The Case For Reducing (Temporarily) Church Technology Usage
Photo by Ales Nesetril on Unsplash
The rapid development of AI will change digital ministry. It’s possible, perhaps even likely, that the digital ministry in 2026 will look nothing like the digital ministry of 2023, which looks nothing like the digital ministry of 2020. We cannot know for certain how or even if church leaders will learn to do ministry alongside AI. But we know that change is coming. If we are to give ourselves and our communities sufficient time and energy to experience and experiment with these changes, a digital decluttering may be necessary.
AI tools will certainly disrupt and in many cases displace the technologies of today. The technologies that we relied on during the pandemic will, in many cases, not be the technologies we use five years from now. By decluttering our digital toolkits, we make space for experimentation and discernment on how to thoughtfully use AI for ministry.
GIven the magnitude of the shift to AI, I would argue that the church needs to adopt a practice of experimentation, to both learn and critique these systems. We cannot learn to use AI in a way that complements our mission if we are too busy posting to last year’s trendy social media site. And if we are to experiment with what AI could look like in the church, we must change the current trajectory of digital ministry.
2020 represented an abrupt lurch forward, with most ministries adopting new digital tools. While some churches have stopped live streaming services and offering Zoom options for meetings, many continue to offer some form of hybrid ministry. Today, churches continue to add new tools to their technology stacks: better cameras, more sophisticated streaming software, new social media channels, upgraded A/V equipment, and more recently, generative AI tools. This technological addition comes at a cost. Three years of continuous technological growth has called into question the sustainability of digital ministry efforts, leading in some cases to burnout.
But just as continuous digital addition is not the ideal trajectory, complete digital disconnection is equally problematic. Visitors continue to experience churches for the first time through live streaming. Members continue to worship online when they are unable to attend in-person. Messaging and social media technologies continue to extend conversations and story-sharing beyond the walls of the building.
There is a third trajectory that represents a compromise: a trajectory of purposeful technology usage that is aligned to mission and vision, that provides sufficient space for experimenting with AI.
In this trajectory, the church takes a temporary step back from its current tech usage, in order to reflect on the resources most aligned to a ministry’s purpose. Likely, this will involve stepping back from some of the live streaming efforts we have adopted in the last three years. Churches should not continue to use every app, service, or software added during Covid. Nor should we be bound to offer a digital format for every church gathering, as some attempted towards the end of the pandemic. What we once thought of as digital ministry essentials: social media, live streaming, and digital content, ought to be revisited in this moment.
Live stream worship, arguably the standard model for digital ministry, is a resource-intensive effort requiring considerable coordination and staffing. If we are to make the space for AI experimentation we may need to reduce the level of effort currently allocated to online worship. For some ministries this might mean broadcasting one service time, rather than all. For others, this might involve streaming some weeks rather than others. Some may choose to automate the live streaming process entirely, utilizing A/V resources like a pan-tilt zoom camera or the Mevo webcam to reduce the overhead involved with worship production. This is the time to compromise on production value in order to free up energy and resources for trying new technologies!
By reducing technology usage in the short-term, we create the bandwidth to experiment with emerging tools that will help us to foster a greater sense of connection and belonging across our communities. While we don’t yet know the specifics of what this will involve, AI will give us tools that can make online worship more immersive and spiritual practice more enriching. It will give us the tools to create new types of content that deepen the bonds of Chrisitan communities, and provide us the means of articulating our faith stories.
In addition to creating the space for AI experimentation, this moment of intentional digital pruning ensures we are not using technology for the sake of using a trending tool. This leads us closer towards a more purposeful vision of technology in the church. At a time when it is so easy to subscribe to new software, upgrade to new hardware, and test new digital platforms, purposeful ministry requires us to say no. At a practical level, churches could resolve to end next year using the same number, or fewer, digital tools than they are using today.
The work of Cal Newport can be instructive to today’s church leaders, which provides a philosophical foundation that we can apply towards our experimentation with AI. Newport, a computer scientist and author, has written extensively on purposeful uses of technology that lead to greater alignment with vision and values. In his 2019 book, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, Newport writes:
“Digital minimalists see new technologies as tools to be used to support things they deeply value—not as sources of value themselves. They don’t accept the idea that offering some small benefit is justification for allowing an attention-gobbling service into their lives, and are instead interested in applying new technology in highly selective and intentional ways that yield big wins. Just as important: they’re comfortable missing out on everything else.”
Now is an opportune time for ministries to revisit their values, to reflect on mission and vision, and to ask if our digital tools lead us into mission or merely make us busier.
Three and a half years since the start of the pandemic, the church ought to re-evaluate our relationship with technology, ensuring these systems take us to where God is calling. AI represents an immense change. Hearing the voice of God can be challenging during periods of transition. By temporarily reducing our technology usage, we provide space to hear God’s voice as we step into the unknown.
Ryan Panzer
Ryan Panzer is the author of “Grace and Gigabytes: Being Church in a Tech-Shaped Culture” (Fortress Press, 2020) and "The Holy and the Hybrid: Navigating the Church's Digital Reformation" (Fortress Press, 2022). Ryan has spent his career in the worlds of church leadership and technology. He received his M.A. from Luther Seminary while simultaneously working for Google. Ryan serves as a learning and leadership development professional in the technology industry and as a speaker and writer on digital technology in the church. Ryan also serves as the Resident Theologian at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Madison, WI. For more writings and resources, visit www.ryanpanzer.com.
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