How Technology Can Drive Discipleship

The day I was working on this column, someone asked me how the church could fully leverage technology for discipleship. I hear that question a lot, and in trying to answer it, I think we have to start with where discipleship is today.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve seen a debate about the role the church should play in discipleship. Some favor a highly instructional approach that emphasizes teaching, classes and resources. Others advocate a one-on-one or one-on-twelve approach that is more experiential and relationship-driven. There are plenty of opinions on which approach is most effective, along with the question of the best way to move discipleship forward.

I believe technology is the perfect platform to address the tension in discipleship that has existed for years, with the potential to take us further in our pursuits than we could otherwise.

Discipleship and Technology

Many discount technology for discipleship because it’s too impersonal. And what’s funny is that this perspective parallels how some people have pigeon-holed technology itself. So many of us learned to use technology in the era of information technology; it’s not surprising that some still think it’s only or primary use is to connect people to information.

But this perspective misses a key moment in history by ignoring how technology has progressed. In recent years, we’ve seen an explosion of technology that connects people to people. It has created a whole set of rich experiences that are changing the way people communicate.

Access Information. Similar to the evolution of technology itself, discipleship also began leveraging technology with a focus on information. Churches and organizations distributed resources to people by putting sermons, small group curriculum, Bible study materials, podcasts and more online. The goal was access—connecting people to information and resources that would help them develop and grow. And there is still great value in that, but it barely scratches the surface of what’s possible.

Connect People. In more recent years, organizations with discipleship goals have tried to leverage technology to help people find people. Here, technology is used to foster relationships, whether by facilitating mentoring connections or simply helping people walk together even when they’re far apart.

Personalize a Plan. A further step in leveraging technology for discipleship focuses on highly individualized plans. These are likely to include some sort of comprehensive assessment tool, recommendations to resource the identified areas of development, and long-term measurement of growth through reassessment. In some of these tools, leaders have the ability to see how people in their church are growing.

Each of the above approaches uses technology in a constructive way to help people grow in their walk with Christ. While it’s encouraging that there’s no lack of effort to use technology for discipleship, we still have a long way to go—both in fully leveraging technology as well as resolving the tension between different discipleship approaches.

New Possibilities

Technology is rich with possibilities to deliver content and personalized information, as well as to connect people with each other. Additional attributes in recent technology can elevate discipleship to a stronger presence in our daily lives.

Immediate. Most technology-driven discipleship tools are based on a website that people need to visit and log into on their computer. But for discipleship to reach us in our everyday, it needs to be woven into our lives. These tools need to be with us and near us so they can intersect the moments we aren’t near a desktop computer—which are usually some of the most significant moments we experience.

Interpersonal. Also, good discipleship technology will allow people to interact within a small set of trusted relationships—less than the thousands on some social media platforms, but more than we normally might come into contact with. This allows people to receive input from a broader group of people than they might otherwise, but in a more intimate setting that fosters the quality of conversation needed for growth.

Even with the promise of technology, some people will say it’s just not the same as personal discipleship. In some ways it’s not. And in some ways it’s so much more.

There’s no denying that technology allows us to connect a new generation of people and help them flourish in their walk with Christ. But the only way we’ll truly reach our potential in this area is if we, as leaders, inspire those in our churches who are gifted in developing technology to take us there. Let’s not miss this opportunity.

Bobby Gruenewald is pastor, innovation leader at Life.Church. Connect with him on Twitter: @BobbyGwald

Bobby Gruenewald
Bobby Gruenewaldhttp://www.outreachmagazine.com/people/4502-bobby-gruenewald-lifechurch-tv.html

Bobby Gruenewald is pastor, innovation leader at LifeChurch.tv. FastCompany.com recognized him as one of the 100 most creative people in business in 2011. Bobby is an Outreach magazine contributing editor. His column, “Innovate,” appears in each issue.

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