Originally Posted By: Myridon
There also needs to be a way to talk about the non-local "congregation" of the modern megachurch.

People have been attending churches via TV for many years (e.g. Robert Schuller's Hour of Power started in 1970) - some people who have never been within a thousand miles of the building consider themselves members of those churches.

Not to mention online 'e-churches' that have appeared more recently.

I would contend that at least grammatically (and possibly theologically, though that is not something we can discuss here) the idea of a 'non-local gathering' or a non-locational gathering, a virtual gathering, is pushing the boundaries a bit. It may be a meeting of the minds, but does the verb to congregate and its various cognomens imply a more actual and bodily presence of the congregants? I think it probably does.