When I was a kid, I hit the neighborhood car showrooms every September. The shiny surprises waiting there when the Big Three (General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford) revealed their new models fascinated me. I did that for years. Cars still captivate me, so every year I check the special issue new model year magazines.
The wish to see what’s fresh and new is still alive in my heart. These days my showroom visits have expanded to computer hardware and software. I love trying out new things – seeing new solutions, and am all to willing to attempt to use them to change or simplify my life. When I see a software offering that addresses a need I didn’t know I had, my tendency is to get it.
Now.
Sometimes I upgrade just for the fun of it. I want to change-up the routine!
Tales of a Tyrant
A few years ago our congregation spent a large chunk to buy and install a video projection system: computer, projector, remote extender, video amplifier, presentation software and plenty of cable. It would bring us into the 20th Century! That congregation still uses the technology, which has gone through three or four upgrades. They use the system in more ways than originally imagined, and recently moved into the 21st Century by adding a confidence screen at the back of the auditorium.
It’s all fine and good. But do you know what we found? There’s now a pressure for great visuals every time the church gathers. Hours are spent tweaking, modifying and trying to improve. The default mode is “how are we going to enhance this service, this presentation, this special event, with the technology we have? How are we going to make this gathering unforgettable?” There is a created expectation. The prospect of a non-enhanced service seems so uninspired.
I’m not saying the motivations are bad. Mostly they’re good. But the technology should not call our name so loudly that we think of it first.
We need to remember the center is the Lord. What does He want? What is the message? How can it best be told? Is there space for auditory and visual silence? What are the needs of the people? Where are their hearts? If technology can help in these areas, then let it serve. But I have seen it’s all too easy to do it just because we can! Pride works its subtle way into the scheme.
For the last 3 years I was with that congregation, I played seriously with the idea of ditching our presentation software and bringing in something new. Yes, the time may come for that. The current program does have its glitches and frustrations. Do you know, though, what some of my thinking was? There are new programs that look all shiny and have nifty new features not known nine years ago that would be a blast to try. Mostly, it would be new! That old program has become a tad boring.
Technology was prospecting for yet another servant. If this is a temptation to me, I know it is to you.
Adore God. He’s the Amazing One. Man-made things do not deserve that adjective – not even the latest ultra-cool offering from the tech world.
May technology be a tool, not a tyrant!
[Image via KEN ROSENTRATER & Abdulrahman BinSlmah]
Kelley Langkamp says
Ken, Thanks for the reminder. I needed to hear this today.
Ken Rosentrater says
I find I need to hear it often! Maybe I wrote it to myself.