Chapter 14 of 15 · Ideas to Ponder
Should Your Church Limit What It Offers Online?
Chapter 14, “Friction Is a Good Thing,” from Online Church Is Not the Answer by Jay Kranda
Short answer: The internet removed friction from almost everything, and not all of that is good. It's okay to limit what you offer digitally for the sake of your objectives. Pick your in person only moments on purpose, not out of fear.
What is this chapter about?
It's easier than ever to start a business because there's no friction, an idea I first got from Ben Thompson. Logo, store, LegalZoom, done. The same zero friction is why porn became an almost trillion dollar industry, which scares me to death as a dad of boys. Friction in some areas is good. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. He restricted freedoms in Corinth and Ephesus, on tongues and on new believers disrupting gatherings, for the sake of the gospel's witness. I think we should use friction the same way.
So where does friction belong in your digital strategy? If your objective is people in the room long term, maybe stream only the one service that represents you best. Maybe some physical items only exist in the room. Common friction points are membership, serving with kids, communion, and baptism. You might teach membership on Zoom but require baptism at a location, or train someone to baptize in a bathtub. My grandpa promised God he'd go to daily mass if my grandma beat cancer, and he kept it for the rest of his life. The Catholic Church won't do communion online, and I understand the decision, so a person from the parish came to his bedside before hospice. Friction with a plan to address it. My grandma, on the other hand, never managed to find her parish's Facebook Live during COVID. That friction was too great and she lost her church in her final years.
The example I close with is online membership. My church believes in digital and has strong convictions about in person community. When we opened membership to the Online Community, we added one line to the covenant: commit to joining or working toward a small group in your city, in person. That line gave our elders peace and gave me room to experiment. Today the language says you're working toward joining or starting an Extension. Online groups get digital study guides; if you want the printed book, come to a campus or Extension. Not everyone loves it, and that's fine. Just think of the Israelites complaining in Exodus 16. You're in good company with Moses.
What are the big ideas?
Tony Reinke points out the ark in Genesis 6 and the Tower in Genesis 11 are both technological feats, one obedient and one not. Digital is a tool to wield for your objectives, and wielded wrong it derails them. Some of you need to loosen up and some need to tighten up. Jesus got the mission done inside a human body and 168 hour weeks. We can handle a little strategic friction.
Who is this chapter for?
Elders and pastors nervous that digital will cannibalize the room, and online pastors who need a way to say no that isn't fear.
What is the Big Idea of chapter 14?
Big Idea: It's okay to limit what you offer digitally for the sake of your objectives as a church. Strategic friction can drive the right results!
What else do people ask?
What does friction mean in the book?
Deliberately limiting what a church offers digitally so that people take an in person step. It's borrowed from the business idea that the internet removed friction from everything, which isn't always healthy.
What are examples of good digital friction?
Streaming only one service, keeping certain handouts in the room, requiring baptism or membership in person, and giving online groups digital materials while printed ones stay at a campus.
Should baptism or communion happen online?
The book says that's each church's call based on its theology and objectives, and shares that Saddleback keeps baptism in person, sometimes by training a local believer. Decide the lines on purpose, then plan how to help people cross them.
Can too much friction hurt a church?
Yes. The chapter's example is a grandmother who couldn't reach her parish's stream during COVID. Friction should be strategic, not accidental, and some churches need less of it.