This article on the digital Christian revolution originally appeared here, and is used by permission. See Part one of this article here.
The Digital Christian Revolution – Continued
Local churches come in all shapes and sizes. Most have been touched, in some way, by the digital revolution. Each church has chosen its own path through these potentially disruptive changes to match its own focus and realities. The underlying technologies may be neutral, but churches must be intentional in their reasons for adopting technology and must be diligent in evaluating the dangers in each technology’s use. The digital Christian revolution is in full swing, but as Christ told his disciples “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) [Note: you can read part one of this article here.]
Steve Hewitt founded Christian Computing magazine in 1989 to help churches safely integrate computing technology into their ministries. Christian Computing became MinistryTech in 2015 and continues to live on at ChurchLeaders.com. What seemed like a complex and danger filled road in 1989 hasn’t gotten any simpler or safer as it has wound its way through four waves of this digital revolution at large:
- The Microprocessor/PC Revolution
- The Internet Revolution
- The Mobile/Social Revolution
- The Connected Intelligence Revolution
Digital Christian Revolution
Wave 1: The Microprocessor/PC Revolution
The first wave of the digital revolution was relatively harmless to churches and the potential was quickly realized. The microprocessor or PC revolution put tremendous technological power into the hands of church leaders and administrators.
Perhaps the power of PCs most apparent to church-goers was in the bulletin handed out upon entering the church. Word processing software and high quality desktop printers made it easy for churches to produce attractive and well-organized handouts each week that reflected that Sunday’s service and the active life of the church throughout the week.
Presentation software (like Harvard Graphics and Powerpoint) also enabled PCs to have a very visible impact on the church. Combined with digital projectors, these tools started to be used to project hymn lyrics, scripture, worship backdrops, and videos.
But the real impact was behind the scenes. Paper records of membership, contacts, and giving were converted into digital files. PC-enthusiast church members (and some leaders) created spreadsheets to hold information. The most ambitious created databases and forms to simplify the process for church administrators. In time, some of these home-grown solutions became products available for purchase by other churches. This quickly grew into the Church Management Software (ChMS) industry.
