DOING CHURCH AND SEMINARY DIFFERENTLY IN 21st CENTURY

29 March 2020

It was just in December 2019 that I wrote on my blog urging seminaries to go on the digital platform to reach a wider audience, especially countries where training of lay leaders is still very lacking or where it is too expensive to set up a seminary.

This was just three months ago and I sensed the deep resistance. However, God in His wonderful ways lifted up this resistance with His one little finger what I could not do through my clarion call. He sent the COVID-19 outbreak to force all of us to go online. In short, digital.

Would we still let go of this platform after the Movement Control Order (MCO) is lifted, or would we make this part of a permanent hybrid platform for both churches and seminaries? In short, we have the physical seminary or church; at the same time, the classes and services are broadcast online.

Are we ready for this new way of doing church and seminary? This is a question that I would like us to think about seriously.

When things go back to normal, would we forget what God has taught us to do during the MCO? I sense that He wants us to embrace the digital platform to reach out to more people around the world what a traditional church or seminary is unable to do. We cannot deny the fact that it was Gutenberg's press that helped to spark off the reformation. What John Knox failed to do, Martin Luther's Reformation message was greatly assisted by the Gutenberg's Press. Read blogpost.

I can foresee a few situations when the online churches and seminary classes have to be re-activated:

a) When there is a haze situation that affects all of us. We have experienced this  for many years now, but most of us did not bother to take church or our seminary classes onto the online platform.

b) When there  is a terrorist attack on any of our bigger congregations. This is when the church has be flexible, and instead of meeting in big church buildings that become easy targets, we have to go into our cell groups and even our digital "catacombs" to continue with our services and classes, just as the early Christians did when the Church was persecuted.

c) When there is another outbreak like COVID-19 in the country. Because we are so interconnected these days, another pandemic is very possible any time.

d) When any of us is bedridden or lying down in the hospital bed and cannot attend service, can we depend on online services?

e) When you are a seminary lecturer and you are immobile due to old age or living a few thousand kilometres away. What do you do when your teaching "license" has not expired? You are called to teach but due to your physical immobility, will you rather rot over time or choose to teach your class of seminary students from the comfort of your living room?

f) When you see your number of students dwindling due to stiff competition from other online seminaries.


Doing it Hybrid First

I have always believed that church is a fellowship of believers. By this, I mean physical presence is very important. After the MCO was officially announced, I realised that we have no choice but to go online.

Hence, moving forward, I believe a hybrid of both online church and physical church is probably the only way to go. Some churches are already doing it. But for seminaries, a hybrid class is indeed possible based on our experiment with Biblical Hebrew class taught at STM campus in Seremban. We have more online students -- two from Singapore and one based in Kota Kinabalu -- than the physical students. A perfect combination to have a sizeable class to conduct!

The guru, Rev Dr Philip Siew uses Zoom to teach the class both to online students as well as students on campus. Marketing for online students was done mainly through Whatsapp chat groups as there is already a big pool of people who want to learn Hebrew.

How did Dr Siew manage the hybrid class? It is quite straightforward. Everything he puts on his laptop screen can be viewed on the projector screen and online students can also see it on their own computer screens at home.

He also uses the virtual whiteboard on zoom to write, and both online and on-campus students can see what he writes on the computer screen and projector screen, respectively.

By adjusting the camera in a correct angle, as he has eye-contact with the on-campus students, online students can see that he is also speaking to them. All our initial trial runs failed, but this one works beautifully for the hybrid class.

And, if you want to walk around in the physical class while you are teaching, you can use a bluetooth microphone/earphone that can connect you to your laptop. That way you overcome the inaudibility issue for your online students.

The Future is NOW!

Can you imagine an online course offered by Tyrannus Online Seminary had reached its maximum number of participants! 

As churches have already gone online for some time, my word here is to seminaries.

The potential for digital classrooms is huge, especially NOW, when a number of countries like China have all the infrastructure and resources in place for students to follow the classes. They even have the financial resources to pay for their classes. The market is very big and people in China need solid theological training to keep them well-informed and stay away from the influx of cults.

During this MCO, I have seen God using the COVID-19 outbreak to bring many people onto the digital platform. When the MCO is enforced, every time someone comes online to teach, the number of students hit at least 50 online students per session.

At a time when AirAsia has to flag down all its flights, now everyone can learn theology!

Dare we ask for more?