Media and Technology: A Major Key in Christian Communities
INTRODUCTION
One thing that I find interesting, is how we can misinterpret the true meaning of certain things in our lives. We can often spend so many years believing something to mean one thing, when it really means something else. Being a pastor’s son and growing up in the church, this is something that I’ve experienced firsthand. I consider growing up in the church to be a huge privilege and blessing. Week after week I was taken to church and I never really minded it. Through my attendance, I developed a love for God that has carried me up to this very day. As I have gotten older and grown closer to God, I began to see the image that I originally had of the church begin to shift. It shifted from the church only being a place where people meet up to worship Jesus with together, into a community, a family, a home where people do life together.
Over the course of time, this foundational idea that had been laid down by Jesus, continues to permeate not just throughout the church, but also through the Christian community at large. However, due to the rapid growth and expansion of technology and media over the last century, the world has seen a great deal of changes in everything we do, and especially in how we communicate. These changes now pose the question; does the use of media and technology in Christian communities help to create this loving atmosphere or not? While some may argue that media and technology does not help, I argue that they are essential in helping to create this atmosphere.
ETHNOGRAPHIC VIGNETTES
When trying to gauge the impact that media and technology have had on Christian communities, it’s imperative to consider the effect these two have had on the entire world. Without a doubt, these two factors have become huge players in just about everything we do today. By definition, media is the main means of mass communication regarded collectively. Without media, many people would be in the dark about the things that are going on in the world. This can range from politics, to sports, to even local school news. No matter where we look, media plays an active role in our lives. Technology has helped to increase the number of mediums by which media can be pushed into the world. Media is often broadcasted on the air, over the internet, or through mobile applications. These app have become more popular, and through them, media has become much more readily available to the masses.
While tech and media has made so much available to us, it has created an avenue for many Christian communities to utilize. Many communities have used tech and media to spread both the Gospel and love across their communities. We see the examples around us often across all platforms. On television, there are a number of Christian networks on the air such as; Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Daystar, and Hillsong Channel. On the internet and on mobile apps, a plethora of churches and Christian communities using these platforms such as, Hillsong Church, Life Church, Vous Church, and Elevation Church, which has proven to be one of the most tech savvy churches in the country.
Elevation Church, led by pastor Steven Furtick, is a relatively new church compared to many others. It was founded in 2006, and has since been recognized for being one of the fastest growing churches in the country with their weekly attendance hitting over 22,000 people at their nineteen different locations. The growth of the church is unprecedented and can partially be attributed to their strong online presence that helps to extend and connect their community. Elevation Church heavily uses both YouTube and Facebook in a number of different ways. In an article written by Tim Funk of the Charlotte Observer, titled, “Elevation Church’s annual report shows more growth, but leaves out key details,” Funk states, “Also included in the report’s avalanche of numbers, were increases of 256 percent in YouTube subscribers, (to a total of 146,120), 95 percent in Instagram followers (to 163,077) and 85 percent in Facebook followers (to 193,411).” The church uses the live features offered by Facebook and YouTube to post live worship services. This enables current or potential members that are unable to physically be at one of their services, to stay involved with the church. In his article, Funk posts a video where he interviews a couple that had travelled 10 hours from New York to Charlotte in order to worship at the church. When asked how they discovered the church, the couple stated that it was through the internet, more specifically YouTube and the churches mobile app. This is an example of how media and technology can help to attract new people to a community.
Another feature that Elevation Church offers to its members, is e-Groups. These e-Groups are groups where members are able to communicate with each other online to grow in Christ online, or in person. This often includes discussing the bible and real-life applications of it, or just getting closer to one another as a group of fellow believers. This is not solely unique to Elevation church of course. Other churches, like the previously mentioned Life Church incorporate the same thing, under the moniker, “Life Groups.” In utilizing technology, community members are able to build relationships with one another that go beyond only seeing one another once a week on Sundays. Below is a video showing an example of some of the fun that takes place in Elevation Church’s eGroups!
Like I stated, Elevation church is not the only body of Christ that utilizes technology to connect their community. Right here at UMBC, one of the Christian organizations on campus do the same. Cru, short for Campus Crusades for Christ, of which I am a current member, also uses Facebook as a medium to stay connected. The group posts upcoming and current events on their page, keeping everyone in the loop.
