Helping Tech-Savvy and Tech-Hesitant Christians Stay Connected
Church technology can strengthen communication and discipleship, but it can also leave less tech-savvy believers feeling confused or excluded. With patience, flexibility, humility, and practical help, churches can use digital tools without allowing them to become barriers to relationships and ministry.
- Technology should serve the church’s mission rather than become a barrier to it.
- Tech-savvy Christians can practice patience, flexibility, and practical “tech hospitality.”
- Tech-hesitant believers can remain teachable, ask for help, and communicate their needs constructively.
By David Faust
I use technology the way you might approach a suspicious looking raccoon—cautiously and ready to retreat. When I finally figure out how my cell phone works, the service provider updates everything, so I’m confused again.
Please don’t look down on me. There are a lot of non-techy Christians out there. We do dumb things with our smartphones like taking accidental screenshots and inadvertently making the font size large enough to see from outer space. When we successfully install a new app on our phones, we feel like we just started a campfire by rubbing two sticks together.
You may be a non-techy person if you suspect Windows earned its name because you feel like throwing your computer out of one. And autocorrect makes you say strange things and misspell words. And you wonder if Artificial Intelligence has outpaced your actual intelligence.
Many churches embrace technology with the enthusiasm of a youth group on pizza night. Livestreams, apps, online giving, podcasts, and digital newsletters are powerful tools. But for less tech-savvy believers, it feels like Sunday morning requires a degree in computer science. Our non-techy eyes glaze over when an eager volunteer announces, “You can sign up by clicking this QR code. And be sure to follow us on Instagram, join the WhatsApp text group, and check Google Drive for updates.” Some of us are still figuring out how to answer text messages without accidentally phoning our grandkids.
In a digital age, not everyone speaks “tech.” And for the church, this isn’t just a problem to fix; it’s a relationship to nurture so we can meet people where they are. Here are some suggestions for my techy and non-techy friends.
For the Tech-Savvy
Be patient. Don’t be prideful and belittle those who struggle with technology. “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1, New International Version). Most non-techy Christians aren’t anti-technology; they are cautious and need time to adapt. Don’t interpret their hesitation as a sign of rebellion; it may be a sign of confusion and uncertainty.
Remember the goal. Our mission is to make disciples, not to make everyone tech-savvy. Up-to-date communication methods are useful, but the goal isn’t to impress others or mimic other churches. We proclaim Christ, “admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). Technology should serve the mission, not be a barrier to it.
Be flexible. Communication methods should reflect the culture, education, age-group, and experience of the people we are discipling, and when necessary, we must surrender our preferences for the sake of others. Paul said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Welcome suggestions from trustworthy advisors—and seek ideas from different segments of the congregation, not only your own peers. Don’t assume you know what communication techniques work best for everyone.
Offer tech hospitality and practical help. Along with greeters at the door, why not station a polite, tech-savvy helper in the lobby after services who can explain how to download the giving app or join a livestream service? You can provide “how to” documentation and step-by-step instructions in print form or on a web page and create easy-to-use video tutorials. Shad Fox, Communications Director at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, says that by persistently helping those who struggle, “You can turn people from hesitant into enthusiastic adopters who share what they’ve learned with others. The goal of using tech is to make ministry and next steps easily accessible, and the tech-savvy should do whatever they can to reduce friction.” A ministry like this is more than technology support; it’s discipleship.
Never forget the value of face-to-face interaction. John longed to see other Christians “face to face, so that our joy may be complete” (2 John 12). A high-tech world still needs a personal touch. At times nothing beats a handwritten note, a phone call, a pastoral visit, or a one-on-one conversation.
For the Tech-Hesitant
Watch your attitude. Don’t be the neighborhood curmudgeon who shouts, “Get your QR codes off my lawn!” Don’t reject new ideas simply because they are unfamiliar or ascribe bad motives to those who are sincerely trying to use new technology to reach and disciple people who need the Lord.
Have a teachable spirit. You can learn new ways of doing things. When my mother was in her eighties, her preacher started putting sermon notes and song lyrics on PowerPoint slides. Instead of complaining, she welcomed the change because she could see and understand the messages better. You may never love Instagram, but you can learn to watch livestream services when you are home sick.
Ask for help. There is no shame in asking, “Can you show me how this works?” Most teens and young adults don’t mind being asked.
Communicate with the communicators. Did you miss an important event because it wasn’t publicized well? Don’t gripe and gossip about it; kindly offer suggestions. Don’t whine, “You obviously don’t care about older people” or “In the past, the minister made all the announcements from the stage and that worked just fine.” It’s more helpful to say, “Along with social media, a simple printed card would help me remember events and invite my friends,” or “In addition to signing up online, could we provide a sign-up sheet at the Welcome Desk?”
Relax a little. If the first-century church could navigate persecution, shipwrecks, and famines—if they managed to preach the gospel without microphones and communicate with handwritten letters—you and I can survive a software update. With patience, humility, and love, even the most techy and non-techy among us can stay connected to what matters most: Christ and his people.
Author: David Faust
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.
