Behold “Cisco On-Stage TelePresence Holographic Video Conferencing”. The keyword there is Holographic. Fans of Star Wars, Star Trek (heck, pretty much any sci-fi series will do) will recognize how cool this technology is.

I promise there’s a point about churches in this post, look for it after the (stunning) video:

Digital @ Leadership Network mentions what this might mean for churches in the future, especially multi-site churches:

But before Cisco’s holographic video technology makes its way into the megachurch sanctuary, it will most likely begin appearing in use at large-scale events and conferences, including church conferences. For example, Billy Graham will be appearing at Catalyst conference this year via video. What if it were a 3D holographic video? That would just be, well, creepy for some people, perhaps, but it could be extremely powerful for others, as well.

One of the big criticisms of churches that pump in video for their sermons is how distant the congregation can feel from the pastor. This technology has the effect of making the speaker seem realistically present on stage. However, I do wonder what it will be like after the awe of the technology has worn off. Will we still have the same gripes? Or will we just have introduced a whole host of new problems?

My personal take is that regardless of the form of communication nothing will beat face to face for pure connections sake, but this does seem to be a step in the right direction.

But speaking seriously for a moment, they better be beaming that hologram from an adorable blue and gray robot.

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HT: Missio Dei