Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age

Outreach Resource of the Year
The Gospel Coalition Book Award

What does it mean to be an analog church in a digital age?

In recent decades the digital world has taken over our society atnearly every level, and the church has increasingly followed suit―often in ways we're not fully aware of. But as even the culture at large begins to reckon with the limits of a digital world, it's time for the church to take stock. Are online churches, video venues, and brighter lights truly the future? What about the digital age's effect on discipleship, community, and the Bible?

As a pastor in Silicon Valley, Jay Kim has experienced the digital church in all its splendor. In Analog Church, he grapples with the ramifications of a digital church, from our worship and experience of Christian community to the way we engage Scripture and sacrament. Could it be that in our efforts to stay relevant in our digital age, we've begun to give away the very thing that our age most desperately needs: transcendence? Could it be that the best way to reach new generations is in fact found in a more timeless path? Could it be that at its heart, the church has really been analog all along?

Jay Y. Kim serves as lead pastor at WestGate, a multicongregational church in Silicon Valley. He is the host of IVP's Digital Examen podcast and the author of several books, including Analog Christian, Analog Church, and Listen Listen Speak. Jay serves on the board of Practicing the Way and has spent two decades in local church ministry, all in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving as a teaching pastor and church planter over the years. Jay lives in Silicon Valley with his wife Jenny and their two children.

Scot McKnight (PhD, University of Nottingham) is a New Testament scholar known for his work on the historical Jesus, early Christianity, and Christian living. He is a visiting professor at Houston Theological Seminary and Westminster Theological Centre (UK). McKnight has written over ninety books, including a translation of the New Testament called The Second Testament, The Real Mary, and The Blue Parakeet.