Individual Books

SimChurch

Being the Church in the Virtual World

Author
Douglas Estes
Pages
256
Format
Trade Paperback or eBook
ISBN
9780310287841
Year of Release
2009
About the Book

What does it mean to "do" church in the virtual world?

Are internet campuses just niche ministries or the next step in the multisite revolution?

Will virtual churches be individualistic or actually encourage families to worship together?

Can an online church be a missional church?

Is it even possible or healthy to "be" the church in the virtual world?

If you're passionate about the church, outreach, and technology, and feel both excitement and concern about combining them, then these are just some of the vital issues you and other innovative followers of Jesus must grapple with. Rich in both biblical and current insight, combining exploration and critique, SimChurch opens a long-overdue discussion you will want to get educated in rather than be left in the dark.

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Reviews

Insightful

Estes offers the most even-handed, informed, and insightful overview to date of what virtual-world ecclesia means not only within its own confines, but also to ecclesia in the physical world. At the risk of over-stating the case, it is increasingly incumbent upon clergy and lay leaders alike to familiarize themselves now...right now...with the information Estes renders so clearly.

  • Phyllis Tickle
  • Author; Founding Editor, Religion Department, Publishers Weekly

Brilliantly Connects the Dots

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
  • Internet Campus Pastor, Potential Church

Raises Provocative Questions

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
  • Associate Professor of Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

A Masterful Job

Whether you're a tech expert or a skeptic, SimChurch does a masterful job of bringing everyone into this important conversation. Regardless of where you find yourself on these issues, it's critical we ask ourselves what online community and virtual environments can mean for our churches. Step into SimChurch and begin exploring new dimensions of ministry.

  • Bobby Gruenewald
  • LifeChurch.tv Pastor and Innovation Leader

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Douglas' Other Books

About

Braving the FutureDouglas Estes

  • A voyage into uncharted territory, exploring eight near-future technologies in light of who God is and who he made people to be.
About

How John WorksDouglas Estes & Ruth Sheridan

  • A group of international scholars go in detail to explain how the author of the Gospel of John uses a variety of narrative strategies to best tell his story. More than a commentary, this book offers a glimpse at the way an ancient author created and used narrative features such as genre, character, style, persuasion, and even time and space to shape a dramatic story of the life of Jesus.
About

Literary Approaches to the BibleDouglas Mangum & Douglas Estes

  • This book introduces the various ways the study of literature has been used in biblical studies. Most literary approaches emphasize the study of the text alone—its structure, its message, and its use of literary devices—rather than its social or historical background. The methods described in this volume are focused on different ways of analyzing the text within its literary context.

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