That title is probably misleading but if it grabbed your attention for the moment, it did what I intended. Technology is a big part of individual lives. We hold the cell phone to our ear while reading the GPS to find the local Net Cafe so we can check our email that is not connected to our Blackberry. So what is the implication for the church?
First, this blog has gone past the 380th post mark. That is an incredible statement because we have only been around since March. Granted, we are a group effort so we post more frequently than most however, we are a group of Christian educators. We live busy lives with busy jobs and little time to “play” on the internet with such tools as blogs. Yet, here we are, making our statements and reaching out to the world in a new and exciting way. Our group of educators can now continue discussions we started months ago but could not complete in our monthly gathering. We can continue to socialize albeit in a new manner and we can develop new relationships with our faithful readers.
This has implications for Christian education work. If you are searching for help, we post by category so with a simple click, you get the information you are after. Maybe you disagree, so we allow you to take us to task in the comment area. Maybe you have a different way, again you share through your comments. Educators talking with educators who would never meet under normal circumstances. I think the implications are clear but I will let you draw some of your own.
Second implication is for the local congregation. How do educators think and put lessons together? We share that information free of charge in our posts. A teacher needs some extra information on a particular point in her lesson, she can turn to our archives. For daily assistance or inspiration, anyone can connect through an RSS reader and know instantly when we update the site. Again, the implications for lay leaders is incredible and empowering.
A third implication for Church 2.0 is the ability to connect the body together in a new fluid way. We have a “blog roll” and “Links” list to the right of this post which connects the reader to people we are learning from and resources we rely on. No longer do you need to know someone who knows someone who can connect you. Simply click on a trusted, vetted source and you are there but once there your journey is just beginning.
The first incarnation of the World Wide Web was a static, read-only environment. You had trouble finding the information you were looking for and when you found it, you could print it out or save the link for later. Now, when you arrive at a site like ours, you become part of the site. You can interact with the content, argue with content, agree with content or simply absorb the content but the information is no longer static, it is dynamic. This change has been dubbed Web 2.0 so I ripped that off and changed it to Church 2.0.
How can technology open the church doors wide, sharing information, resources and ideas? How can technology assist the church in becoming an interactive, dynamic environment where relationships blossom, information is exchanged and ideas are debated instead of argued? What is the role of Web 2.0 in Church 2.0 and are we ready to take that leap?
This post has no end. The implications are too vast to imagine in a blog post. Technology brought us together for this post. You engaged with me if only for a moment. I might have upset, caused you to think, or made you laugh but I was able to connect for that brief moment. I am better because of it. I have grown because you made me think. Now I get to reflect on your thoughts that you leave about this post. Our conversation does not have to end.
Thank you for reading this blog. Thank you for your comments. This was a dream a few months ago and it is now growing beyond my wildest imagination. People from all over the world stop by our doorstep if only to listen in for a moment. We invite you to stay and chat awhile with us about being the presence of Christ in a virtual world. Challenge us. Argue with us. Most importantly, engage us!
Jon, you ask, “How can technology open the church doors wide, sharing information, resources and ideas? How can technology assist the church in becoming an interactive, dynamic environment where relationships blossom, information is exchanged and ideas are debated instead of argued? What is the role of Web 2.0 in Church 2.0 and are we ready to take that leap?
Certainly many congregations lag in their imaginative and effective use of technologies. There may be legitimate reasons for this, including the cost of keeping up, maintaining, and investing in new technologies. Poor choices regarding technologies in the past that may have cost the congregation money may make congregational leaders reluctant to jump on the latest technological bandwagon. Especially given the very human enterprise which is at the heart of most congregations.
That said, I’m no Luddite. I agree that technology can be an aid to ministry—if appropriately applied.
I’ve seen a couple of Blog sites created by congregations in lieu of a website. I suspect that’s an attempt at creating a “poor man’s website” by setting up a “free” blog. I think that’s a mistake since the two platforms are sufficiently different as to have inherent limitations.
But I can see a congregation creating and using a blog in liue, or as a primary, church newsletter. A blog site can have all the features for it: ease of use, timely updates, rss feed updates, simple and readable interface, interactive, links, and archives.
And I can see a blog as a great tool for congregational groups: mission and ministry groups, committees, programs, etc.
