Technology is an enabler. It helps us not only live life, but also move the mission of the Church forward. For some the thought of new tech and platforms causes fear and anxiety. For others it inspires awe and excitement. It is this promise of making new strides that often makes us interested in the new stuff. That said, there are good and bad reasons to do nothing about new tech and platforms.
The Domino Effect
As a Mac user I’ve learned to include the cost of adaptors or dongles with a new laptop. New tech sometimes requires more tools to work in our current ecosystems. As much as you can, determine what you would need to get it to work.
This could apply to software, hardware, even a new workflow. Of course, you’re not always going to know everything at the start. But, as much as you can, do your homework for what you can know up front.
It might not be a good idea to jump new tech if you’re not ready for the structural changes that it might need. And, by you I mean YOUs. A good reason to do nothing about new tech, for now, is that you don’t have the buy-in for adoption across the board. Sometimes it’s wiser to make sure that you have engaged all the stakeholders in your church, first.
You know your organisation better than me, and sometimes you might need to drag them into the new. Make sure you’ve taken your context into account as you act.
Bad implementation of good new solutions sabotages introducing other things in the future.
A good reason to do nothing about new tech is that it will require a lot more change than is necessary or possible right now. Especially where an entire system overhaul would be part of the new change. Preparation could save you a lot of headache.
A bad decision to do nothing about new tech is that you don’t want to do the work across your organisation, even if it’s for the better.
Stewardship
Because Brand X has a new range of devices doesn’t mean you should get them. Your current gear might still have life to do what you need done. Because Clubhouse is where everyone (on iOS) you know is, it doesn’t mean your church should be there, yet.
Stewardship sometimes means not committing time, finances and other resources. There will be moments where you’re able to fulfil your mission well with your current setup. It’s not only when resources are scarce you should be a good steward. Stewardship is about managing your resources when they are plenty and scarce.
A good reason to do nothing about new tech is that it wouldn’t be good or wise use of the resources entrusted to us.
Stewardship can also look like investing in new tech and platforms. A bad reason to do nothing about new tech is that because you think it’s not affordable enough.
Stewardship requires us to look at value: What are we getting for what we’re paying?
Getting new tech for the sake of it can be a bad decision if it will compromise your means to do other critical things. It might be a good idea to invest in new tech for strategic and better reach and impact.
TL;DR
There are good and bad reasons to do nothing to about new tech and platforms. Doing nothing about new tech because your ecosystem can’t handle it, yet, is a good decision. Doing nothing about new tech or platforms because it takes work is lame. Being a good steward by looking at the value vs. cost for new tech means not squandering resources. This is a good reason. It’s a bad decision to do nothing about new tech because you’re only looking at the price tag.
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