CONVENTICLE IN CYBERSPACE

The original version of this article appeared in
the Covenant Companion, November 1996
by Brad Boydston

The first thing I switch on when I walk in the office is the computer. A couple of minutes later, after a few simple clicks of the mouse, our computer is making unearthly squawking noises as it accesses the phone line and then connects with our Internet provider.

Soon the computer begins to download all the email (electronic mail) that has accumulated overnight. It takes about 30 seconds to transfer the messages into my computer's mailbox.

Much of the mail that appears in the box is pretty routine -- bulletin announcements for next Sunday, press releases from a news service to which I subscribe, an inquiry from someone who has seen our church's homepage on the World Wide Web. The most stimulating, though, is that which comes through Covnet.

Covnet is an online discussion and fellowship group that communicates through the majordomo program in the computer maintained by the Evangelical Covenant Church. Email messages sent to the majordomo are routed to all the Covnet subscribers, creating a virtual forum. There are about 230 subscribers to the free service. Most of the group members are not computer enthusiasts but are people who utilize e-mail to carry out their daily affairs -- missionaries in Latin America and Europe, pastors, seminary and university professors, homemakers, business people, and students.

A few subscribers are new to the Covenant or are inquirers trying to figure out what makes us tick. "Covnet was instrumental in helping us to decide where to go to church," says Tim Furry, of Wichita, Kansas. "We have attended Covenant Community Church here in Wichita all summer now, and will probably decide on membership soon."

The forum is unmoderated and anyone can introduce a topic for discussion. Covenant pastor Mark Olson explains, "the format very quickly surfaces a variety of perspectives and thought on many topics, some of which are admittedly new to me and broaden my perspective."

Recent topics have included the resolution on sexuality passed at the last annual meeting, ways to minister to Generation X, music and worship styles, rebaptism, and Christian perspectives on politics. Discussions are usually pretty light-hearted but occasionally heat-up. On more than one occasion participants have felt compelled to apologize for their "tone of voice."

News and prayer concerns are often posted on Covnet. When forest fires threatened the Mat-Su Covenant Church in Wasilla, Alaska, there were daily updates. When the son of a Covenant pastor in Mexico was kidnapped, missionary David Mark posted a prayer plea within hours of the crime. Because of information conveyed over Covnet Covenanters throughout the world and in many churches, prayed for the safe release of Samuel Martinez. Prayer updates were frequent until he was freed.

Cindy Hoover, a member of Bethany Covenant Church, Bedford, New Hampshire, observes, "While I enjoy the many discussions on Covnet, I think I most appreciate the prayer items and the contact with the missionaries that Covnet provides. It reminds me of Paul's letters -- I'm sure he would use email between the churches if he were living today."

"Need I emphasize how important Covnet has been for me on the mission field?" asks Andy Larsen, missionary in Monterrey, Mexico. "I keep abreast of many happenings, garner prayer support, understand some of the pastoral issues, and participate in some of the discussions."

Dave Rankin, who works at Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas, notes the relational benefits. "I'm new to the Covenant."

For many subscribers Covnet is more than a place to meet others; it's an experience in Christian community. The late Zenos Hawkinson, who was emeritus professor of history at North Park College, once described the network as a "conventicle in cyberspace."

Julie Kidwell from Seattle, says "I've found very close sisters and brothers on this forum, to share with, to be honest with, and to consul me in different situations that have come up."

There are, however, limitations to the level of fellowship that can take place through cyberspace. "Written text," remarks Rankin, "does not communicate the nuances of in-person communication." Furry, however, points out that the lack of body language just "forces us to become better writers."

In some ways Covnet is a victim of its own success. The volume of mail has at times exceeded 85 posts (e-mail messages) a day. To try and follow each thread (topic) can be very time consuming and so subscribers have to learn to be selective or they are soon swamped.

Some subscribers manage the volume by receiving the digest version of Covnet. Normally the majordomo relays messages out to the subscribers within a few minutes after they are received. However, those who choose to receive the digest get all the messages once or twice a day, repackaged into a single post.

The response generated by Covnet shouldn't surprise us. Covenanters have always valued connectedness and computers have simply become one more tool to make it happen. Before he died, Hawkinson jumped into an online discussion, "I cannot describe my joy at the privilege of listening in on this conversation! This is what old Pietists dreamed of, a century ago. It is what Glen Wiberg calls 'a Meeting.' We are here in cyberspace, as a century ago we might have been in a small forest cabin. But the hunger has not changed. We have come to hear the Word, the Word which brings glory and conviction."

Hopefully Covnet will continue to be used as instrument of the Word.

Update: Covnet no longer runs on majordomo software. To subscribe go to: www.covnet.org/mailman/listinfo/covnet1