Should the Internet Change Your Preaching?
Should the Internet Change Your Preaching? Just asking that question might get me excommunicated among some circles! However new research is showing that while a minister is preaching his congregation is using their tablets and smartphones to fact check things he says. Here is an alert, not only are they fact checking what you are saying they are looking for where you bought your message!
A recent Barna Group report entitled, “How Technology is Changing Millennial Faith,” noted the following…
The one-way communication from pulpit to pew is not how Millennials experience faith. By nature of digital connectedness, Millennial life is interactive. For many of them, faith is interactive as well—whether their churches are ready for it or not. It’s an ongoing conversation, and it’s all happening on their computers, tablets and smart phones. What’s more, many of them bring their devices with them to church. Now with the ability to fact-check at their fingertips, Millennials aren’t taking the teaching of faith leaders for granted. In fact, 14% of Millennials say they search to verify something a faith leader has said. A striking 38% of practicing Christian Millennials say the same.
While the above quote pertains to Millennials you need to know that all ages are turning to mobile means of interacting with the Internet and ultimately doing all their business and personal connections by mobile devices. For instance not long ago I watched as Joel Osteen did his famous opening statement to his church of having everyone hold up their Bibles. Half of those in attendance that day held up smartphones or tablets. That is where their Bible now is! The Barna Study found seven out of 10 of practicing Christian Millennials (70%) read Scripture on a screen. Clearly the Church is moving digital.
Back to the question at hand, should the Internet change your preaching? My answer is no! I especially maintain that our content as preachers does not need to change. Good preaching is always biblical preaching. Our message is always applicable in any time or to any generation. Yet our approach and thinking does need to change especially if we are to connect with the generations coming up.
Let’s take a page from Twitters playbook. In the November issue of Fast Company there is an article entitled, “Converting the Flock.” It revolves around Twitter’s strategy to use TV stars to live tweet during shows thus increasing viewership and engagement. The article states that Fred Graver, Twitter’s head of TV, goal is clear: Make sure that all the people who enjoy television take to Twitter to enjoy it even more.
“When viewers watch TV–their smartphone or tablet at their side–using Twitter to chat with their virtual friends about a program, it creates “the world’s biggest couch,” he says. And who better to have gossiping on the sofa with you than the star of the show?” Fast Company November 2013
While the content of our preaching need not change the how we present our sermons must. So what if during your preaching you encouraged your listeners to tweet comments about what impacted them? You could even set up pre-arranged hash tags on the topic of your sermon. I have a client church that does this using a lay person in the church who leads the discussions during and after the sermons. Another client of ours uses their App we designed for them to post sermon notes for members to access. These are two simply means of utilizing technology to connect with listeners.
Technology is values neutral! Preachers of the Gospel need to realize that the method of communication will always change. Using technology is as a means of furthering the Gospel simply makes sense. After all did not the Apostle Paul use the technology of his day, Roman roads, to spread the Gospel? We have a new road today that can help us spread the Gospel, the Internet Highway.
Mark Brooks- The Stewardship Coach
Founder and President, The Charis Group and Charis Giving Solutions
