The Netflix Phenomenon Goes to Church

This past summer we finally cut the cable.  With AppleTV and subscriptions to iTunes and Netflix we rarely miss those 150 channels of "Friends" reruns.  Of course the limitation with any streaming service is that someone else sets the menu.  It is a wide menu so there is always something to watch. But where is Babylon 5?  And when do we get the next season of Murdoch Mysteries?


My church recently signed up for a Netflix-like  subscription streaming video service: RightNow Media.  This service offers libraries of video Bible studies, leadership training materials, and christian conference presentations.  There are hundreds of video studies for adults on Bible, Marriage, Parenting, Finances, Evangelism, etc.  There are stories for children from series such as Veggie Tales (now coincidentally produced by Netflix). 


Evangelical teachers like Francis Chan, Bill Hybels, or Andy Stanley can join your Sunday school class or home group meeting for a low monthly fee.  All members are provided individual passwords to log into the website and app.  The church has the ability to create packages of teaching materials or publish a church favourites list.  The small group I attend is using Francis Chan's study Crazy Love.  We watch the video lesson and then discuss the questions from the accompanying study guide.  It challenges the unexamined faith. (You can watch Chapter 1: "Stop Praying" below.)

Previously Sunday school teachers and study leaders would trundle down to the local Christian bookstore to purchase appropriate materials.  When studies on video tape became available they were expensive and churches would buy one VHS or DVD set that might circulate among groups.  This model brings educational and inspirational materials to the living rooms and mobile devices of individual members.  For church leaders it offers exciting possibilities.

It does raise for me other considerations about the Theology of Information Seeking.  RightNow Media is a not-for-profit ministry based in the U.S.  There stated mission is "to help people trade in the pursuit of the American Dream for a world that desperately needs Christ."  Their goal is "to encourage millions of Christians to be on mission wherever God has them ... to be TRADERS... people who intentionally put “others before self, and Christ above all.”  Theologically the ministry's doctrinal statement is conservative, evangelical, and premillenial.  The videos they include however represent a wider cross-section of the evangelical spectrum and many would be of interest outside the evangelical fold.  For instance it was a Catholic Seminarian who first introduced me to Chan's Crazy Love.  This kind of church sanctioned service however does shift the locus of teaching doctrine from the local church pastor to an external source.  Are we prepared to outsource this responsibility?  It merits thought; the New Testament standard for religious educators is very high.  Personally I think the potential for a resource like this outweighs the potential problems.  Nonetheless, this changes things and warrants further consideration.  I think this is my next research project.

Enjoy Francis Chan's Crazy Love, 2nd ed. (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2013), Chapter 1: "Stop Praying"

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