The Church has a long history of fighting against technology. William Tyndale had the audacity to use Gutenberg's invention to print an English version of the Bible and disseminate it to the masses. Around the same time that Tyndale was was being strangled and burned at the stake for using this newfangled technology, Calvinist churches in Holland would not allow organs to be played in church.
Recently, Rev Cedric Miller was in the news due to his requirement that all married staff members close their facebook accounts, claiming that facebook accounts lead to infidelity in marriages. Immediately following this pronouncement, Rev. Miller' own sexual misconduct was brought to light, deeds dating back to before the advent of the world wide web. Apparently, desires acted upon cause infidelity, not the internet (James 1:14-15).
What we really fear is what we do not understand. If we don't understand how technology can be used as a force for good in the world, then we will only see it as an evil. Sometimes we view it as a necessary evil, and utilize it in the church only because we must, as in "We can't reach young people if we don't have cool video/lighting/media/websites/technology." Consider how technology can be used to help you communicate to your congregation and community. You do not have to preach the gospel from a pulpit in order for it to be heard, or only have the oppportunity to disciple people when you see them in person. Better yet, you can track the discipleship process using technology so that your evangelism and discipleship ministries will bear more fruit. Isn't that why you got into ministy in the first place?
To learn more about using technology in disipleship, check out http://www.churchleaders.com/, a website that offers pastors free resources. This month, Church Community Builders have offered a free ebook download of Getting Disciple Making Right: 7 Ways Technology Helps Churches Win at Making Disciples. You can download a copy for yourself here: http://bit.ly/f8TKox
How is your church using technology to fulfill the Great Commission?
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