A Comic Book Future: Internet Technology for the 21st Century Church

The year is 2006 but if we stepped into the church community, we would be transported back in time to 1986 reading comic books about 2006. In reading the futuristic comic books, we dreamed about the cool gadgets and technologies in the pages. In the year 2006, the future will be limitless with possibilities and progress. We all dreamed about those coming days where we could have body enhancements, teleportation, and instant food that materialized before our very eyes.
The years began to creep slowly from the great heyday of futuristic comic books toward 2006. The new millennium is nothing like how it was supposed to have been or is it? In the church, we have been caught up with our day to day building maintenances that the gadgets flew right over us. Body enhancements are here with cell phones that can connect anyone or any information at any time, Ipods that provide any published voice/song, and PDA’s that are a removable and transferable memory card for your brain. All of these gadgets backed by “Internet Power” can teleport us to anyone or anyplace.
The Question
The question that now emerges is “what does all of this mean for us?” How can we use these enhancements and teleportation abilities for the greater good and service to God? The answer rests in the word service. As Christians we are servants and the church is the collection of Christians, we have the ability to view the Church as a service provider and less of as a business organization. With the developments of the internet and cell phones, the total dependence on buildings has been shattered. We can now serve God, each other, and society without having a designated building. Through community sites like Ginkworld, The Ooze and even Myspace we can stay connected with everyone without having to go to a building to meet them physically. Locally, the church can use their website for more than a brochure. It can be a place for the collection of each member’s voice through “blogs”, a portal that links to useful faith sites, and even an useful tool to keep Bible Study and Small Group discussion continuing after the meeting. It is the right time for the church to put down those dusty comic books, walk out of the building and smell the potential in the air.