Now that we’re back in the groove of church life I have been pondering whether we should record our Sunday gigs and make them available online.

I think this practice has pros and cons and I am still undecided, but leaning towards ‘no’.

I guess this is bucking the trend where you can access just about everyone’s stuff online these days, so let me express my reservations.

1. A sermon is usually intended for a specific community at a specific time and it may well be teaching for our church rather than a generic message that every man and his dog can access and listen to. That’s not insurmountable, but I am aware that I am speaking to a unique group of people and my message may mean less (or something quite different) to those outside of that group.

2. I wing it a fair bit and sometimes say stuff off the cuff that fits fine with my own community but I’m not convinced I’d want running wild on the net.

3. I might tell a story that I wouldn’t want out there. It might be about me, or it might be about someone else. While I ‘change the names to protect the innocent’ I still would be wary of that.

On the pro side:

1. It is a sharing of resources and I am more than happy to share learning.

2. It is a way those who can’t make it can tune into what we are doing. I am wondering if a passworded approach for ‘members’ could be a way to go

Actually at the moment there is more ‘gut’ resistance than reasonable and explainable objections…

What do you think?

Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

I actually download 4 or 5 sermon podcasts each week myself, so I am conscious of the value, but just not sure if its the way we should go…