As my second vignette, I was able to do more up close and personal observing through Cru once again. Although Cru does not have its normal weekly worship meetings that are held during the Fall and Spring semester, the organization has been able to use tech and media to provide another way for members to stay connected; Summer Connect. Summer Connect is an eight-week Cru experience where every Thursday at 8, participants are led in a weekly meeting live via video chat. Participants are able to join alone, with a group of friends, or find a Summer Connect Hub center where you can meet up with others to participate in the fun. Summer Connect has proven to be a great way to bring people together.
During this summer, I have met two new girls who came to be apart of UMBC’s Summer Connect Hub Center. The two girls, who happen to be twins, are incoming freshmen and have been able to seamlessly join our Hub. While not appearing to be too nervous the first day they joined us, I have been able to see them become more comfortable with everyone there. Likewise, I have felt closer to our other members as the weeks have gone on. Being in an atmosphere where we can share the thing we hold most dear to each other on its own is amazing. The usage of live video connecting us and every other participant together, makes it feel like we’re a part of a huge family.
METHODS/INTERVIEWS
In my time covering this subject, I was very fortunate to be able to interview four people who were able to give me some interesting feedback. Everyone that was interviewed was Christian and had been apart of a Christian community at some point and all three are college students. Needless to say, they have experience with tech and media. All four interviewees were presented with the same question; “What is your perspective on the thought that mobile tech and media are vital in both aiding and creating a loving Christian community, and in helping those communities grow? What are your thoughts? Do you agree, disagree? Do you think there’s more of a negative impact to it than a positive one? Do you think the pros and cons even out?”
My first interviewee without a doubt set the tone for the following interviews. She, a rising college sophomore who we’ll call Carey, responded with a two-fold answer. Carey first focused on the benefits, realizing the positive capabilities. She told me about how her own church records sermons, which are addresses to the churches given by a preacher based on a passage out of the bible. With these messages recorded, those who aren’t able to make it to church have access to them. Carey’s church has reach that extends to Latin America. Her church has Spanish speaking worship services as well, and with their reach to Latin America, they have been able to broadcast those services to many of their Spanish speaking members, extending their love to them.
When discussing the cons about the usage of technology she mentions that there is a possibility that the ability to have actual conversations are lost. She felt that people may feel more comfortable being involved from behind a computer screen rather than in person. There is no denying the reliance on digital devices, and in their book, “A Different Kind of Ethnography: Imaginative Practices and Creative Methodologies,” Denielle Elliot and Dara Culhane agree with this sentiment. The two bring up another perspective worth noting. “As these devices, programs, and applications become part of our normal life, some people are raising concerns about how overusing smart phones and similar devices might negatively transform our perceptions of the world and the quality of our social relationships” (Elliot, Culhane 1926). (Location in kindle book) This quote highlights this issue that Carey touches on and even brings to light the fact that it’s a global issue that some preachers have even lamented. Feeling that people who choose to stay home and attend service remotely instead of coming, rob themselves of the ability to grow closer to one another in close community. There’s no substitute for physically meeting with one another and talking. Carey went on to state how we will often spend time investing in our technology and media, but not the people around us.
My second interviewee, a recent UMBC graduate who we will call David, seemed to echo much of the same sentiment as Carey in regards to tech and media mainly being a huge help in creating a loving Christian community. The first thing David brought up was the capabilities that are presented to us through tech in being able to share events that are coming up within the community with each other. This is something that I have seen done a number of times this past semester with Cru. On one occasion, one of the members was having a pool party to celebrate his birthday. He created and shared the event with everybody, so all of the members were aware of it, and many were able to go to celebrate with him. Another situation was regarding information concerning our end of the semester Cru formal. If it isn’t obvious, our formal is a dance at the end of each semester where members come together to enjoy each other’s company and reflect on the semester with each other. David went to discuss how this does more than just keep people connected online, but also acts as a resource to build the face to face interactions as well. This point highlights what was mentioned about e-Groups using a medium where groups can meet online and decide on meeting places. David also mentions how tech and media also enable groups members to share videos, articles, or verses that help other people grow and can encourage them. David’s last point is another one that I have seen in action within Cru. David mentioned how through tech and most especially social media, members of a group are able to reach out to others in the groups, to ask for prayer over whatever situation they maybe dealing with. This happens often in Cru, where a member will ask for prayer over their situation. The responses that I have seen are truly heartwarming. Everyone comes together rallying behind the person with support and love. The recipient of that love is always taken aback by the support they receive. Things like this truly help to make people more comfortable with each other, and to open up with one another.
