Churches and other religious institutions are not known for their immediate love of all things new and different. But is this suspicion of advancing technology down to fear or simply down to a more level-headed approach to changes in society?
Whilst some within the Church are wary of relying on such technology, many others have begun to embrace it. The fact that religious organisations don’t jump on such band wagons is a surprise to many since their beliefs dictate that they should find the best ways they can to preach the gospel and technology surely is the best way to reach large numbers of people. However, the difference is that the Church will always prefer real experiences and contact with real people. Therefore, understanding how best to reach people through means of technology is much more complicated than simply just setting up the odd Facebook page.
This makes the reasons that the Church is slow to adapt to changes in society much more clear. They want to understand how these changes will effect or benefit them before they plunge in head first. Many churches now have their own websites and are using the virtual world more and more, but are trying not to become dependant on online communities, favouring real ones to the virtual.
However, one area that many churches are embracing whole-heartedly is Church Software. As opposed to this being a way to try to change the way they preach, most Church Software is simply designed to make the day-to-day running of the church much easier. From Church Accounting to Scheduling, the range of software available to churches is increasing every day, and rather than diverting time from focused sermons like certain technologies can, applications such as software for Church Accounting are doing the opposite and freeing up much more time to focus on what is important.