Technology

I get questions fairly regularly. “Where do you get photos and artwork?” “What software do you use?” etc.

Technology has changed the way we parent. It has become a force for good and evil. On one hand, we now have access to the largest library in the world. On the other, we have unprecedented access to unlimited evil.

At the age of sixty-two, I am irritated by perpetual updates to the functions on my phone which make me continually learn new methods and techniques. I recognize, however, that to be a “technophobe” would diminish my effectiveness in the work of God. It would also alienate me from a significant segment of society.

When I was a young boy in Northern California, the only time I wanted to go inside was dinnertime. All other hours, I wanted to be outside playing. Playtime for today’s young people, however, has transformed into screen time. The nature of community for twenty-first century children and teens has been radically changed.

A good website can be a valuable tool to help burden people’s hearts for the work God has called you to do. It is also a very cost effective way to bring people to your field through site and sound, through testimonies and information about your ministry.

As a missionary, I would like to recommend an app to you that could be a great blessing in organizing your deputation or your furlough. I use it all the time, and it has made this process easier. If you are like me, you have a list of churches that looks like a spreadsheet. This contains churches that you know pretty well, and also many churches about which you know almost nothing.

Selfie—it was the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year for 2013. And it says a lot about the influence of social media on American society. But perhaps it says more about the narcissism of American society in general. Because in the end, our social media doesn’t make us who we are; it reveals who we are.

Do a word search in Scripture for “twitter,” and you’ll find nothing. Make it even broader to include “social media,” and you’ll get the same results. Yet every mature Christian understands that God’s Word has much to say regarding social media. It is our responsibility to examine God’s Word and apply its timeless truths to the present reality of our daily lives.

Common Craft is a company that has created hundreds of instructional videos on a variety of topics that are easy to understand for people without a technical background. As a part of Dr. Paul Chappell’s sermon series through the gospel of Luke, our web team has developed an interactive site to support the new preaching series, Journey with Jesus.

First, you should understand what a podcast is and why it is useful. A podcast is a series of media (usually audio or video) files that people can subscribe to. If someone subscribes to your church podcast, every time there is a new recording, they will get it automatically.

An illustration database is a good tool to help gather all source material in one place. Whether you are a Sunday school teacher, a helper in a class, a ministry leader or a senior pastor, having one location for your source material is very beneficial.

We live in an age when technology and its practical and everyday uses are exploding. The fields of medicine, industry, finance, and especially communication are all being dramatically impacted by the use of technology. The cell phone and computer are chief among those innovations directly impacting our lives.

I am often asked about equipment we use, so I have developed a list of sound and projection equipment we have found helpful here at Lancaster Baptist Church.

One of my pet peeves is email. More specifically, it is email that is used as a substitute for a personal touch. Ministry is people work. It involves building real relationships and nurturing spiritual growth.

Remember when your mother taught you to “think before you speak”? It’s good advice for when you speak electronically, too. God commands us, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

Ministries come in all shapes, sizes, and budgets. Computer systems and software are becoming necessary tools for a ministry to reach others with the Gospel of Christ.

Whether you are launching a new site or updating an old one there are four parts to every web development project that you should be aware of and make sure you have thought through.

The internet is an incredible place where a world of information is just a Google search away. I’ve put together a list of five tools that are the first things I do anytime I get a new computer or setup a new network. Some are

The sound ministry is unique in many ways, but one of the distinguishing characteristics of a good sound man (no offense sound ladies, that’s just the term we use) is this - a good sound man strives to be invisible.

I am often asked about software we use, and books we have found helpful so I wanted to share some resources that we have found useful in our ministry.