ATSS: Reinder Bruinsma, “Can a Zoom Gathering Be a Church?”
23 April 2025 |
Many Adventists feel that they should church—in our case, at a specific time, and in a specific place, with people who share our beliefs. But they don’t always enjoy it.
The pandemic opened to us not just the fear of meeting together, but new ways of meeting, studying, and worshipping. Some began to realize that their physical church spaces weren’t really a very happy community. And some found online communities that seemed to serve them better.
So what defines a faith community, and why do we need one? How do local communities—congregations—relate to the more comprehensive faith community—the denomination? Can a digital space be a real community? Or do we need to see one another in person, per Hebrews 10:25?
Perhaps Adventists must learn to be a true community, cemented by love, not merely by shared doctrines.
Teacher:
Reinder Bruinsma lives in the Netherlands with his wife, Aafje. He has served the Adventist Church in various assignments in publishing, education, and church administration on three continents. He still maintains a busy schedule of preaching, teaching, and writing. He writes at http://reinderbruinsma.com/.
Moderator:
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You can see all of our previous ATSS recordings here.
Coming up:
- Don McAdams
- Charles Scriven
- Olive Hemmings
- Michael Scofield
- Landon Schnabel
