Is streaming worship wrong?

No. Streaming can be a providential gift for those who are sick, shut-in, or traveling. The danger comes when it replaces the embodied gathering of the church.

Why is gathering in person so important?

Because worship is embodied and communal: the Lord’s Supper, baptism, fellowship, prayer, and singing all require presence.

Streaming Worship & the Temptation

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 1 min read

Streaming Worship & the Temptation to Spectate — The Weekly Watch (Sept 20, 2025)

Series: Contending for the Word — The Weekly Watch • Date: September 20, 2025 • Host: Dave Jenkins

Streaming Worship & the Temptation to Spectate

Show Summary

Streaming can be a providential gift for the sick, shut-ins, and those traveling. But if we’re not careful, it can also train us to spectate rather than worship. In this Weekly Watch, Dave contrasts the blessing of livestreams with the danger of passive “spectator worship,” and calls believers back to embodied gathering shaped by God’s Word and the ordinary means of grace.

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Key Scriptures

Hebrews 10:24–25; Acts 2:42–47; 1 Corinthians 12; 1 Corinthians 14; Ephesians 4:16

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Dave Jenkins

Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.