Technology, Teaching and You: Tech Can Make or Break Your Teaching Ministry

You can tweet it, Facebook it, +1 it, project it, text it, go old school and email it or ask Siri about it. Today, technology affords preachers a multitude of ways to proclaim the message of truth. The goal of technology is to make manual tasks easier or faster than they would be otherwise. Technological advancements can accomplish that goal when it comes to preaching and teaching, but as teachers and preachers we must make every effort not to let our message become the Gospel According to Technology.

How Tech Can Prop Your Prep

A long-time preacher once told me that a preacher's greatest asset is a large, usable library. Lots of people have large libraries, but not many people have large libraries that are usable. How many people remain efficient at using one of those large lexicons after leaving seminary? Digital libraries are the solution to the unusable library. Every word in every book, including footnotes, can be searched quickly, making sermon prep that much faster. In fact, some programs employ fuzzy searches, which mean you don't have to search for the exact terms you are seeking. Besides being able to search every book in your library quickly, digital resources are generally cheaper than paper counterparts and can be bought and downloaded in seconds. Moreover, digital libraries are ultra-portable. Before 4,000+ volumes could be kept on a laptop, accessed on a tablet or viewed on a smartphone via wireless connections, preachers were tied to an office full of books. A library never has been so accessible.

Writing, note-taking and collaborating never have been easier. Technology makes all your documents, notes and research available at the touch of a button. Illustrations are easier to find and record; and you can create your own audio-visual pieces with personal tech. Your personal study and note-taking is easily integrated into your teaching notes, as well as being kept in multiple locations. Studying and sermon prep is faster and easier with the new tech available.

How Tech Can Promote Your Presentation

Presentations have greatly benefitted in this new world of technology. Even the most low-tech church utilizes a number of technological advancements such as printed bulletins, wireless microphones and sound reinforcement; but that barely scratches the surface. Multiple video projection systems and crowd interaction can help you drive home points and engage the crowd as never before. Every part of your presentation can benefit from technology: bulletins via text, countdown timers, all kinds of sound reinforcement, notes on a tablet or laptop, crowd interactions, lights, fog and anything else you can imagine. If a preacher wants incorporate technology into their presentation there is virtually no limit to what he can do.

How Tech Can Spread the Word Farther, Faster

Want to get your message the masses? You can do it. Video it, record it, upload it, podcast it and promote it. Your message has the potential to reach millions in a moment. You can spread a message faster and farther than ever before. People are more connected socially and technologically. There is no limit to how far your message can spread.