Power to the (lay) people
It’s become a historical cliché that without the printing press, the Protestant Reformation would likely not have gotten off the ground. It’s not that the printing press caused the Reformation. Rather, the printing press not only allowed for the spread of Protestant ideas, but also allowed for a shift in power, from entrenched Church leadership to the layperson. The printing press fostered the restructuring of authority championed by the Reformers in real and material ways.
In this post, I’d like to suggest that an analogous shift predicated on technological innovation may be underway. (Whether it’s on the same scale or will have the same historical significance remains to be seen.)
I’d like to draw your attention to Shop My Church. On the face of it, Shop My Church, which went live on July 22nd, is like any otheronline church directory. On the website, you will find a growing list of churches (at the publishing of this post there are 9) with basic information like physical address, contact number, denomination, and service times.