The life of a pastor is becoming increasingly mobile. Spending time in study at a coffee shop, rather than at an office, gives the minister the chance to meet new people, make new contacts and interact with the world around him or her. The growth of technology is making this possible. If you are in the ministry or are looking for a gift for your pastor, here are some pieces of tech that can make this job a little easier.
The Tablet
The tablet is one of the coolest pieces of technology created this century, but it is also quite functional and has the perfect spot in the minister’s life. Consider the iPad, for instance. This tablet, when connected to a Bluetooth keyboard, can perform most of the basic tasks a pastor needs to do. Sermon text writing, web browsing and email access are all possible with a tablet. Load a few commentaries onto the device, and it is a virtual library in a box. Many apps offer the entire Bible, with multiple translations and the original languages, onto the tablet. This makes studying the original words and the possible translations for a verse as simple as a swipe of the finger.
The Laptop
Does your pastor remain tied to his desk because of his desktop? Perhaps the congregation could go in together to purchase him a laptop. A laptop allows the minister to take sermon prep on the go. Does he have a hospital visit? Most hospitals have Wi-Fi, so he can get some work done while waiting for the individual to get out of surgery. A laptop can even give him the freedom to work from a more comfortable, public location, like your local Starbucks.
As you consider what laptop to get, you want to find one that combines portability with function. The more compact the laptop is, the more use he will get out of it, but you do not want to sacrifice space and memory for something ultra compact. The Ultrabook is an example of a very functional, yet very compact, laptop. And, if you can’t decide between a laptop and a tablet, some include a convertible option, which means it can switch from laptop to tablet when you want.
E-readers
Have you been inside your pastor’s library? A good pastor is likely going to have a large selection of commentaries and helpful books to draw from when preparing lessons and sermons. So, in light of this, what can a Nook, Kindle or other e-reader do for your pastor? It can give him the chance to take every book in his library, or at least the ones that have gone digital, with him wherever he goes.
Does he need to counsel a struggling couple in their home? Rather than carting five books on marriage, he can load them into his Nook and have every resource imaginable. As more and more texts are going digital, many pastors are trading out their over stocked libraries for digital copies.
Yes, technology is making the lives of pastors, and their ministries, much simpler. Whether your pastor is a geek who already has the latest gadget or is just starting to learn the value and benefit of these choices, you can help by finding a tech-related gift. If you are a pastor yourself, make your life simpler, and more mobile, by embracing one of these tech options.
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