Transition
Technology in Ministry
13/April/2016
When we think about the church we pray that it is always changing. Biblical truths never change, but how we apply them, and what it looks like changes in every generation. This is why I am concerned about the state of technology in churches across America. I see churches on a regular basis that have not changed any of their technology in ten years. Many churches have taken proper steps to get a website and social media pages but I am afraid that they did it just because everyone else was doing it. Or maybe because the “cool” church in town had a website so now we need one too. Over the next several weeks we will look at three key areas of technology in the church. Websites, Social Media, and Digital Resources.
Far to often churches have websites that are ugly, outdated, and not welcoming. We know that people interested in your church will often view the church website or social media pages prior to attending for the first time. However, most of our websites do not properly reflect the identity of our churches. Updating and maintaining a website are easier today than they have ever been. We must take proper steps to use technology as we continue to reach out to lost members of our communities.
Churches have discovered social media but many do not understand social media. It is funny how many churches use their social media pages like they would a website. They do not understand that social media is about relationships. I told a church worker that you need to talk to people and draw them into conversation about a particular ministry through your social media pages. She quickly said but if we place something on social media then we will have to respond and I do not have time for that. I said ok remember that time is a choice. If you choose not to be in the realm of social media that is completely up to you. This is where I remind church staff that although social media is still free to set up and use, it does take time.
The last week we will look at Digital Resources available to you right now. When I was on the mission field we did not have financial resources to accomplish many of our goals so we had to be creative. Almost everything we talked about during training missionaries could start right then for free. Each year free resources are made available to small churches and pastors all across the nation and world. We need to make sure that we are looking in the right places for help. We also need to be able to ask for help from others on church staffs with more expertise than our own. I like to use the example of my father. He is in his late 50’s and does a decent job of using social media for his church. What is really cool is that he is in several groups that share resources. Although they do not advertise it several large churches will assist in any way they can to share resources. Newspring Community Church is one that shares almost anything they create. All you need to do is ask for it.
Far to often churches have websites that are ugly, outdated, and not welcoming. We know that people interested in your church will often view the church website or social media pages prior to attending for the first time. However, most of our websites do not properly reflect the identity of our churches. Updating and maintaining a website are easier today than they have ever been. We must take proper steps to use technology as we continue to reach out to lost members of our communities.
Churches have discovered social media but many do not understand social media. It is funny how many churches use their social media pages like they would a website. They do not understand that social media is about relationships. I told a church worker that you need to talk to people and draw them into conversation about a particular ministry through your social media pages. She quickly said but if we place something on social media then we will have to respond and I do not have time for that. I said ok remember that time is a choice. If you choose not to be in the realm of social media that is completely up to you. This is where I remind church staff that although social media is still free to set up and use, it does take time.
The last week we will look at Digital Resources available to you right now. When I was on the mission field we did not have financial resources to accomplish many of our goals so we had to be creative. Almost everything we talked about during training missionaries could start right then for free. Each year free resources are made available to small churches and pastors all across the nation and world. We need to make sure that we are looking in the right places for help. We also need to be able to ask for help from others on church staffs with more expertise than our own. I like to use the example of my father. He is in his late 50’s and does a decent job of using social media for his church. What is really cool is that he is in several groups that share resources. Although they do not advertise it several large churches will assist in any way they can to share resources. Newspring Community Church is one that shares almost anything they create. All you need to do is ask for it.
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