ArticleChurches, Time to Adopt Technology for Ministry!

Though perhaps unsurprising, these findings are interesting for churches to consider, especially if we are serious about serving the next generations in ways that are relevant to them—meeting them where they are; “becoming all things to all people” for the sake of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:22).

At least 2 implications are relevant for churches today.

1. The next generations are technological.

It is obvious that the younger generations were born into a much more technological world. They are natives to technology. Generations Y, Z, and Alpha all consume music digitally, using technology that is getting smarter by the decade. Generation Alpha’s learning style is completely virtual, which has also been highlighted by the COVID pandemic. But what is perhaps most relevant to churches these days is the fact that both Generations Z and Alpha seek advice and influence from the virtual world; from forums and chatbots, respectively.

The last point is especially important because if churches want to have any influence on these young people’s spiritual lives, then we must consider ways to reach them where they are.

Realising all this is necessary for churches to be able to nurture the young, not only to shape them in Christ-likeness, but also to prepare them for future leadership. Churches need to thrive and regenerate over generations, and the only way to do that is to make sure that there are people in every generation to train and disciple.

But, to train and disciple people who are natives to technology, we also need to understand technology. And this brings me to the second relevant point.

2. There’s a cultural gap between church leadership and young people.

For most churches, this is true. Most pastors and church leaders are either Baby Boomers or Generation X’s. Some churches have some ‘younger’ leadership from Generation Y, but the majority still come from the older, analog generations.

That means that there’s a cultural gap.

How can churches serve young people using digital technology and meet them where they are if the leadership is not technology-native, or at least technology-savvy? And indeed, this poses a serious problem for a lot of churches.

There is a style difference between the older and younger generations. Young people communicate using digital tools like memes and emojis, for example.

There is also a difference in technological adoption. For example, young people have no problems being on social media and sharing their lives online while they get onto the newest social media app and fad, whereas a lot of people from the older generations are a bit wary about sharing their private lives on the web.

There is also a difference in leadership approaches. Generations Z and Alpha are more comfortable with a kind of leadership that collaborates and empowers rather than directs or controls, which people in the older generations are more used to.

So, how can churches start to meet the younger generations using technology?

There are several simple ways that churches can adopt to start embracing technology for ministry towards young people.

First, have a website.

The majority of young people find new churches through searching them on the web. To make sure that your church is visible to young people, you need to have a website—preferably a responsive and pretty one.

Second, have a social media presence.

The majority of young people check out churches using social media (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, perhaps even TikTok!). And get this, they don’t only check out whether you exist on social media. They also check out your teaching, sermons, worship feels, and style. That means, what you show on social media needs to be strategic and genuine.

Lastly, develop some digital communication.

This goes for both one-way announcement and two-way communication. We have to be where they are. If our people prefer to communicate using SMS, then we use SMS. If they use WhatsApp or Line, then we use WhatsApp or Line. If they prefer emails, then we use emails. If they’re on Messenger, Discord, and Slack, then we have to find ways to reach them there.

But this could get hairy pretty fast. How can churches manage to use such a vast array of digital communication methods with the limited amount of human resources that they often have?

Erista can help!

One of Erista’s features is automated communication, which allows churches to easily schedule an announcement or communicate with people in their congregations from the same webpage, without having to switch between different communication channels or devices. Whether you’d like to send communication to 1 person, 50 people, or the whole congregation, you can easily do that on Erista without leaving a webpage!

Why not give it a try for free? Sign up now!