[2] Some Christian denominations insist that an online gathering is not a real substitute for meeting in person, for example, the Roman Catholic Pontifical Council for Social Communications declared in 2002 that "the virtual reality of cyberspace cannot substitute for real interpersonal community, the incarnational reality of the sacraments and the liturgy, or the immediate and direct proclamation of the gospel", while acknowledging that the internet can still "enrich the religious lives of users".
Since then, they have prospered dramatically in response to institutional investment, the rise of more sophisticated social media and the emergence of free-access virtual worlds.
It includes different aspects of Christian community online, especially by those who view this phenomenon as a subset of emerging church, the developing expressions of the faith in relation to culture change.
An internet church describes an institution that has all or a majority of its members meet, connect or congregate, and teaches and practices its religious beliefs, entirely or primarily through online methods.
[12] Religious pollster and author George Barna used the term in his book Revolution to describe "the range of spiritual experiences delivered through the Internet".
These connections may or may not materialize in the real world, but many people now consider on-line relationships a significant part of their lives, increasing the potential influence of a Christian presence in these environments.
However, they also attempt to adapt to the unique social norms of digital media; users attending these churches are often referred to by their online usernames and there are sometimes chat sessions before, after, and even during services.
[4] Podcasting, streaming audio and video, media downloads, and self-broadcasting websites have made it possible to share the sights and sounds of belief.
While religious recordings of different types have certainly existed before, it is the Internet's ability to make these files public for millions of users that has led to the growth and influence of this component of cyberchurch.
[19] Now there are millions of audio sermons, conference and seminar recordings, home videos, documentaries, faith-themed films and more accessible on the World Wide Web.
[20] Most of these sites allow people to embed video hosted remotely onto their blog or website, powering video-based communication across the Internet.
Data suggests that some visitors to religious websites pick and choose elements of customized religions to suit their personal tastes, which is recognized as a problem in the Church.
In each case, unofficial expressions of these religions as well as individuals wanting to communicate their personal religious and spiritual beliefs have appeared on the medium.