Technology in Ministry

copyright 2009 stefan.dotti

Yeah I know I've already beat this horse, but it isn't quite dead yet. I also just finished writing my required paper on this subject, so it's fresh in my mind. In my previous post on this subject I left things kind of open and asked for opinions. Well, now I'm going to give mine. I'm not sure what the proper procedure is for quoting yourself, but here goes, "Since technology has at its core the promise of making life easier for those who adopt it, it can insert itself into areas where it may not be needed, or may be detrimental to building relationships.  Technology has the danger of replacing practices that are essential to the local church body. For example, posting audio or video content of worship services on the internet may have the unintended consequences of encouraging people to not attend services physically. We as spiritual leaders need to be intentional about communicating our purpose for implementing technology in ministry and encourage its proper use.  It’s important to keep this in mind as we evaluate our intended audience." 

This is what I said in my paper, and I think it's true. I read an article today about which is the beast keyboard case for the iPad. One of the people commenting after the story said this, "This is kind of like asking which is the best turntable for your car. Sure, you can do it... but there are better ways to listen to music in your ride. "

Sometimes I wonder if we're using technology just because we can, or because we actually believe it's the best way to communicate with our audience...