St Andrew’s Church in Bo’ness, West Lothian, is to screen its services in real time on iPhones and iPads
Is this a positive move by the church, namely, streaming services online so you can watch them without physically being present?
Digital rev-olution: church shows its services on iPhone and iPad
A church is tapping into new technology to allow people to worship without attending services.
St Andrew’s Church in Bo’ness, West Lothian, is to screen its services in real time on iPhones and iPads. It is hoped that the scheme will be expanded to other devices such as BlackBerries and Nokia phones.
The Rev Albert Bogle, who spearheaded the development alongside congregation member Neil MacLennan, said he hoped to open up “a whole new world”.
“We tried the technology last weekend and I was able to sit in my car on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and watch the morning service live,” MacLennan said.
“Essentially you could watch the service anywhere which had a 3G network.”
The congregation at St Andrew’s has been able to access services via webcast for a number of years and MacLennan is confident that other congregations will want to stream their services live.
I can certainly understand the benefits in sparsely populated areas, or for the infirm who are physically unable to attend church services, but for the rest of us, does this not defeat the object of fellowshipping together? Or is it this simply an example of the modern church “reinventing itself” and adapting to modern technologies of communication?
Tags: Church Life, Internet & Technology
June 14th, 2010 at 11:53 am
It could be a great way for seekers to experience a church service without the awkwardness of going to church and not knowing what to do.
June 15th, 2010 at 11:35 am
Fair point Ian…