SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World

by Douglas Estes

Overview

The meeting place for the church of tomorrow will be a computer screen. Don’t laugh, and don’t feel alarmed. The real-world church isn’t going anywhere until Jesus returns. But the virtual church is already here, and it’s poised for explosive growth. SimChurch invites you to explore the vision, the concerns, the challenges, and the remarkable possibilities of building Christ’s kingdom online. What is the virtual church, and what different forms might it take? Will it be an extension of a real-world church, or a separate entity? How will it encourage families to worship together? Is it even possible or healthy to “be” the church in the virtual world? If you’re passionate about the church and evangelism, and if you feel both excitement and concern over the new virtual world the internet is creating, then these are just some of the vital issues you and other postmillennial followers of Jesus must grapple with. Rich in both biblical and current insight, combining exploration and critique, SimChurch opens a long-overdue discussion you can’t afford to miss.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310314134
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	09/22/2009
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Douglas Estes is Assistant Professor of New Testament and Practical Theology and DMin Program Director at South University-Columbia. He received his PhD in Theology from the University of Nottingham, UK, and completed a Post Doc at the Dominican Biblical Institute. He has written or edited six books, as well as numerous essays, articles and reviews. He has served as an adjunct professor at Phoenix Seminary and Western Seminary, and has sixteen years of pastoral ministry experience.   

 

 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“If your church is even thinking about starting an internet campus (or has one already), this book should be required reading. It brilliantly connects the dots between church history, technology, and current thought about online spiritual community. While it doesn’t answer every question (and no book could, given the newness of the subject matter), it goes a long way toward resolving the query: is church online ‘real’ or not? As an internet campus pastor, I think this book tells it like it is and what it will be. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in real ministry and real connection in the virtual world.” — Brian Vasil

“Christian theology has yet to take full stock of the emergence of virtual worlds together with its promises and perils for the church. Douglas Estes challenges entrenched ways of thinking about what it means to be the church in light of his positive assessment of virtual congregations. While this book makes some controversial points, at the very least it raises provocative questions as it attempts to shift the burden of proof to the defenders of traditional models of church.” — Adonis Vidu