Church Technology Overview
One of the most often overlooked and least understood aspects of Church
Management is the technology used in churches. Relatively inexpensive
costs have allowed many of today's churches to have broadband internet
access, email, a church web site, PDAs to keep track of meetings and
church management software to help them keep track of their ever
growing and changing flock. Ministry positions are often created to
administer the church computers, network, website & email and a
good size budget set aside for this effort each year. The problem most
church leaders face is what / how to implement technologies that will
be effective for building The Kingdom and also good stewardship of the
resources they have been provided with.
Matthew 25-21
“His
master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been
faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ”
Church technology can
become overwhelming & expensive very quickly. The real question is
what technologies will make your church management more effective?
Without a solid understanding of what you need and what is out there to
meet your needs, it is easy to spend an exorbitant amount of your
budget on technology and not get what you need.
What Today's Churches Need
If
you are here reading this blog, you probably don't need to be convinced
that technology can be extremely useful in church management. The
following is a list of computer related technologies that will help
your church stay relevant and connected in today's technology age.
Workstation PCs
- Windows (XP/Vista) or Mac OSX based computer (purchased within the past 4 years)
- At least 2GB of RAM memory
- Backup drive
Internet Access & Network
- Broadband Internet Access
- Router with built in switch
Software
- Anti-Virus (AVG Free Edition)
- Office Application Suite (OpenOffice)
- Church Management Software (Church Membership Online)
- Internet Browser (Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox)
Internet Presence
- Website
- Email
I
have provided some quick links for some of the items above. For
everything else, check back in the future as I will be posting more
about specific inexpensive & easy to implement solutions for each
of these technology needs. In the meantime, please check out the
collection of free internet resources we have compiled.
http://www.churchofficeonline.com/FreeResources/FreeResources.aspx
- Aaron
Church Office Online
http://www.churchofficeonline.com/
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