SXSW Panel: Can Church and Technology Co-exist?

There’s a tension between faith and technology, and although they don’t seem like they should exist in the same space, the challenge is to find the commonality, says Benevolent Founder Megan Kashner. The presenters suggested that taking on social justice issues is where the two can co-exist and impact society in positive ways. Creative partnerships can push the needle forward on many social justice issues, and there’s great potential right now for faith-based organizations and technology companies to collaborate.

Takeaways:

Innovative collaborations have already begun. For example, techies volunteering to do maintenance on computer labs at faith-based organizations or community centers so that access to Internet in underprivileged areas continues, is a simple way to collaborate. Other organizations such as the Reset Foundation have taken on bigger challenges like creating prisons that also include training, workforce development opportunities and meditation. Some organizations have formed partnerships to start online petitions around a social justice issue. Impact Hub, a co-working space hosted a hackathon with young African-American and Latino youths to come up with tech solutions to common problems in their communities. One idea was an app that reminded people when to show up in court. Forming intergenerational partnerships at church can help bring older members up to speed on technology. Often high school students need community service opportunties, and this can also be a good way to bring older and younger generations together.

Johnson says it’s often no surprise that a church that is losing congregates often hasn’t updated their website or social media in a long time. For church leaders who are resistant to embracing technology and social media, Johnson says, “We have to understand what we don’t know, and for those of us who are tech-savvy we can bring those expertise and help our faith communities understand. (Faith-based organizations and churches) need to understand level of cultural change we’re dealing with today.”

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