This article by Tim Gossett was originally posted on February 17, 2009.

Do a Data Fast

This article by Tim Gossett was originally posted on February 24, 2009. It remains an important and relevant topic.

Talking with Youth about Sexting

I'll keep this short and simple today: I know you have questions related to technology and Christian education or ministry, and I'd like to know how we can best help you. Do you struggle with email overload? Can't figure out how to hook up one gadget to another? Struggling with understanding social networking? Wish you knew how to stay on top of pop culture? Longing to integrate the web into your classrom environment but don't know just how to do that? Whatever your question is, please leave a comment. I'll be answering them (or finding someone who can) in upcoming weeks.

Pause for a moment to think about all of the ways you have done technology-related education in the past year. Make yourself a list, if you wish (in fact, I'd recommend it.) When churches do any education about technology at all, they often do so without any thought to a larger plan. Yet there are many aspects of technology that are relevant to Christian education ministries. Here's a simple way to think about technology and education, so simple you can write it on a whiteboard at an education committee meeting and everyone will instantly get it:

Education [preposition] Technology

This simple phrase can become a starting point for evaluating your own church's ministries and the ways in which you might move forward. Here are six examples of prepositions that ought to receive consideration.

When I come across a great tool, book, DVD, or other resource that I think will help our readers, I have no trouble sharing it. There is, though, one little tidbit that I've kept to myself. Today, I'll reveal my secret source for great clip art and images--at a price that's truly affordable and way below what most people pay for the same service. Until a few days ago, I'd selfishly guarded my secret source and had never shared this information with anyone except for Sally...for no good reason, I finally realized. So, here it is...

Earlier this year, Tim wrote an article encouraging you to evaluate your Christian Education program and Ask, “Why?” The use of technology in ministry is an area where some of your members may be asking the question “Why?” “Why do we have a large screen hanging at the front of the sanctuary?” “Why do we need to spend money on a new projector when we already have one?” “Why does our church need a website?” You get the idea and I imagine that you have heard these questions or other variations. Although it is easy to get annoyed by, “Why?” it is an excellent question when it comes to the use of technology in the church.

Almost every individual in your congregation uses ink jet and laser cartridges on a regular basis at home, school, or work. Most of those cartridges end up in landfills are or incinerated. But there is an alternative: participating in a congregational "cash for trash" recycling program, which will offer you cash for the cartridges you drop off or send in, while helping you to be better stewards of the environment. My own congregation has raised hundreds of dollars for our computer lab in this way in the past several years, and that's with very little effort! Imagine what you could do with a full-on promotional effort by a team of youth or marketing-savvy young adults. While it's true that many schools, nonprofits, and businesses are already taking part in such programs, there are still plenty of ways to make your program a success, but you will need to be a bit more creative. Here are a few tips to get you started.

The classic children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit, tells the story of a stuffed rabbit that is loved so much by a little boy that it becomes “real”. If books went through the same process, one of the “real” books on my bookshelf would be Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. As its well-worn cover can attest, I reach for this book often.

I recently discovered (by happenstance ) the Brussat’s website, Spirituality and Practice. It is probably a sign of my lack of complete internet immersion that I have never thought to search for a website related to one of my favorite books. Now that I have discovered this website (and bookmarked it), I anticipate visiting frequently. (Can websites become “real”?) There is a wealth of information here.

Last week I encouraged you to consider having multiple websites for your church. Although that may seem to be an impossible dream, in reality there are several inexpensive ways to make that happen. First, though, there are some necessary steps to take before launching into the development of the new site...so consider this your assignment for this week.

Let's start today's blog with a premise: your church probably doesn't have enough websites. Now I know you're probably thinking, "What!?! We can't even do one website well. How would we manage or afford multiple sites?" For the moment, set that potentially valid concern aside, and just consider these reasons you need multiple websites.