I have been using Facebook and some of the youth pastor sites to connect with other student pastors & to sharpen my student ministry skills as well as develop my leadership skills. A question arose recently about using technology in your ministry. Do we rely too much on technology. We do announcements, prayer requests, worship music, lessons all on powerpoint. I do most notes for meetings on powerpoint as well. What if technology does not work? What do we do? Will we survive? Here are a few thoughts about technology as you use it in your student ministry:
1. Live within your means. You don’t have to have it to share the Gospel. Some people think that they must have technology to win more people. The Gospel is powerful & life changing by itself. It does not have to have technology. Some churches do not have the capability or means to incorporate technology. Do not let that stop you from sharing the Gospel. Still share the Gospel regardless of if you have the means of using technology.
2. Do not completely rely on it. If it does not work, know how to roll with it. Be prepared for it to work perfectly and for it to not work at all, then you will be fine. If it does not work, and you cannot function, you are using it too much and relying on it too much. You should be able to effectively share the Gospel without technology.
3. Consider the culture of your church. Some churches are not into technology as much as others & be careful that you do not overstep your church & their culture. Be considerate of who your church is.
4. Do not allow it to replace the Word. The truth of the Word should be your main focus.
5. If something with technology goes wrong, turn it off quickly. The last thing that I want to see is the media team trying for 5 minutes to get something on the screen. We occasionally have issues with playing videos, and it is easy to keep trying, but it shows a lack of professionalism and is embarrassing to your ministry. This is a major pet peeve of mine.
If you have any feedback on using technology in ministry, leave a comment or send a direct message to joshhevans@gmail.com.
