The most interesting part of today's class for me was the discussion on how community is defined not by physical space (where people are) but "social space" (not tied to where people are). Although this was true many years ago (think letters), social space has eclipsed physical space and is the most important aspect for younger generations. The interesting and challenging part of this is how to minister to groups of people which are amorphous and changing daily.
The second-most interesting part was the idea of planting churches in "natural social units" (to use a phrase used by Dr. McGavran). If a person's natural social unit is a sci-fi fan base, how does the gospel go into that area? (See my previous book report on Dr. McGavran's book Bridges of God for a possible answer to this question.) These are fascinating questions which can and should be addressed by churches all over the world.
Great questions to wrestle with. There certainly are those seeking to minister to such subgroups via internet technology.
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