How can the Christian Church reach out with the technology available?
Twenty years ago, the Internet was still considered new technology. Only a minority of people had access to the Internet. Today, most households have at least one computer, and the majority of people today use a computer to gather information. There are some of the older generation that still have not ventured onto a computer, but for the most part, most people have and can use a computer to do a basic search. My father in law, whose is 84 years old at the date of this writing, can use a computer.
With the new smart phones and tablets with cellular connections, Internet use has become as much of a needed utility as a telephone. Having said that, the way we gain information has changed compared to twenty years ago. In that era, pay telephones were rampant, and for the most part, you could usually find a telephone book to look up anything you needed, from a doctor, to a store, and even your local place of worship. Personally, I have not picked up a phone book to look up anything in quite a long time. Instead, we use search engines like Google, Bing, or online directories like Yelp, combined maybe with some other website that has the information we need. A lot of the Christian radio stations have a directory online listing local churches.
So, what does this have to do with the church? Most churches now realize that they at least need a website. A lot of the church websites out there offer little more than the address and phone number of the church, with maybe a few photos. Some of these websites are built by someone (well meaning) in the congregation. They may not have any idea of how to do anything more than just use some cheap resource online to build an automatic click and build website, without needing much in the way of technical experience. A website can offer so much more, and have the ability to reach out to the lost. We are commanded to take up the Great Commission, to win as many souls as possible. See Matthew 28:16-20 regarding the Great Commission. Your church can offer live video feeds of your services. You can offer audio podcasts of your sermons. You can have a calendar of events showing on your website. All of these tools can be used to reach the lost, while keeping your flock up to date with a valid method of communication, and keeping your home bound members fed with the message.
Besides the website, you can have software that is cloud based, to help you run your church or ministry. There are many good ones out there, and they are free in costs. Some of these can be found on open source websites. You just need someone that can recognize what the system requirements are, to install it for you, and make any code adjustments to make it work with your particular situation.
Do you want to print your own church directory, with photos of your members? Do you want a good accounting program? Do you have a church library, and want to automate the check in and out process? Do you have a nursery or children's program where you would like to print out bar codes on ID badges for check in and out? Maybe, with the string of church burglaries in some locations around the country, you'd like to install a security camera system? Do you want to expand your current phone system from one phone line to several, and have the same set up as a large corporation? Do you want the ability to automatically call out on your phone system with a prayer chain? E-mail out newsletters automatically?
All of these things can be done with fairly inexpensive equipment, and not have to purchase any software. You only need to have someone that knows how to put these things in place. I will be coming out with more articles on how to save money with technology in the church in the near future. Thank you for reading, and may God bless you.
