SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World

Douglas Estes

Sep 2009 · Sold by Zondervan

About this ebook

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.

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.