This document discusses using technology and communication in the church. It provides objectives of exploring how technology impacts ministry, engaging in discussions about establishing communications committees, and using available media resources effectively. It defines key terms like technology, ICT, and communication. It discusses advantages and disadvantages of using technology in religious services. It emphasizes that technology should enhance but not replace human interaction and that the church must use appropriate technologies to create an interactive network as required by its connectional structure.

1. TTeecchhnnoollooggyy aanndd
CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn iinn tthhee
CChhuurrcchh
Pastor Taurai Emmanuel Maforo
ZWAC MUMC Retreat @Mabelreign South Circuit
Saturday 9th November 2013

2. Introduction
• Information and Communications
Technology(ICT) has become a vital tool in
facilitating the use of new and emerging
information and communications technologies
by the church as it looks at sending the Gospel
to the entire world since ICT opens the world-reach
wider.
• This presentation will put into perspective
how technology and communication impact
the life of the church

3. Training Objectives
• To explore how technology and
communications impact the church’s ministry.
• To engage ZWAC MUMC in discussions
towards having communications committee in
their structures.
• To engage the MUMC in using available media
resources for effective communication.

4. Brainstorming Session
• Why must the church engage in conversation
about ICT?
• Is the church ICT-ready?
• What resources do we have?
• What do we need?

5. DDiissccllaaiimmeerr
• In my quest to raise the importance of
technology, I have no intention to minimize the
power of human beings created in the image of
the sovereign God as no machine can function
without humanity’s touch.
• Some quotations by some of the world’s
renowned man will help to maintain the status
of humanity above technology.

6. • “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my
imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited. Imagination circles the world.” – Albert
Einstein
• “The perfect computer has been developed. You just feed your
problems and they never come out again.” – Al Goodman
• The real problem is not whether machines think but whether
men do. – B.F. Skinner
• “One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No
machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.” Elbert
Hubbard
• “Man is still the extraordinary computer of all.” – J.F. Kennedy
• “The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” –
Winston Churchill

7. Definitions
• Technology
• ICT
• Communication

8. Technology
• The purposeful application of
information in the design,
production, and utilization of
goods and services, and in the
organization of human activities.
businessdictionary.com

9. ICT
• ICT (information and communications technology -
or technologies) is an umbrella term that includes
any communication device or application,
encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones,
computer and network hardware and software,
satellite systems and so on, as well as the various
services and applications associated with them, such
as videoconferencing and distance learning.
• ICTs are often spoken of in a particular context, such
as ICTs in education, health care, or libraries and for
us the time has come to look at ICTs in
Church(worship, interactive communication etc)

10. From Technology to People
• According to the European Commission, the
importance of ICTs lies less in the technology
itself than in its ability to create greater access
to information and communication in
underserved populations.
• Internationally, the United Nations actively
promotes ICTs for Development (ICT4D) as a
means of bridging the digital divide.
• The UMC Communications through its
Networking arm has set up VSAT – Murewa,
Nyadire

11. Communication
• Two-way process of reaching mutual
understanding, in which participants not only
exchange (encode-decode) information, news,
ideas and feelings but also create and share
meaning. In general, communication is a
means of connecting people or places.
(businessdictionary.com)

12. Why Communications?

13. “Communication is a strategic
function necessary for the success
of the mission of The United
Methodist Church.”
(Bk. Of Discipline 2012,1806)

14. Communications is a ministry
driver
• It is an instrument that controls the direction
and speed of the denomination with a view
toward the “long short” – the mission of the
church (Matt. 28:18-20) and ensuring a
communicative relationship of its programs.
That direction is achieved through
considering external and internal influences
that significantly impact the organization
(UMC).

15. The church’s communications system
must be understood or cast within
the scope or context of the nature of
our connectionalism.

16. Nature of the UMC
Connectionalism

17. Multi-leveled

18. Global in scope

19. Local in thrust

20. Our connectionalism is not
merely linking of one charge
conference to another. It is
rather a vital web of interactive
relationships

21.  Since our connectionalism is
described as,
“a vital web of
interactive
relationships”.
The church must thus use
appropriate technologies to
create a sustainable web

22. The Communications mandate
• “As United Methodists, our theological
understanding obligates us, as members
of the body of Christ, to communicate
our faith by speaking and listening to
persons both within and outside the
Church throughout the world, and to
utilize all appropriate means of
communication.” (Bk. Of
Disc.2012,1801,p698)

23. “The responsibility to communicate is
laid upon;
• Every church member
• Every pastor
• Every congregation
• Every annual conference
• Every institution
• And every agency of the Church
NB: MUMC as an organization in the church
must thus find ways of communicating
effectively

24. ICT Based Communication Platforms
• Web technology – www.umczea.org
• Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
• SMS platforms – eg. Frontline SMS, Whatsapp
• Electronic
mail (email)
Email appears to many as a common mode or
communication platform but is the most less
understood in terms of its features and
parameters. It is the most taken for granted
and many errors in communication emanate
from this “common” medium. Ranging from
forwarding wrong messages or replies
intended for a single recipient but end up
sent to multiple recipients
Email appears to many as a common mode or
communication platform but is the most less
understood in terms of its features and
parameters. It is the most taken for granted
and many errors in communication emanate
from this “common” medium. Ranging from
forwarding wrong messages or replies
intended for a single recipient but end up
sent to multiple recipients

25. Electronic mail
Internet email messages consist of two major
sections:
1. Header – Structured into fields such as From,
To, CC, Subject, Date, and other
information about the email.
• Body – The basic content, as unstructured
text; sometimes containing a
signature block at the end. This is
exactly the same as the body of a
regular letter.

26. Electronic mail
• To: The email address(es), and optionally name(s) of the
message's recipient(s). Indicates primary recipients
(multiple allowed), for secondary recipients see Cc:
and Bcc: below.
• Subject: A brief summary of the topic of the message.
Certain abbreviations are commonly used in the
subject, including "RE:" and "FW:".
• Bcc: Blind Carbon Copy; addresses added to the SMTP
delivery list but not (usually) listed in the message
data, remaining invisible to other recipients.
• Cc: Carbon Copy; Many email clients will mark email in your
inbox differently depending on whether you are in the
To: or Cc: list.

27. Electronic mail
• Precedence: "vacation" or "out of office"
responses should not be returned for this
mail, e.g. to prevent vacation notices from
being sent to all other subscribers of a mailing
list. Sendmail uses this header to affect
prioritization of queued email, with
"Precedence: special-delivery" messages
delivered sooner.

28. Electronic mail
• Reply-To: Address that should be used to reply
to the message.
• Sender: Address of the actual sender acting on
behalf of the author listed in the From: field
(secretary, list manager, etc.).
• Archived-At: A direct link to the archived form
of an individual email message.

29. Technology in Religious services
has been increasing for the past
several decades. Churches may use
only minimal sound systems, or full
audio visual presentations.
•

30. Advantages:
• It can be very interactive
• Often provides a hip and current way to worship
appealing to the up coming generations
• Allows for a smoother service with large groups of
people
• Provides an easy access, well organized
administration
• Creates a new medium by which members are able
to connect and participate

31. Disadvantages:
• It is a distraction from the point of worship.
• Often technology comes at the expense of spending
scarce resources on other, more justifiable things (ie.
food banks, welfare programs...etc)
• Technology emphasizes focus on experience, instead of
truth
• It distances members of the congregation from an
accountable, personal relationship
• The emphasis on being present in the church is lowered

32. Way Forward

33. Technology is like.....

34. Fish....Eat it

35. BUT!!

36. Remove the bones

37. EENNDD

38. Question Time