Live-Stream Update
August 2022

We recently announced at a member meeting that we have decided to stop live-streaming our services on Sunday mornings at the end of August. We began streaming our services for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to accommodate those who were unable or uncomfortable gathering and as we were in flux with different meeting locations. While we do not regret making this option available, we wanted to provide some context behind this change. Here are a few convictions that have informed this decision:

  • The Nature of the Church: Our biggest concern in offering a live-stream of our corporate worship service is that we are communicating something about the nature of the church that is simply not true. Being a meaningful part of a local church is not something that can be accomplished “from home” where we we can tune in and out at our convenience. Instead, it requires us to show up in person and to put ourselves in contexts where we can know and be known. The church is a place where we know each other’s names and faces and where we apply the “one-anothers” of the New Testament together as a family. The more we rely on engagement digitally, the more we lose this reality. Moreover, one of our core values at The King’s Church is “fighting to show up.” We know that prioritizing being in-person with the people of God is often inconvenient and costly in a variety of ways. However, we believe “not neglecting to meet together” (Heb. 10:25) is a critical part of following Jesus and growing as a disciple.

  • The Necessity of Gathering: Corporate worship is an embodied, participatory gathering that cannot be replicated online. When we gather, we are not merely consuming or passing on information; instead, we gather in order to hear one another’s voices as we sing (Col. 3:16), to corporately pray together, to respond together to the preaching of God’s Word, and to come to the Lord’s Supper together as we are reminded of our communion with the Lord and with one another (1 Cor. 11:17-34). These embodied experiences do not translate over a live-stream. Collin Hansen captures this truth poignantly:

“Embodiment is a particularly important part of Christian spirituality and theology. We believe God became flesh, lived in a human body and remains mysteriously in a human body. Our worship is centered not on simply thinking about certain ideas, but on eating and drinking bread and wine during communion. Christians need to hear the babies crying in church. They need to see the reddened eyes of a friend across the aisle. They need to chat with the recovering drug addict who shows up early but still sits in the back row. They need to taste the bread and wine. They need to feel the choir crescendo toward the assurance of hope in what our senses can’t yet perceive.”

As we have always done, we will still record the service and make the sermon video & audio available early in the week. We believe this serves a helpful and good purpose distinct from a live-stream.

For those of you who have been utilizing our live-stream, we understand that there are a variety of circumstances or situations that may have led to this decision. Please know we are sympathetic toward many of these circumstances and want to address some of them directly:

  • For those who have moved away, our desire is that you become meaningfully connected with a local congregation in the geographic place that God has called you. The Christian life is designed to be lived out with other brothers and sisters in Christ that you see regularly. We would encourage you to check out sister churches that might be a part of Acts 29 or listed on the The Gospel Coalition Church Directory as a starting point.

  • For those who have been blessed with a birth of a child, we will still have our nursing moms room available at our church building with a feed from the service. We believe this room serves the purpose of still being in person at the building with others for worship, and while accommodating a private location if you need to step out of the sanctuary.

  • For those who are chronically ill or facing serious health problems - please let us know so we can schedule a visit to see you and provide pastoral care in-person. If you are unable to gather regularly for worship, our desire is to come to you so we can pastor you. For those who might be sick on a Sunday morning, this is an opportunity to embrace our physical limitations and seek to rest and recover.

Lastly, we want to be clear that this is a wisdom issue facing local churches. We do not desire to stand in judgment or harbor any ill-will toward others who do livestream their services; we simply have the conviction amongst our pastoral team that this is what is best for our particular congregation. We also wanted to recommend a book and a few articles that are consistent with our thinking if you want to explore this conversation further:

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We hope to see you in corporate worship on Sundays in our beautiful church home!

In Christ,

Your Pastors

Ian Thomas
Pat Kappenman
Rob Lourcey
Andrew Lovette
David Trivette

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