A Virtual Church: Can It Truly Replace Reality?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of “worship” has been fundamentally shaken. Online services have become normalized, and listening to sermons through a screen while commenting “Amen” in a chatroom is now commonplace. Riding this wave came the emergence of “metaverse worship”—a virtual space where avatars gather in digital sanctuaries for praise, sermons, and even sacraments like communion.
Churches both in Korea and abroad have begun building virtual chapels on metaverse platforms like Roblox, Zepeto, and Decentraland, especially among youth ministries. What began as promotional experiments is now becoming a serious form of worship. This leads to an unavoidable question: can worship in the metaverse be considered true worship?
What Is the Essence of Worship?
To answer this, we must begin by asking what worship really is. In John 4:24, Jesus says, “God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Worship is not about form but about a personal encounter with God and a wholehearted offering of the self. While it transcends time and space, that does not mean form is meaningless.
Paul urges in Romans 12:1, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Worship encompasses our whole life, yet the early church still prioritized gathering together, singing, praying, and breaking bread as a shared experience of God’s presence.
Can metaverse worship truly fulfill this “togetherness” and “realness”? Is looking at avatars a real community? Is typing “Amen” a true confession? Can virtual bread and wine constitute a sacrament? These are not just technical questions—they challenge the very spiritual and theological foundations of worship.
Technology Is a Tool, Not the Goal
Christian history shows a long embrace of technology: Gutenberg’s printing press spread the Bible, radio and television brought the Gospel into homes, and the internet made sermons and devotionals widely accessible. In this sense, the metaverse can also be a tool for the Gospel.
But what matters is how we use technology. As a tool, it can be helpful; as a goal, it becomes an idol. If metaverse worship becomes just another trend driven by convenience or innovation, the church risks losing its focus. Worship is not about efficiency—it is about reverence and the offering of one’s whole heart to God.
In the Virtual World, Only Form Is Possible—Not Essence
One can build virtual sanctuaries in the metaverse, stream sermons, play praise songs, even simulate communion or baptism. But can this truly become a living act of faith?
The Lord’s Supper is not a mere symbol. It is a communal act of remembrance, physically sharing the bread and cup. Baptism involves water and a public confession of faith. Replacing these with avatars and digital interfaces is not symbolic worship—it’s a reduction of its sacredness.
Faith Centers on Encounter
Worship is ultimately a real encounter with God. The church exists as a community of worship. While digital tools can aid this encounter, they cannot replace it. Metaverse worship may serve as a supplementary resource—especially in cases of illness, disability, or physical distance—but once it becomes the “norm,” the church risks compromising the heart of worship.
While the Spirit is not bound by physical environments, human hearts are often dulled by digital ones. Concentration, reverence, and genuine emotional engagement are harder to achieve in virtual settings, where comfort often replaces awe.
The Church Must Hold Onto the Essentials
Churches must be culturally aware yet theologically anchored. Exploring metaverse worship may have its place, but once it becomes the main expression of church life, the church loses its footing. The church is not a tech platform—it is a spiritual community that gathers, weeps, prays, and shares bread together. That cannot be replicated online.
The strength of Christianity has always been its rootedness in the tangible. Jesus did not shout the Gospel from heaven—He came in the flesh to live among us. His ministry was incarnational, sharing in the suffering of the real world. The church must likewise remain grounded in the reality of human pain and presence. If the metaverse cannot hold that, it cannot hold the church’s essence.
Worship is a real act of bowing before God’s glory. Technology may help open the door, but it cannot carry the weight of that surrender. Metaverse worship may be one possibility for the future church—but it must never become its substitute. True worship only happens when our bodies and hearts are wholly offered in the presence of God.
Maeil Scripture Journal | Today’s World, A View Through the Word
