TECHNOLOGY
When Guelph’s Lakeside Church celebrated its 25th anniversary in October 2014, pastor Dave Ralphencouraged
the congregation to take a selfie with their
smartphones. Ralph himself took one
with the packed sanctuary in the background. He then suggested everyone
share the celebration of a quarter century
of ministry through social media.
At one time using smartphones and
other mobile electronic devices such as
tablets was considered taboo during
worship services. The Lakeside anniversary selfie and the regular use of YouVer-sion Live – a Bible resource app that allows
users to follow along and take notes during
a church service, among other cool options – at Surrey, B.C.’s Crossridge Church
are examples of a growing number of
congregations who say using mobile devices during worship services can enhance
both the church’s ministry and the
churchgoers’ spiritual experience.
In his 2012 post “Why Churches Need
to Embrace Technology,” web designer and
blogger Matt Morrison suggests that starts
with churches becoming Wi-Fi friendly.
“I know it may seem crazy to encourage
your community members to use their
mobile devices during a service, but to
many … this process will actually help
them engage …. Allowing visitors to
tweet sermon notes or follow along in
their Bible app, a Wi-Fi-friendly church
will encourage people to engage more
with your message.”
Graham Singh is the former pastor of
Lakeside Downtown, a Lakeside Church
plant in a historic church
building in downtown
Guelph, Ont. Singh, who
now pastors St. James the
Apostle Anglican Church
in Montreal, said the
Lakeside Downtown
congregation had “zero
cultural, theological or li-
turgical hesitation of en-
gagement with mobile
devices in a worship set-
ting.” He suggested the
use of mobile devices has allowed worship
services to become “kind of a mediated,
connected learning experience.
“Ultimately the objective will not be to
sit in church and get fed – that becomes
a step along the way to being equipped for
mission.”
Singh also suggests tweeting out messa-
ges or experiences during worship has
become a form of personal evangelism.
During the Art of the Cross, a live art
meditation of the Stations of the Cross on
Good Friday last year, Singh says there
were about 10,000 engagements through
live tweeting and Facebook posts. Those
posts resulted in friends of Lakeside Down-
town churchgoers dropping by and experi-
encing Art of the Cross for themselves.
For Jeremy Duncan, lead pastor at
Kensington Commons Church in Calgary,
the use of mobile devices in church goes
beyond having attendees tweet out sermon points. Duncan says the church
produces a print journal, similar to a lectionary, which includes the sermon plan
and space for notes. It also produces a
digital version so those inclined to use
mobile devices can use that technology.
Duncan also encourages engagement
via mobile devices during Kensington
Commons’ once a month Q & R (question
and response) time.
“During Duncan’s teaching time the
congregation is invited to send in their
questions via text message,” write Karen
Stiller and Patricia Paddey in Shifting Stats
Shaking the Church: 40 Canadian Churches
Respond (World Vision, 2015). “Then,
following the sermon, Duncan answers
some of those questions – or takes ques-
tions from the floor…. It
is a deliberate strategy to
stimulate engagement.”
“I don’t think anyone
has flinched at the idea of
people using a phone dur-
ing the service or having
an open Wi-Fi network. It’s
an assumed thing for our
generation,” says Duncan.
“Most of my life is digital.”
The use of mobile devices
in church is “a double-
edged sword,” says Duncan. Giving
permission to use a mobile device means
congregants can look up a reference or
text questions. But it can also mean
they’re “playing Angry Birds or googling
Britney Spears, which leads to a disen-
gagement with worship,” Duncan says.
Kensington Commons’ connection with
the Evangelical Covenant Church’s book of
prayer, along with the tendency to borrow
from other liturgical traditions, means
“There are elements of the service that
people are meant to be engaged with.”
Singh views the distractions the use of
mobile devices can bring as a challenge.
“People’s attention spans have been
decreased. By being aware that every five
minutes they could be distracted by a
phone message, my own message has got
to be better,” says Singh. “If I’ve lost their
attention, I’d rather I knew.”
Singh does view the loss of intimacy
resulting from the use of mobile devices
as a negative.
“The act of making friends and intentional contact can be diminished,” he says.
“Connecting with Facebook is different
from saying, ‘Let’s get together.’” /FT
Robert White of Guelph, Ont., is a regular contributor
to Faith Today.
HIGH
TECH IN
CHURCH
Some Canadian churches
are embracing the use of
phones and tablets in
worship services
BY ROBER T WHI TE
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