When Worship Stops Being Private

There was a time when worship happened and that was enough.

No uploads. No edits. No captions. No pressure to make it “land.”

This post is part of an ongoing series where I’ve been sitting with an honest question: What happens when our sacred moments start answering to the algorithm instead of the altar?

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When the Camera Changes the Room

Streaming isn’t wrong. Recording isn’t sinful. I use digital tools myself—for preaching, teaching, and reaching people who can’t be in the room.

But it’s important to say this plainly:

There is nothing in Scripture that requires a camera in the sanctuary.

Not once.

What Scripture does emphasize is posture, motive, and intimacy with God.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:6 (NLT):

“When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.”

The text doesn’t add conditions.

No audience.

No lens.

No replay.

Just you and God.

That doesn’t make public worship wrong—but it does remind us that the foundation of worship was never designed for visibility.

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Not Every Holy Moment Is Meant to Be Seen

Streaming serves accessibility.

But intimacy thrives in privacy.

There are moments in worship that are meant to stay in the room—and some that are meant to stay in you.

Tears that don’t need a caption.

Repentance that doesn’t need a timestamp.

Silence that doesn’t need background music.

The danger isn’t the camera.

It’s when the presence of a lens becomes louder than the presence of God.

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When Worship Starts Performing

We don’t always notice when the shift happens.

When the song is chosen for engagement.

When the prayer is shortened for replay value.

When the moment is stretched because it’s “hitting online.”

A recent Barna study noted that over 54% of churchgoers engage with worship digitally, and nearly 1 in 3 pastors feel pressure to make services more shareable. Pressure changes posture—even when intentions are pure.

And worship was never meant to be managed.

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Guarding the Holy While Using the Tools

This series hasn’t been about rejecting technology. It’s been about placing it in its proper seat.

Technology can serve worship.

It should never define it.

The altar shouldn’t feel like a stage.

And worship shouldn’t feel like content creation.

Some moments are meant to be shared.

Others are meant to be protected.

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Before You Go

Ask yourself this—without judgment:

• Would this worship still matter if no one ever saw it?
• Are we creating space for God to move without documentation?
• Is the goal encounter… or exposure?

The algorithm rewards visibility.

God honors sincerity.

And sometimes the most powerful worship moment

is the one that happens behind a closed door.