church technology

Recently I took thirteen Christian undergraduate students on a field trip to Southern California. One morning, after our buffet breakfast at the Best Western, we got together in the hotel foyer and chatted about faith and technology. It provoked at least three observations for me. 1. Technology makes information more accessible and learning less common.

“Church tech on a budget.” Is that an oxymoron? It doesn’t have to be! Having great sound at your church doesn’t have to be a luxury reserved for large building budgets and a tech department with deep pockets. Even if your church has an older sound system, there are likely some budget-friendly ways you can enhance the quality of your sound.

With Easter just 40 days away, today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. For those, like myself, who did not grow up following the liturgical calendar, Lent may be a foreign thing. In short, Lent is the season of the Christian Year where we focus on simple living, prayer and fasting to grow closer to God.

One of the funnest articles I’ve read on the now famous pound symbol was called “Ode to the #Hashtag: A tribute to the most ubiquitous symbol of our digital times.” It was written back in 2013 by Andrew Miller on Medium, but is every bit as relevant today as it was back then. Especially this line: “People don’t know how to use you, But dump you everywhere just in case, Brands all rush to be your friend, To justify their journeys into cyberspace.” That is so true.

Monday morning starts, just like most mornings start. A cup of coffee, small chat with a few co-workers, and then head to your desk to get the day going. Most likely you do not even think about it. You push the power button on the desktop or tablet, wait a little bit, open a program or two and your church management software is up and running. There are profiles to update, events to create, emails to send, and a host of other responsibilities that you hope your ChMS can handle. You use this software every day, but do you really KNOW your church management software provider?

When Jesus said “go and make disciples of all nations” his followers listened. And, we’ve been in the business of making disciples ever since. But in recent years social media has changed the playing field. The word “go” and the phrase “all nations” are no longer restricted to physical travel and national borders.

The idea of goal setting has become almost synonymous with the dawning of a new year. While it's fresh on everyone's mind, it seems like a good time to consider your church tech goals.

Joshua and Moses… Samuel and Eli… The Disciples and Jesus… Mentoring has been part of Christianity since the beginning. As people created to serve both God and one another, mentoring is a form of service. Sharing with the next generation the wisdom of the older, while at the same time, guiding them to follow what is right in their time.