweetI’d rather be wrong trying something than being a critic of something. @craiggroeschel Click To TweetMass adoption (of virtual reality) is going to really depend on there being the right type of device or the right type of interface. @bobbygwald Click To TweetI've found that when people have an (digital) avatar, they're much less likely to have an emotional facade or a spiritual facade. @bobbygwald Click To TweetRead or Download the Transcript for Episode 471
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Next Episode: Vance Roush
Vance Roush is the founder of Overflow.co, a startup designed to make giving non-cash donations like stocks, assets and crypto to churches easy. As Web3 expands and Boomers transfer 18 billion dollars in wealth in the next few decades, how people give has to change. As a 32-year-old entrepreneur and church planter, Vance shares the journey that led him to create Overflow and where he sees the future of money, generosity and giving heading for every church and even business leader. As a 32-year-old entrepreneur and church planter, Vance shares the journey that led him to create Overflow and where he sees the future of money, generosity and giving heading for every church and even business leader.
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