Technology and Tradition

Jesse Lewis — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 08:41:00 -0500

There are a number of churches that are grappling with the question of how much multimedia to introduce in their services. Often, the younger, techno-savvy members of a congregation want to have their services full of technology, while the older members want to hold onto a more traditional-style service (please forgive the stereotypes). So is there a place for both in the same service? Or is a separate service (or even separate church) the solution?

Our traditions are beneficial in many ways. They provide us with a sense of corporate identity. They remind us of tenets that are at the core of our faith. They can help us keep a posture of reverence before an almighty God. Traditions can become negatives when they keep us from pursuing and fulfilling the call of God, or when they significantly restrict the expression of worship to God.

Technology can also be of great benefit. It can provide a connection point for lost people who are visiting the church (for example, when a clip from a familiar movie is used as a sermon illustration). It can aid in sermon retention, since most people alive today learn visually. It can also help us in our praise and worship times (through images of the wonders He has created). Technology can become a hindrance when it leads to a performance/production mentality, becomes distracting, or generally does not aid the church in fulfilling God's calling.

So where do we find the right balance? The starting point is asking, 'What particular group of people has God called us to reach and disciple?' Based on the answer to that question, we can then move toward determining exactly what the overall tone and direction of our service should be.

I firmly believe that virtually all 21st century churches should make use of today's visual technology to some extent. With that said, there will need to be some churches that are more traditional and some that are more contemporary and multimedia oriented. The right mix for your congregation depends on who you are called to reach.

Having a traditional service and a separate contemporary service is one solution to be considered that has worked well in a number of situations. However, if it is possible to reach a consensus among all church members, there is, in all probability, a higher level of unity in the church that has committed to one style of service, and that church may have a more sure sense of identity and direction. And even though there will almost always be someone who is not pleased with the style of service, a significant consensus can be reached in most cases, if the congregation as a whole is willing to make it an item for substantive prayer.

Finally, let's remember that more important than technology or tradition or your ideas or my ideas or how we spend our budgets or what songs we sing or how many times we use the projector is the love of Christ that we show towards each other.

Worshipfilms Blog: Technology and Tradition

Technology and Tradition