Technology is becoming more common in churches across the country, but
church leaders in Madison do not believe that this addition has changed
the fundamental religious experience for their congregations.
Some Madison area churches use power points and other technologies to enhance the worship experience. One Madison church even uses a live video of the service for some rooms.
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY
Blackhawk Church in Verona uses technology to create smaller and more intimate spaces for worshippers, according to the Director of Technical Arts, Mark Wyse. The church offers three rooms for worship. One room features the pastor speaking live and the other two have a video feed of the message. Each room has a different musical style and atmosphere so that members may choose the room in which they are most comfortable.
While Wyse admits that some worshippers may feel they lose a personal connection when watching a video and prefer being in the presence of the speaker, he said this usually occurs only if the worshipper is used to live teaching.
“Otherwise I think watching the message on large video screens helps the listener to engage more by seeing the facial expression, gestures, etc.,” Wyse said.
“Much of these things are lost if you are in a live room, unless you are sitting within the front third of the seats. We live in such a video driven culture that it is almost second nature to participate via screens. Not that this is the way it should be…it’s just the way it is.”
EMPHASIZING THE BASICS
Baxter Exum, minister at Four Lakes Church of Christ also uses technology during the service, but only by displaying a power point to accompany his lesson. The power point usually contains basic points to help the congregation follow his sermon.
“We’ve had a number of comments just from the few members that we have that it helps them to follow along and jump back into the lesson,” Exum said. “You know, if there’s a distraction or a mind wanders or something, then they can jump back in easier.”
A third Madison area church, The First Unitarian Society of Madison, does not generally use power points or other technologies during the service, except for special occasions, according to Susan Koenig, church administrator. Koenig believes the amount of technology used by a church is related to their denomination. She said some denominations have a tradition of a theatrical effect during the service and will use lighting and more to enhance the experience. Others keep the service simple without employing much technology at all.
While Four Lakes Church of Christ uses power points, Exum said they still have basic services, adding that there are no plans for integrating more technology. He believes using power points helps people to get more out of church, without hindering the worship.
“At least with a power point it helps people to follow along and it’s not something that fundamentally changes the service,” Exum said. “It just helps people to appreciate what’s already there.”
AN EXTRA RESOURCE
Even if no technology is used during the service, many churches offer events calendars, online prayer requests, audio of sermons and more on their websites.
The First Unitarian Society of Madison website includes podcasts of sermons and live webcasts of the entire service for members who cannot be at church on Sunday.
These members can include the elderly, people who have a conflict on a particular Sunday and regional members who live too far away to attend the service in person, according to Koenig.
“I hear comments from people who are fairly regular members that, for instance, when they’re sick or for some other reason not able to get here, they’ll tune in to the podcast instead,” said Koenig.
Four Lakes Church of Christ also offers audio of sermons, but Exum believes that his online sermons are mainly accessed by non church members who find the website through a search engine. For example, if someone searches for the key words Matthew 10 sermon, they may be led to the Four Lakes Church of Christ website.
Neither Exum nor Koenig believe that offering sermons on their websites encourages members to stay home and listen online rather than attend the Sunday service when they are able.
“Most people that I am aware of would prefer to have the experience of being able to see people, interact with people, have the fellowship with people after the service, you know, be able to connect with the whole community if they can,” Koenig said.
Exum said a worshipper gains something out of the church experience that is inaccessible through the website. He gave the example of traveling to Rome to sing and worship with Church of Christ members. While he could have listened to their hymns online, he said the experience would not have been the same.
“As I see it, the face-to-face contact is something that technology can never replace,” Exum said.
“As a congregation we communicate not only through the website, but also via email, text messaging, Facebook, and even old-fashioned snail mail from time to time, but there will always be a place for getting together to hug and shake hands.”