So many churches today are feeling the pressure to become "relevant" and "hip" and use as much technology as possible in the midst of worship. We will discuss reasons why you should and shouldn't use new forms of media in your church's worship. We'll also look at the ways in which the technology of our times can actually not only change the practices of our churches, but our theology as well - and whether that's a good thing or not. Finally, we'll look at some examples of practical ways that you can faithfully use technology in your worship gatherings.

1. How Technology is Changing our Faith & Worship:
Whether you Know it or Not
Adam Walker Cleaveland
A Byte of the Future: A Conference on Using Technology in Worship
and Education
Union Presbyterian Seminary
October 18-20, 2011

5. Frontline’s Digital Nation

6. Overview of our time together
• Sharing Experiences of Good (and bad) Use of Technology in Worship
• What are the Precedents and Reasons for Using Technology in
Worship
• Theological Foundations for the Use of Technology in Worship
• Practical Suggestions: How We Can Do It
• Q&R

7. Group Activity #1
• What’s worked really well?
• What has absolutely flopped?
• What are our hopes for using technology in worship?

8. Technology allows for the possibility of...
• Creativity
• Collaboration
• Connection

9. Creativity...
• Everyone is an artist, an
author, a musician, a
videographer, a movie maker,
a photographer
• Amateurs become
professionals
• Professional use the same
tools as amateurs - flattening
of our world. e.g. The world of
photography: iPhoneography
• Bloggers are getting picked
up by CNN, Huffington Post,
etc.

10. Collaboration...
• Wikipedia and other websites
have now allowed us to
become used to the ability to
collaborate with others, to
edit things
• Things are BETTER when we
work together
• The end product is actually
more accurate
• Landon Whitsitt’s “Open
Source Church”
• Open source preaching

11. Connection...
• Social networks
• New communities are formed
• Deeper connection are made
within already existing
communities
• Connection with the world -
we know what’s happening
with elections in Iran,
tsunamis in Japan
IMMEDIATELY
• We are more aware of one
another, called ambient
awareness

12. Ambient Awareness
"They call it “ambient awareness.” It is, they say, very much like being physically
near someone and picking up on his mood through the little things he does —
body language, sighs, stray comments — out of the corner of your eye. This is
the paradox of ambient awareness. Each little update — each individual bit of
social information — is insignificant on its own, even supremely mundane. But
taken together, over time, the little snippets coalesce into a surprisingly
sophisticated portrait of your friends’ and family members’ lives, like thousands
of dots making a pointillist painting. This was never before possible, because in
the real world, no friend would bother to call you up and detail the sandwiches
she was eating." (source link)

13. Web 1.0 & Web 2.0: What’s the difference?
• Static content • Dynamically generated content
• Enhancing knowledge • Enhancing creativity
• Information download • Information sharing
• Little to no interaction • Collaboration
• Users are passive recipients of • Users are required to engage
information with information, create it
• FINDING & RECEIVING • CREATING & SHARING

14. Group Activity #2
• from the Preface to the Directory for Worship
This directory suggests possibilities for worship, invites development
in worship, and encourages continuing reform of worship.
• Isn’t that exciting?
• Split up in groups and look at various citations from the
Directory for Worship
• What about these citations gives us the freedom and the precedents
for using technology in worship?
• What about these citations could speak to our conversation today?

15. Reasons for using Technology in Worship...
• Time to do some brainstorming..
•

16. Reasons for using Technology in Worship...
• Time to do some brainstorming..
•

17. Lest we forget...
• Every one of us uses technology for worship each week!
• Printed word, hymnals, pew Bibles, bulletins, printers & copiers to
make bulletins, sound equipment, microphones, instruments

18. It’s just the new stuff that gets us...
• There is some fear around new technology...
• So what do we do with a new generation of people, a generation of
digital natives, who are growing up with these digital forms of
technology and new media - they are incorporated into every aspect
of their lives from home, to school, to casual entertainment...and yet,
they come to church and more often than not, the church refuses to
use these new technologies...or refuses to even acknowledge them.

19. 10 minute break

20. Theological
Foundations...
• Kenda Creasy Dean
• Before we talk about ways
that we can use technology in
worship, we need to be asking
what the theological
foundations are for our uses
of technology in worship

21. Group Activity #3
• Is it theologically sound to use technology in worship?
• What theological doctrines might we draw from in thinking about
using technology in worship?

22. The Church & Technology

23. Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980)

24. Marshall McLuhan Quotes
• “Our conventional response to all media, namely that it is how they
are used that counts, is the numb stance of the technological idiot.
For the content of any medium is the juicy piece of meat carried by
the burglar to distract the watch dog of the mind.”
• “The content or message of any particular medium has about as
much importance as the stenciling on the case of an atomic bomb.”

25. The Medium IS the Message
• What are the theological implications of these quotes when we think
about preaching and music in worship? What are the medium’s
messages?
• Preaching: traditional format vs technology-infused preaching?
• Music in Worship: pianos, organs & choral music vs the iBand?

26. North Point’s iBand

27. The Medium IS the Message
• What are the theological implications of these quotes when we think
about preaching and music in worship? What are the medium’s
messages?
• Preaching: traditional format vs technology-infused preaching?
• Music in Worship: pianos, organs & choral music vs the iBand?

28. How Can We Use Technology
• Context, Context, Context (it applies here too)
• Should you use robust technology with an older congregation?

29. Technology for Stewardship & Sustainability
• $1.3 billion raised last year through online giving • It’s the fastest
growing channel of giving for non-profits
• http://churchtechtoday.com/2011/09/19/online-giving-charitable-giving-skyrocks/

30. Technology for Worship...
• NPR Prayers as Prayers of the People
• Prayers of the Tweeple (e.g. College Conference at Montreat)
• Texting during a sermon for immediate response
• Different ways to engage more senses (visuals)
• Immediate responses to polls or questions, websites offer services
that allow you to moderate them before responses go live on screens
• Screens & images in worship
• Simple image or photograph on a bulletin cover (creates shared
experience)
• Videos for worship loops, backgrounds, conversation starters
http://www.theworkofthepeople.com/
• Darkwood Brew (Eric Elnes) • Skype interviews with theologians,
authors, interactive media for those present and those watching
online

31. Technology for Worship...

32. First Presbyterian Church of Second Life
• Welcome! 1st Presbyterian Church of Second Life is a group of
Presbyterians meeting in the virtual reality world of Second Life,
exploring ministry that is uniquely Presbyterian, but also unique to the
culture and nature of Second Life. We currently meet for conversation
& prayer, but aspire to eventually incorporate service, evangelism,
education, and worship into our activities.

33. Questions & Responses

34. NPR Prayers

35. Sources
• New York Times article: “I’m So Totally, Digitally, Close to You”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html
• Frontline’s “Digital Nation”
http://video.pbs.org/video/140
• Shane Hipps & “The Hidden Power”
http://shanehipps.com/films/the-hidden-power/
• North Point’s iBand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9XNfWNooz4
• NPR Prayers idea borrowed from Rev. Adam Copeland
http://www.adamjcopeland.com/
• First Presbyterian Church of Second Life
http://www.1pcsl.org/HOME

36. How Technology is Changing our Faith & Worship:
Whether you Know it or Not
Connect with me here:
Email: cleave@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/adamwc
Twitter: @adamwc
Web: www.adamwc.com
Slides available here: www.slideshare.net/adamwc