Technology is too important to ministry to be left to Techies at effective web ministry notes

Technology is too important to ministry to be left to Techies

filed under General by jerry on 25Oct05 @ 11:44 am EST

Techworld.com - One in ten IT departments dead by 2011

Technology may end up being too important to be left to techies, Gartner said, and business executives may end up managing it as part of their regular roles.

Finally someone put into writing what I have felt for several years now. As Tom Seely and I talk to our ministry leadership about what technology would accelerate our ministry, I keep having this thought. Technology is too important to our ministry to be left to Techies. Our biggest challenge (as developing, growing former Techies) is to convince ministry leadership of this principle. We see progress in this direction!

Don’t get me wrong, someone still needs to know how to implement the technology, but the person implementing it should not be the one making the high level decisions about how to use it. The application to this principle in Internet Ministry is that you want your field ministry leader producing an Internet-based ministry rather than the technology guy.

Having said that, who am I to dictate how God wants to work? Often it is the Techie in whom God has placed the vision to reach people for Christ on the Internet. More power to them!

5 Responses to “Technology is too important to ministry to be left to Techies”

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1 Ted on Oct 26th, 2005 said:

I SO SO agree. As a church webmaster, it’s amazing to me that a medium with such potential for ministry, outreach, and community-building is given so little regular attention. Part of the problem is a lack of awareness, but a big portion is a lack of time. Unless technology is a priority, the average “field ministry leader” or pastor is pretty busy.
2 Jennifer on Oct 26th, 2005 said:

I disagree with you, Ted. In the case of our webmaster (you, my husband), the only one at our church who seems to understand the potential to use technology in ministry is the webmaster himself. He’s been dragging the “higher-ups” kicking and screaming into using technology in ministry. The results have been good, but imagine where they would be if everyone was behind it. I wish the higher-ups felt like Jerry.
3 scott on Nov 1st, 2005 said:

I wouldn’t seperate the “techies” from leadership. Sounds like you (Ted) have been providing leadership in an important area. If the “techies” have a passion for God they should be considered important Church leaders. God bless you,
Scott
fishblog.org
4 Sam on Nov 8th, 2005 said:

I’m with Jerry on this one. I’m one of those rare people that is equally comfortable with Christian leadership and techie stuff. I realize that makes me an exception, but I think more leaders need to realize they don’t need to be a techie to be responsible for web ministries. The techie’s job is to facilitate THEIR vision. It’s about teamwork–one has ministry skills, the other IT skills.

I’m currently working on a project I’ve been hired to do by a mission whose project leader uses the ‘net about the same as your average American. BUT… he’s realized that the web has similar applications for ministry as in his personal/business uses. My job is to make his vision a reality, and at the same time ask the right questions so I can wield technology he is not aware of to achieve his vision with greater potential. (And I’m loving the ride!)

I hope people like us can help leaders grasp that they don’t have to do it alone!