Apr 15, 2009 0
Technology + Ministry
Over the past few years, I’ve always thought about the possibility of using my programming skills for ministry use. One of the first projects I thought of, was a song lyric projection software; much like OpenSong except using a more common programming language like C++ (with QT framework) or Java so that more people are able to contribute to the software. It’s quite surprising that there aren’t many good, free projection software. One of the features I would like to add is a video background and if possible, a live video. MediaShout offers this functionality and I think is the main software that big churches like Hillsong use. I am aware of at least one project which aims to do something similar to OpenSong, using the Python programming language, however, I haven’t seen any real activity for at least a few months. I guess my project is in an even worse state: it hasn’t even started!
Back on topic though… I’ve really been thinking about how technology can assist ministry. It really requires a balanced view. It’s possible to fall into the trap of thinking that technology is the solution to everything. However, the work of the gospel is still the same – to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite whatever technology we use, the gospel still needs to be preached. However, the Internet in particular is proving to be an effective medium for communicating with people whom you would not normally see or be able to see (e.g. people from other countries). Perhaps this is part of the balance that must be achieved: technology should not replace personal communication, however, if there is no other way of communicating with the person, then that’s where technology comes in. There are so many other aspects of technology in ministry that I want to explore, but I still need to gather my thoughts first.
