Over a decade ago I wrote an article for the Gospel Advocate entitled, "Surfing the Internet with the Gospel." At that time I thought it was cutting-edge stuff. The article provided basic information on how to use email, bulletin boards and discussion forums to spread the Good News.
A lot has changed in the past decade and innovation is happening at a pace that is hard to keep up with (both in cost and simply the speed of change). In the next few articles I would like to look at a few ways that churches can use technology in a cost effective and ministry focused way.
As workers together in God's kingdom, we have a fiscal responsibility towards good stewardship. Technology is a great tool for the advancement of the kingdom, but it must be balanced with responsible spending and a clear understanding of the desired outcomes. That being said, let's start by looking at some inexpensive ways to use technology in our churches.
Distribution Lists: Email accounts and listserves can be set up with little or no cost to the congregation, but they can have great benefits to the work. In our congregation we have distribution lists for our leadership teams, our deacons, the men in the congregation, women in the congregation and other sub-groups. Distribution lists have been used effectively for years in other organizations, but they provide a great resource for information sharing, communication and congregational updates.
Websites: I am almost ashamed to put this in this article, but believe it or not there are still churches who do not have a website, or if they do - they fail to update their information. I can't speak for other areas, but a significant number of new people in our community found us through an online search. If you have a website here are a few (very few) basic rules to follow. 1) Allow someone to maintain the website who has some experience and will keep the information up to date; 2) Make your site easy to navigate with the most important information at their fingertips (contact information & directions to the building); 3) Make the website interactive. Put surveys, community information, audio downloads and other resources on your site. Please add your suggestions for effective websites at the end of this article.
PDA's: I resisted getting a blackberry or I Phone as long as I could, now I am wondering why I waited so long. I have always had a bad case of "outoftouchaphobia," but now it has reached chronic proportions. Having voicemail, email and web access at my fingertips 24/7 has its drawbacks, but I feel as though I am right on top of what is happening in the church and in my community.
There is a lot more that needs to be covered, but these are some low-cost ways to begin using technology in our churches. Please drop me a line and let me know what areas of technology are serving your churches, what your favorite toys are, and recommendations you have for responsible use of technology.
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