ORLANDO, Fla. /PRNewswire/ — iPhone users have found thousands of uses for the now-ubiquitous device. Need to send a quick Twitter? There’s an app for that.  Want to see if that picture on the wall is level? There’s an app for that. Need an air horn for tonight’s game? There’s an app for that, too [...]]]> ORLANDO, Fla. /PRNewswire/ — iPhone users have found thousands of uses for the now-ubiquitous device. Need to send a quick Twitter? There’s an app for that.  Want to see if that picture on the wall is level? There’s an app for that. Need an air horn for tonight’s game? There’s an app for that, too … you can even use it to make calls.

Amazingly, a growing number of iPhone owners are now using the device to go to a place where cell phones typically aren’t allowed: to church.

Several churches are now streaming services over the iPhone. One of the first to connect with these upwardly mobile congregants is Northland, A Church Distributed, which launched an iPhone Web app on July 4 — offering not just videos of past church services, but the ability to join in live services as they are happening via streaming video.

The app works both on 3G networks and Wi-Fi on the iPhone, and via Wi-Fi on the iPod Touch, and is available at http://www.northlandchurch.net/iphone.

Nathan Clark, Northland’s director of digital innovation, and leader of the team that brought Northland’s services to the iPhone, explained, “We gather for worship on a weekly basis, but asking people to leave their communities and come to this place, to temporarily form another community … it just makes sense to also help people worship where they are.”

Northland has been taking the church to other communities since 2001 in the form of “distributed sites” and now operates four sites throughout Metro Orlando. The church began webcasting its services in January 2006, and two years later, it launched an interactive version of its webstream that includes immediate access to an online pastor and the ability to chat instantly with other worshipers.

Today, approximately 2,000 people regularly worship with Northland online, bringing the church into homes, coffee shops, restaurants, military bases, offices … even a Burger King restaurant.

Thousands have already tried Northland’s new Web app, which has spread largely by word of mouth via social networks. “Love it – in seat 9E on the Tarmac worshiping with ya,” Twittered one man waiting for his flight to depart.

Some have questioned whether online worship further adds to the isolation brought about by the Internet explosion. However, Clark notes that “the interesting thing with the iPhone is that it is even less an isolating tool than a PC because at it’s core, it is a communication technology,” adding that the church is working on ways to tailor its social media networks to the iPhone.

Also, with the ability to easily connect the iPhone to an external display such as a TV or monitor, Northland’s hope is that many users will use the iPhone to start home churches, especially in countries where advanced cell networks are far outpacing broadband connectivity. Northland also hopes to help other churches utilize the technology and has posted step-by-step instructions on its blog.

“We continually hear stories of people who start to worship online and eventually find a community to worship with others, or start one of their own,” Clark concludes. “People are coming to church, and they are also watching the services online. We just don’t see this as a zero-sum game.”

ABOUT NORTHLAND, A CHURCH DISTRIBUTED

Started by 11 people in 1972 in the “north land” of Orlando, Northland is a pioneering congregation of 12,000 that worships throughout Central Florida and worldwide via interactive webcast. Learn more at http://www.northlandchurch.net.

“I recently discovered that over 500,000 of the population of my home town use the networking website Facebook,” writes a surprised computer user. Remarkably, 1.5 billion people now access the Web for a wide range of activities. A new internet service called ‘Twitter’ recently enabled eyewitnesses to pass on to thousands of other people their [...]]]>

“I recently discovered that over 500,000 of the population of my home town use the networking website Facebook,” writes a surprised computer user. Remarkably, 1.5 billion people now access the Web for a wide range of activities. A new internet service called ‘Twitter’ recently enabled eyewitnesses to pass on to thousands of other people their firsthand accounts (with pictures) of the jet that ditched in the Hudson River, well before TV and radio could tell the story. The digital world seems to change every time we blink!

How can Christians use this bewildering mix of technologies to share the good news? One place to find answers is Internet Evangelism Day’s website. It provides detailed resources, ideas and strategies to help Christians use what many leaders have called a ‘God-given medium’. These include a self-assessment tool for church websites, enabling them to better reach out into their communities.

Internet Evangelism Day as the name suggests is also an annual web-awareness focus day. Churches and other Christian groups can build a short focus spot into their meetings on 26 April, to explain to their members more about the potential for online evangelism, and how anyone can be involved in this rewarding ministry. A customized presentation (anything from 5 minutes to 50) can be easily created using free downloads from IE Day’s website: video clips, Powerpoint, handouts, music and drama.

One surprising fact is that online evangelism is for anyone, not just the technically gifted. “There are many ways to share your faith online, without any technical knowledge at all,” says IE Day Coordinator Tony Whittaker.

Church leaders who have already used these materials are excited. “This is a huge help for small churches such as ours,” writes a minister from California. “I am glad to commend Internet Evangelism Day,” says elder statesman John Stott.

IE Day’s website is at InternetEvangelismDay.com.