(Following are selected passages from the Presbyterian Church USA's Book of Order, 2011 edition. They speak to the feasability of organizing churches or higher governing bodies on the Internet. Actual language from the BoO is in bold. In parentheses, I have added a list of questions for each quote intended to spark discussion.)
From G-1.01 The Congregation
The congregation is the church engaged in the mission of God in its particular context.
(Can the Internet and social media in particular be considered an independent context for ministry, or can it only enhance the ministry of geographically-based churches? If we believe online destinations such as Twitter, Facebook, and Second Life do qualify as “particular contexts,” should we seek to form congregations that are exclusively digital in nature?)
Through the congregation God’s people carry out the ministries of:
(1)Proclamation
(2)Sharing the Sacraments
(Can the full spiritual effect of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper be communicated through a virtual online medium? Should we continue to require the physical presence of the elements – water, bread, wine - to ensure the efficacy of the Sacraments?)
(3)Living in covenant life with God and each other
(Can the full meaning of covenant life together exist between people who do not share a geographic community and who may have never physically met one another?)
A “congregation,” as used in this Form of Government, refers to a formally organized community chartered and recognized by a presbytery as provided in this Constitution.
(Would an online congregation need a geographic presbytery to grant a charter? Would it then participate in that presbytery as would a geographically-based church? Or would a new, non-geographic presbytery need to be formed that would encompass various online congregations and would send its own delegates to General Assembly? Or would an entirely new structure and system of polity need to be developed to meet the particular needs of online ministry?)
Other forms of corporate witness established by the presbytery shall also be governed by this Constitution and shall be subject to the authority of the presbytery.
(Could “other forms of corporate witness” apply to efforts to organize online churches? How would the structure and polity of such bodies be different from traditional geographic congregations?)
From G-3.01 General Principles of Councils
The particular responsibility of the councils of the church is to nurture, guide, and govern those who witness as part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), to the end that such witness strengthens the whole church and gives glory to God.
(Is “council” a more appropriate way than “congregation” to think about groups that form on places like Facebook and Twitter that are comprised primarily of clergy and lay leaders?)
From G-3.03 The Presbytery
The presbytery is the council serving as a corporate expression of the church within a certain district and is composed of all the congregations and teaching elders within that district.
(The definition of the word “district” is key. Does it mean a specific geographic area? A specific ethnic constituency? A specific special-interest group or theological orientation? A specific online site or destination? All of the above?)
Also important is the word “all”. For example, would a presbytery formed on Facebook need to include all churches that have a Facebook presence? In such a case, would the formation of a higher council, such as a synod or even a parallel General Assembly, be more appropriate?)
The presbytery is responsible for the government of the church throughout its district, and for assisting and supporting the witness of congregations to the sovereign activity of God in the world, so that all congregations become communities of faith, hope, love, and witness.
(Perhaps the most instructive passage for why online organization is needed. Not as an end unto itself, but as a way to nurture congregations, be they geographic or virtual, and the disciples they are growing.)
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