In my third interview, I interviewed a rising junior at UMBC who we’ll call Joe. Joe first briefly brought up one of the negative impacts that we can see with tech and media. He stated that with the accessibility to media and tech, there’s a chance that people can be exposed to false teachings. The effects of these can vary of course, depending on what is said. In some cases it can cause strife and conflict within Christian communities, rather than bringing members closer together. When speaking on the positives, Joe brought up some good points that really helped to add a new dimension to the discussion. Joe used two examples that he has personally used to help him feel closer to his community. The first he stated was The YouVersion Bible app. The Bible app is an application that was built and distributed for free by Life Church. The app provides many features on it, such as bible devotionals, videos, and more. One in feature particular really helped Joe. Joe told me about how you can tap on a verse and see what notes people within your app community have taken on that verse and see what kind of encouraging messages they may have left for each other. Likewise, Joe told me about how he uses Biblehub, which allows people to give commentary on bible verses.
In my final interview, I was able to get a leader’s perspective from the leader of UMBC’s Cru, we’ll call him Los. Los agreed with my argument immediately and gave me a story of when he saw this unfold in front of him. He told me that he had once met with an international student who knew very little English. In order to communicate the Christian faith to him, he used an app called the Jesus Film App. The app has a movie about Jesus and his life in over one-thousand different languages. Los was able to show this movie to the international student the life and teaching of Jesus in his own language, enabling him to better understand Christianity.
ANALYSIS/THEORY
Despite the apparent downfalls of relying so heavily on tech such as those stated by Carey, Tom Boellstorff shows the value of these interactions prove to be as real as meeting in real life. In his book, “Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human,” Boellstorff presents a very interesting take on the relationship between the virtual world and the real world. He describes dancing with a woman named Fran in Second Life, as taking place in real life. While they only danced together in the virtual world, he still considered it to be real. He takes his intriguing take a step further while interviewing Fran, who is an eighty-five year old woman with Parkinson’s disease. “When Fran said, ‘this is who I am’ while describing her avatar, she was not in denial about her physical body. She was saying that her virtual and physical bodies were both real, each in their own way” (Boellstorff xii). He goes on to explain that in many instances of virtual reality, the user’s physical body and virtual body become aspects of their reality. This statement now presents another question, if someone can feel this way about the virtual world, how much more so social media? I believe Boellstorff’s take helps to refute the notion that communicating online with one another hinders the love that can permeate through a community.
In an article titled, “How to Use Social Media Effectively in the Church,” by Jay Caruso, he presents his readers with this question, “Why isn’t social media effective in the church?” His response to this question is loaded. Initially he responds with, “It’s often not effective because it’s implemented and executed poorly.” In his article, he goes on to explain how a churches website is extremely vital, perhaps even more so than the churches social media page. His article emphasizes the importance of tech and media in the church, and shows how it can benefit Christian communities when effectively used.
Through my extensive research, observations, and interviews, I have developed a theory that states my stance. My theory is, in today’s age of media and technology, the usage of mobile technology and media is essential in connecting many people together in Christian communities. This is not only essential in aiding to create a loving atmosphere, but also in helping to grow those respective communities.
CONCLUSION
My theory is one that wouldn’t be valid were it made ten years ago. Technology continues to grow and expand and social media sites are to the forefront of communication. This is becoming much more evident all around us. Like the example that Los gave, technology and media can help to break the language barrier in communities. On flagship news networks like CNN, Twitter is constantly mentioned. That alone shows that social media is an ideal way to share information with one another, and a perfect way for Christian communities to stay in close even when they aren’t physically together. As it was shown in Funk’s article, tech and social media can help these communities reach people from all over the country, and even the world! Funk states, “Elevation even has a growing international following via the internet.” While just an example from one community, this shows the possibilities of growth that are available to Christian communities that utilize these resources. This exposure to these communities can cause people to feel a sense of belonging there, leading them to join, and in turn, increasing their membership. Within those same communities, tech and media help to make them feel more included, valued, important and loved. There’s no doubt in my mind that technology and media play a huge role in aiding in creating and enhancing the love in Christian communities everywhere.
