Sunday Ideas: 10 Ways to Improve Your Church's Use of Technology

Some church leaders are cautious about accepting the latest technological innovations, rather than viewing it as a fresh method to connect the congregation and the community. As a result, congregations are frequently left behind in the flannel graph age rather than becoming a part of the digital revolution.

1. Form a team for technology or communications.

Enlist people who are knowledgeable about how your church is presently using technology as well as other prospective technology and communication approaches. Allow them to present you with concrete suggestions for improvement.

2. Ensure that younger leaders are included.
It’s part of their culture. They were born into a technological world, so it comes naturally to them. Involve them in your church’s ministry so they can share their knowledge with other leaders.

3. Identify all technology media that are relevant.

This is where your team comes in. Find out which social media platforms your church’s members use the most. Spend your time there. However, find out where the larger community around your church is online. Be present.

4. Teach all church leaders how to use these channels.

Finding out where people are is only half the battle. Now, the staff and lay leaders must understand how to use the proper venues and technology to engage their audiences both within and outside of the church.

5. Obtain premium Internet bandwidth for the church office.

Invest in Internet access for yourself and your employees. Slow Internet and the inability to reply fast would annoy individuals and decrease excitement for an online push.

6. Designate highly targeted locations for each local church mission.

Having an announcement for every ministry, class, and team on your church website contradicts the point. Too much information might frequently dilute your main point. To improve user engagement, employ specialized websites, Facebook groups, and Twitter feeds.

7. Create an advance and follow-up communication strategy.

Create a strategy with your team to distribute sermon notes, announcements, service opportunities, particular campaigns, prayer requests, and so on in the most effective way possible.

8. Increase the variety of information produced.

With all of the many media production software and applications available, you and your team might create a variety of works linked to a single sermon or church-wide emphasis: podcast, highlight video, online ad, Facebook photo, blog post, and so on.

9. Give missionaries, shut-ins, and hospital patients pre-loaded mobile devices.
Instead of expecting people to figure out how to consume your material, provide them with both the content and the gadget. It might be used for evangelism by missionaries. Those who are unable to attend services in person may still benefit from the sermons.

10. Provide seminars for the elderly and others who are technologically impaired.
Grandparents would want to learn how to video chat with their grandchildren using Skype. Those who are unemployed might benefit from computer training to make themselves more employable. Examine your community and satisfy the needs that exist.
As your church develops its use of technology for missional objectives, anticipate setbacks as you grow.