David Whiting Live

Technology & the Church

I came across some statistics that surprise me, and make me wonder: "What implications does this have for the Church?"  Here are a few that I found most interesting:

• There are 5.3 billion mobile subscribers (that's 77% of the world population).
• Within 5 years mobile will overtake PC as the most popular way to get on the web.
• In 2011 over 85% of new handsets will be able to access the mobile web.
• $240 billion worth of bills will be paid by mobile phone (called m-payments) in 2011.
• M-payments are expected to reach over $1 trillion by 2015.

Some churches ignore technology (Amish); most are just a few decades behind; and some pay close attention yet aren't driven by technology. That is who we want to be.

I can think of several implications for the Church. What about you?

Laser Levels Needed

Hey Northridge -

We need a number of laser levels over the next ten days. If you have one, could we borrow it?  Let Adam Congdon (acongdon@northridgerochester.com) know and if you can bring it on Sunday - that would be GREAT!

Thanks!

New Website @ Northridge!!

I've been waiting to tell everyone... so today is FINALLY the day!  We have a new church website.  You've got to check it out!  Here is the address: www.northridgerochester.com.

Other website addresses we've used in the past will eventually go there too, but for now - use that address.  Todd has put hundreds of hours into the website, and he wants everyone to know that he realizes it isn't "perfect" yet, but we wanted to get it out there before the end of the summer.

So - check it out! It is amazing! By the way, VERY soon, you can watch the sermons on video!

One more thing... if you see mistakes on the website - let me know. There will be several things that need some work, and Todd has looked at it for so long, he's sure he's missing some things.

Am I Paranoid? Overly Protective?

I have a "love/hate" relationship with technology.  I love email and I hate email.  My "inbox" seems like a battle I will never win.  Yet - email allows me to keep in touch with a lot of people in a brief amount of time. So - I love email and I hate email.

I've never been a fan of Instant Messaging. Too easy to get distracted by someone who wants to chat at that moment.

I love cell phones; my wife isn't as big of a fan... Everyone has easy access to me.

Our daughters get an email account when they turn 13.  We are letting them get on "Facebook" when they get into high school.  Both make me nervous...  They still don't have cell phones.  Did you know that 444% of teen boys surveyed have seen at least one nude photo of a female classmate online or via cell phone?  I read more and more stories of "sexting" in newspapers and weekly magazines.  I want to protect my daughters without overprotecting them.  Am I doing that?

I don't know much about facebook, but I see more of the dangers and potential for sin (gossip, self-centeredness) than I see benefit, but I'm sure I'm missing something.  I hear people tell me they are too busy to do certain things, but admit they spend hours on Facebook.

So - my love/hate relationship with technology continues.  I just wonder where wisdom becomes overprotection... Suggestions?

Church Website

If you've tried to get to our website in the last few days - you've probably failed. We are working on the problem, but until we discover it - you can still access our website from HERE (

http://northbaptistchurch.easycgi.com/dnn/)

I Love Email - I Hate Email

I decided that I just HAD to devote some time to answering emails this morning.  So I spent two and a half hours answering, dealing with, praying over, and deleting emails.  I got through approximately 130 of them... cutting my "inbox" in half.  It feels SO good.

• I love email - it makes communication so much faster than when I was first in ministry.
• I hate email - it makes communication so much more difficult because there is no way to read the important "non-verbals"
  ___________________________
• I love email - it makes me accessible in a growing church
• I hate email - is it possible to be too accessible in a growing church?
  ___________________________
• I love email - it allows me to do important communication early in the morning when phone calls would be inappropriately early
• I hate email - it tempts me (and often wins) to ignore my family to try to answer "just a few emails" at night
  ___________________________
• I love email - I spent two and a half hours cutting my "inbox" in half this morning
• I hate email - I will probably get 70 responses from those that might sit in the inbox for a while
  ___________________________
• I love email - it allows brief, informal responses that wouldn't be "allowed" through a formal letter
• I hate email - I've been told that I'm too brief and that can come across as unfriendly
  ___________________________
• I love email - it makes ministry more efficient and effective
• I hate email - it makes ministry more impersonal and messy
  ___________________________
• I love email - it helps me keep in touch with old friends that I just would never call
• I hate email - it gives me no excuse to not keep in touch with more people
  ___________________________
• I love email - it is SO much more convenient than a phone call
• I hate email - it is so easy to be misunderstood
  ___________________________
• I love email - it can allow me to think about a response before hitting "send" - you can't do that once it comes off the tongue
• I hate email - it is too tempting to say something I wouldn't say face to face
  ___________________________
• I love email - it allows me to communicate at times that work best for me
• I hate email - I feel pressure to answer today or I get follow-up emails saying, "Did you get my email?"

My daughter tells me that email is so OUT and that texting is the only way to go.  She doesn't even have a cell phone!!  Perhaps I'll write a post called "I hate texting - I hate texting" I have enough trouble emailing on my blackberry.

I gotta go... Seven more emails came in while typing this post.