CAN YOU LOVE JESUS AND NOT LOVE THE CHURCH?

In this paper, we will consider the notion of gathering as church in all its forms. This is set against the backdrop of the pandemic where churches were not allowed to gather and resorted to alternative forms of interaction: broadcasting via YouTube and Facebook, Zoom meetings, WhatsApp groups, etc. Such alternative forms of ‘church’ enabled a number of behaviours amongst congregants. For many, church became a matter of passive rather than active engagement. Others disconnected from church in every form altogether. Still others took the opportunity to serve and became more active than ever in areas such as technical facilitation or contributing video material to broadcasts. Some became consumers and, instead of being committed to one local body, chose to which church they would connect from the global array of online offerings available.