Livestream

At CityChurch we aim for our livestream to serve two purposes: First, to serve the people of our church who are unable to join us for worship in person due to illness, work, travel, or other circumstances. And second, to allow people who are interested in visiting CityChurch a glimpse into what our Sunday services are like before they come.

A livestream, like any other medium, can only be a second best thing. It’s useful as a tool to bridge a physical distance when real presence isn’t possible, but its only real value is as a downpayment on a future reality. It’s a placeholder or an appetizer for the real thing. But the real thing that church is can only exist in a relational and embodied way.

That’s why we choose not to invest a lot of resources into making our livestream a well polished production, because we know it can never be as good as being here. Instead, we aim for it simply to serve the purposes described above, as a placeholder for when the real thing is out of reach. So we hope you’ll bear with us through little glitches and less than perfect audio, only until you’re able to join us in person. Because church is more than content you can watch on a screen. It’s a community to which Jesus invites us to belong.

If you live outside of Bristol or the Tri-Cities and join our services online, we’re glad God’s work in our congregation can be an encouragement to you where you are, and we’re grateful for your investment in our community. You’re always welcome to keep watching, but we also encourage you, as you are able, to find a place to gather and worship with the people of God in your own community. Don’t let the digital content of our services be a substitute for the real, embodied community and relationship that God designed you to enjoy.