This is a Guest Post by Andy Coticchio. You can find him blogging over at The Narrow Road.
In the past few months I find myself being asked to step into leadership positions at my church and at a ministry I have been involved with.
As I now seek to fulfill these roles as a servant leader, I ask for your prayers in answering those calls; prayers that I be faithful to the Lord in doing what He has called me out to do.
I have followed ChurchCrunch for some time now [Editor: Thanks!] and what it points out to me (OK, it hits me over the head instead of pointing) is that I struggle to keep up with the technology available to us, the avenues of social media relationships that are growing exponentially, with how church is and can be done by a new generation.
I find the pace accelerating daily and I am only getting older on a daily basis.
It is amazing that the world around you seems to stay the same age while you move on; therefore it appears to you to get younger every day. Enough philosophy, onto the topic at hand, some practical advice to those dealing with ministry in light of how can do it in a ever changing technology based world.
My advice is not to those in leadership, but to those who are supporting leadership, and to those watching to see how their leaders will lead, waiting on the sidelines before jumping in to act or offer suggestions in how to do ministry in an ever new world.
Some things that I’ve realized that one shouldn’t assume:
- Leaders are ignoring technology because they do not believe it appropriate. More likely we are ignoring it because, well, we are ignorant of it. It is most likely that you understand and can manage the technical platforms and social media conventions better than anything we can do.
- Leaders are resistant to change. Some are (OK, quite a few are). But seek out your leadership to see if any of them are open to exploring new ways of doing life, of doing church, of meeting God on a new footing but with the same basic love, praise and worship that the faithful have always had for him. If you find that leader, you can be in for an incredibly exciting ride.
- Leaders are dumb or numb to what is going on in the world today. Many of us see the sea changes in generational thinking, in cultural trends. We are not happy about a lot of it, but we realize we need to reach a rising generation of leaders who will one day replace us in ways different than we were reached. It is that we often do not know how to approach the change to interact with it.
- Leaders do not want your help. We desperately need it and the smart ones crave it. I would love nothing more than to partner with a tech and social media savvy young leader to learn from and to impart wisdom to. Believe me, I would learn as much as I taught, if not more.
- Leaders want to turn back the clock to the good old days. Trust me, when we were living in them, they weren’t all that good. Better to move forward to an uncertain future than wallow in a past than cannot be restored.
But do not assume leaders will change just because it is something new, trendy and hot. They will stay grounded in biblical principles, they will adhere to the good news of Jesus Christ.
Leaders can learn, but they can teach as well.
Engage with your leaders and help them bridge the gap. They will be thrilled (if they have an ounce of intelligence). You will be blessed (if you are willing to learn in return).
God is sovereign and will protect His church without you help or mine if we fall down on the job. His will be done. But how much more rewarding and enriching, how much more fun to take part in it than to stand aside and let others answer the call.
How have you “bridged the gap?” Who do you know that does this well?
Jonathanj says
I know who does this well. . . . ChurchCrunch! Yeah!
ryanbrymer says
Andy,
Glad to see your post here. Glad that you are a techno-evangelist. You're doing better than most of my peers and far surpassing your own. I'm glad that you lead things that I am a part of.
-ryan
ryanbrymer says
Andy,
Glad to see your post here. Glad that you are a techno-evangelist. You're doing better than most of my peers and far surpassing your own. I'm glad that you lead things that I am a part of.
-ryan
Ancoti says
This was fun! ChurchCrunch is a most gracious host!
Matt Harrell says
Great post Andy. Engaging and teaching leaders how to embrace technology is something I definitely didn't anticipate spending as much time as I think we'll have to. Many churches can use MemberHub out of the box and just get it, but others need implementation plans and processes. This makes sense. Any new tool requires some degree of training. And it certainly looks like we'll need to be in technology if we want to reach people for Jesus…because there are a lot of people online :).
Ancoti says
You need the tools and you need the teamwork. Both the technologists and the leaders have to be willing to listen to each other because both can be on a steep learning curve if they do.
Graham Brenna says
Great post! Excellent timing! I'm having lunch with my Senior Pastor next week and the topic of conversation is tech. (I'm the Tech Director… it's only fitting:) But this is for sure a "bridging the gap" situation.
Ancoti says
I am glad the timing works out! If you ever want to talk some more, let me know.
David Porter says
Dude! Are you like…famous now? Is your head swelling?
Great job!
Ancoti says
Swollen head? Yes but that was true before this post. Famous? Not as famous as Mr. "They Killed A Cow So I Could Give a Bible Away On My Website", but my fame is growing.
Phillip Gibb says
Accelerating indeed.
I do a lot of video editing and filming for my church and boy I get frustrated at times.
part because I know what would be cool yet is soooo expensive and part because it does not form part of the critical focus of the church.
But I do know that the leadership is game.
As for the web technologies – there is movement happening to transition from sidelines to participation and I love it!
great post
🙂
Ancoti says
Thanks! Great point about the transition to a more participative teaming that web technologies allow.
Jim says
dumb & number! great post
Ancoti says
Glad you enjoyed it.
Jim says
us old guys got to stick together
Ancoti says
Keep the pups in line.
Jim says
Digital Elders for the Next Generation