Series Intro: What is a New Testament church? It is not a building. It is not a social club. It is not something you “do.” 
Overview; Part2; Part3; Part4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7
I would suggest that there are certain components which must be part of any assembly which would call itself a biblical “church.” Without these you cannot have a church:
- Gospel believing individuals
- Baptized in demonstration of their conversion
- Recognizably covenanting together
- Regularly meeting around God’s Word
- Under legitimate leadership
- Administering Baptism and the Lord’s Table
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The preceding study has led us to an important question: “Can you have a purely online church?”
This is an important question not only because of where we are headed in this technological age, but where we already are. Believers around the world are coming together online. Are these gatherings NT local churches?
First, let’s consider the positive aspects of an “online church” (Many of these were offered by the technologically savvy at Liberty Baptist)
- Easy to watch so it can be evangelistic
- There can be continuity for those who move, have to travel, or are sick
- Accessible
- Affordable (no building is necessary to maintain, no expense for gas to drive in)
- Safer for those in persecuting countries
- Cross Cultural and Worldwide
- Discipleship and Missions can be faster and cheaper
- There is a wider selection to chose from
- Translated easily
- Not awkward to have to get up and leave
- Not as attached
Now, let’s consider the negative aspects of an “online church”
- No physical contact
- Power outages
- No physical outreach to your community
- What about time zones?
- Lack of accountability and commitment
- Government tracking
- Who leads?
- How can you fellowship?
- Church Discipline and discipleship cannot be exercised effectively
- Some don’t have the technology
Now that we got those out of the way, let’s deal with realities. (So often discussions get clogged up with positive or negative results instead of dealing with truth claims. None of the positive elements make any difference if it can’t be a church, and none of the negative elements should stop us from calling it a “church” if that is in reality what it is.)
According to my definition – which we are still able to argue about if you want – a NT local church is composed of these essential components:
- Gospel believing individuals
- Baptized in demonstration of their conversion
- Recognizably covenanting together
- Regularly meeting around God’s Word
- Under legitimate leadership
- Administering Baptism and the Lord’s Table
Now, which of these can we have online and which can we not?
- You can have gospel believing individuals
- They could have been baptized, but in order to be baptize the church has to stop being online and has to be physically present at some point.
- They can covenant together
- They can regularly meet around God’s Word
- They can have legitimate leadership
- In order to administer baptism and the Lord’s Table the church has to stop being online and has to be physically present at some point.
- Baptism – see above
- Lord’s Table – How is this distorting the picture of Christ’s death if we mail out the elements?
Can you have an actual online “church”? I would answer, No. At some point it has to come offline (baptism and Lord’s Supper). Can you have a church that primarily meets online? Yes, you can.
Now the question is, is that what is best for you?
You can have an online church in the same way you can have an online family. You can have a father who lives in China, a mother in South Africa, and children scattered throughout South America. Is it possible? Yes. Is it healthy, vibrant, and how it is meant to be? No. Why? Because that is not how we were made by God. We were made with physical bodies to be physically present in one place.
Jesus has given this incredible reality called the New Testament local church. It can have spots. It can have wrinkles and warts and less desirable parts, but it His Bride. He died for it and is giving it life.
How would you answer the question?