Pastor John MacArthur declared that holding the worship service online, in place of a physical one, is unbiblical, saying that it violates God's intention for His people to work together.
MacArthur, senior pastor of Grace Community Church (GCC), tackled the issue during a question-and-answer session in October, the Christian Headlines reported.
"Zoom church is not church. It's not church. It's watching TV," the minister stressed.
Though he recognized the relevance of an online service in spreading the Gospel, he pointed out that it should not replace in-person gatherings since it negates the Bible's description of coming together.
"There's nothing about that that fulfills the biblical definition of coming together, stimulating one another in love and good works ... singing, speaking to yourselves in Psalms [and] spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord, sitting under the Word of God, praying together, being led by those who preach the Word and open the Scripture," he said.
MacArthur drew his definition of a church in the New Testament, wherein people came together to worship the LORD and pray.
"It was fellowship, and it was the breaking of bread and the Lord's Supper. So the church is defined clearly. And it's the communion of the saints. It's fellowship, it's partnership," he added.
He shared that the Greek translation of the word "fellowship" is defined as something that requires coming together.
MacArthur went on to say that the church is the "fellowship of people whose lives are all blended together" in love and unity, which does not occur in a video setting.
"I think you're in violation of the whole intent of the Lord and how He wants His people to work together if you're not fully involved in a church under the leadership and headship of pastors, to whom you have given your life to be cared for, instructed, loved, nurtured, and to whom you owe some accountability," he explained.
Fighting To Hold In-Person Worship Services
Pastor MacArthur is a firm advocate of in-person worship services, wherein his congregation continued to meet together for Sunday services amidst California's strict COVID-19 guidelines last year, forbidding churches from holding such gatherings.
In August 2020, the local government of Los Angeles sent a cease-and-desist letter to GCC and MacArthur, threatening a daily fine of $1,000 or the latter's arrest.
But Jenna Ellis, one of the church's lawyers, said that the state has no power to impose the restrictions it demanded, adding that the mandate was not about health and safety but targeting churches.
In February 2021, the United States Supreme Court finally issued a ruling, nullifying California's ban on indoor church services as its precaution to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas argued that "something has gone seriously awry" when the state allows Hollywood to open while closing houses of worship.
Relative to this development, the state of California and Los Angeles county shared to pay GCC with $800,000 as settlement last August.
Vindicated, MacArthur said that the settlement is a "monumental victory," adding that nothing "can cause the church to close."
"The church is not only a building but is the bride of Christ exists to proclaim the truth," the minister further stated.
