4 MYTHS ABOUT USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CHURCH

BY DJ CHAUNG

   

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The Church has used technology throughout history: papyrus, printing press, piano, organ, lighting, microphones, guitars, drums, and video projectors. And with the advent of the Internet, we have newer technologies like websites, social networking via Facebook, and texting on cell phones.

How do we steward technology well? We start by dispelling four common myths about using online technologies in the church.

1. "If you build it, they will come."
Not necessarily. The "it" could be a website, a blog, a discussion board, a podcast, a Twitter feed, or a Facebook fan page. Your digital presence will not automatically be viewed by lots of people just by its mere existence. People choose what they will pay attention to based on relevance (to their situation), value (that enhances their life), and trust (derived from the reputation of the content provider or a trusted friend who points them that way). Your online presence will need to be mentioned often using traditional media as well as word of mouth.

2. "It doesn't cost anything."
True, some online tools don't cost anything to use, but using technology can cost you is more than money. There's the recurring cost of energy to produce fresh and relevant content. There's also the time involved in connecting with your online community, engaging in conversations and responding to questions. There's the potential cost of even free online tools and Web apps that don't fit the orientation of your church and confuse your audience.

3. "Only the younger generation uses social networking."
One study reported that 64 percent of Twitter's and 61 percent of Facebook's users are age 35 or older. The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project found that 38 percent of adults 65 and older are online. To better steward technology, you will want to meet people where they already connect online, and you will want to provide training for using online tools that best serve your existing community.

4. "Technology could replace real-life relationships."
Technology does not have to replace real-life relationships. You can use technology in a way that enriches real-life relationships, to stay connected between the church's face-to-face gatherings. Online tools do two things: expose and enable. Technology can expose a person's tendencies, whether that's isolation or addictiveness; technology can also enable a person to communicate with more people in more ways without being constrained by time and space.

By dispelling these myths, we can learn to better steward technology together, to share what's working, what didn't work, and discuss what we're thinking so we can make informed technology decisions in the future.

It's never too late to start incorporating technology as part of your church's ministry. But, the longer you wait, the more opportunities are lost in connecting with people whose lives are technology-infused.

D.J. Chuang is network developer at Worship Leader magazine, a web strategist for Leadership Network, and a former pastor. This article is condensed from Worship Leader. DJ will be speaking on "Stewarding Technology in the Service of Worship" at the National Worship Leader Pre-conference seminars (June in Albuquerque, New Mexico; July in Kansas City, Kansas; and October in Lancaster, Pennsylvania). For information click here. (www.nationalworshipleaderconference.com). To read more from Worship Leader Magazine, or to subscribe click here (www.worshipleader.com).

Copyright © 2010 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.
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THE EXTERNALLY FOCUSED CHURCH

 From the archives of rev.org comes this counsel for Rick Rusaw and Erc Swanson.

We don't know of any churches that claim to be internally focused, but they exist all the same. Internally focused churches concentrate on getting people into the church and generating activity there. These churches may create powerful worship experiences, excel in teaching, offer thriving youth programs, and have vibrant small groups, but at the end of the day, what is measured is the number of people and activities within the church. These are good churches filled with good people. And what they do is vital but not sufficient for a healthy church. Worship, teaching, and personal devotions are absolutely necessary for building the internal capacity necessary to sustain an external focus, but if all the human and financial resources are extended inside the four walls of the church, then no matter how "spiritual" things may appear to be, something is missing.
In many churches today, people are rediscovering the majesty of God and expressing their praise through worship. Music is no longer just the warm-up for the message. There is expectancy that God inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3, King James Version). But worship that is not manifested in how we live in relationship with others may be hollow. We aren't the first ones to experience this. In the years preceding the Babylonian captivity, Isaiah had a message from God concerning Israel's "internal" focus -- along with an exhortation to move beyond formal worship to true righteousness:

"Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me...I cannot bear your evil assemblies...They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen...Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice; encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow (from Isaiah 1:13-17, emphasis added).

Throughout his prophetic book, Isaiah exposes the inadequacy of the faith of people who focus on loving God but forget about loving others. Addressing the futility of prayers and fasting in the absence of concern for others, God says, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter -- when you see the naked, to clothe him?" (Isaiah 58:6-7a).

Externally focused churches are internally strong, but they are oriented externally. Their external focus is reflected in those things for which they staff and budget. Because they engage their communities with the good works and good news of Jesus Christ, their communities are better places in which to live. These churches look for ways to be useful to their communities, to be a part of their hopes and dreams. They build bridges to their communities instead of walls around themselves. They don't shout at the dirty stream; they get in the water and begin cleaning it up. They determine their effectiveness not only by internal measures -- such as attendance, worship, teaching, and small groups -- but also by external measures: the spiritual and societal effects they are having on the communities around them. Externally focused churches measure not only what can be counted by also what matters most -- the impact they are having outside the four walls of the church. They ask, "Whose lives are different because of this church?" Nearly everything that is done inside the church should prepare and equip people not only for personal growth but also for personal impact. Like every church, externally focused churches have their problems and challenges, but they are determined to make a difference in society. Internally focused churches help individuals, but externally focused churches change the world.

Could your church change the world?

WORSHIP AND MISSION

Found this great video from an Australian pastor on the Missional Outreach Network. An important reminder about the purpose of worship.


Find more videos like this on Missional Outreach Network

WORSHIP EVANGELISM

Increasingly the traditional church is learning what has been an open secret in youth ministry for decades. Worship is evangelism. When seekers come into a gathering where people are transparent and passionate to worship God, there is an electricity present that captures their attention and begins to open their hearts and minds to Him.

We are not talking about worship as a perfunctory act of obedience, all about form and language. We are talking about that humbling of one's heart, that unashamed and unscripted abandonment of oneself to the transforming power of God. "Let love be genuine" is the command of scripture. When worship is a genuine expression of a heartfelt love for Jesus Christ, it illumines the dark places of our world with the awesome, supernatural light of the world. No one has to explain God or even defend Him. Worship reveals His presence.

Christian preachers are learning to communicate to emerging generations in effective ways. And churches are learning to worship in ways that communicate meaning and invite new people to enter into the flow of worship. Creative tools and worship arts create an atmosphere for worship that helps engage people of many personalities and passions as participants.

But in the end, worship that is genuine -- in Spirit and in Truth -- is what lifts up Christ and draws all people -- old and young, modern and postmodern, traditional and contemporary, raised in the church or one who will be the first generation of their family to find faith -- and ultimately (to quote Dan Kimball) to be the bridge to the Bridge that reconciles people to God.