For example, it is simple to set up a temporary blog for a youth or congregational mission trip. The blog can include a travelog, daily journal entries, reflections, photos of the trip, etc. All current, up-to-date, and timely!
I agree that technology must be used effectively and appropriately. Your idea about a blog for a mission trip is a wonderful example (and one I have tried to share with groups) that uses technology to form connections. The church is a relational endeavor and social networking applications can assist the church in that endeavor when we are not meeting face-to-face.
There are many examples of churches not getting it right with technology. Churches have used videos to replace instruction/formation, have done mission work to help others instead of allowing God to teach them, using bulletins each Sunday because it is the thing to do (seriously, how often do we change the order or the hymns?) static websites that no one knows how to update, and the list goes on.
I am advocating using technology in a different way. The question is HOW can technology help the church mission not trying to use technology for the sake of technology which has been the pattern. Technology is not new as many educators have pointed out and reminded me but it becomes the job of the staff educator to help people understand when it would be appropriate to use technology.
In this post, I simply want to make the statement that church is changing because of the influence of technology. I will talk about ways in which that can happen in future posts!
Thanks for keeping me honest and on my toes! Always and only the best in education.
As some of you know, I moved to Boston from Richmond a year ago. The church where I serve has a simple website and that is as techno – suave as they get. Before the fall, there was no other technological way in which they communicated, with the exception of email. O – we do have a yahoo group email list. In my year with them, I have come to the conclusion that introducing other forms of technology will be quite the challenge. However, we have managed to introduce a couple of minor changes.
We started a new Sunday school schedule with the addition of adult level Sunday school classes. (Before this, “church school” consisted of children and youth who left the worship service right before the sermon to have their own class.) Anyway, we have two adult level Sunday school classes now. One class is a biblical study of the lectionary scripture. The other class is a lecture style class with members of the church as facilitators. The focus in this class is social justice and living Christ in today’s world. We do have some technically advanced individuals who could present with power point. I purchased an LCD projector for this class. Not all of them use it, but most facilitators do use the power point as their option of delivery.
Another thing I have done was to incorporate the power point in the business meetings, with a focus on the community of the church. I take a lot of pictures at our events/functions/socials, from children through senior adults. I made a slideshow presentation of all the pictures to display while we were eating lunch or socializing before the meeting started. The children/youth loved to see their pictures on the screen and the adults seemed to enjoy it as well.
We have the yahoo group. We have the LCD projector. We have a website that I am happy to say we are updating to bring it into the user friendly world of 2007, with the pictures taken throughout the year but that is about it. We want to record our services to put into a podcast maybe? Still thinking about that.
The Senior Minister and I are personally technologically up to par with what we do – to the extent that personal resources allow. He has his own podcast and website for a hobby of his and I keep a blog for friends and family at home. Sorry about that Dr. Galindo. It is “poor woman’s website” but I get to share pictures of what I am doing with my friends 600 miles away and I get to share video with my uncle in Florida who is unable to speak on the phone. So, the Senior Minister and I would like to include our experience into better communication for the church but we know it will take small steps to get into 2007. It just maybe 2030 before we get to 2007. 🙂
Linda,
Your approach to technology is right on the spot! Technology should be used to enhance learning or assist in a way not capable without the technology. I think Israel was referring to churches using a blog for a website instead of creating one themselves so your personal blog would not count in that category. The way in which you are using the blog is more than appropriate and demonstrates the power of technology.
I will write more in the future about the relational aspect of church and technology but your examples are wonderful. What else might your church do with technology? What do you envision? What is your next step?
I would really be interested in hearing from you!
One thing that I forgot to add is that I incorporated a weekly email devotion. Each Wednesday, I take the lectionary text for the week and develop a devotion that I send to the congregation via email. It includes
The Scripture for this Sunday (not the text itself, after all, they can look it up)
Questions for reflection
Prayer for the week
Quote for the week
What’s happening in CE this week
Upcoming events.
Sometimes, the devotion actually corresponds with the sermon. (haha)
That’s great, Linda. The blog site format would make a great platform for devotionals. I can see a church setting up a different blog site for the liturgical seasons. And it’s the kind of thing that you can “recycle” every three years or so (like having a three-year cycle) for minimal effort other than updating some content and upgrading the style of the site.