Today we’re wrapping up our series on engaging students through technology. Here are two more ways students are using technology to impact their world.
• Mobilization – Due to globalization, students are more compelled to work with God to fight world hunger, child soliders, and to help provide clean water. Students of the next generation are longing for energizing visions worthy of pursuit and sacrifice. Technology has empowered students to join God in His redemptive work in rescuing the world from its plight. Now, a student doesn’t have to just go on a mission trip to help the world better be a better, Gospel centered place. A student can mobilize his/her teenage tribe to do something about confronting the evils of the world—all while sitting in his/her bedroom eating potato chips.
• Integration – The usage of technology in youth ministry cannot be compartmentalized. Youth pastors cannot only be on facebook at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Technology has to play an integral role in the life of youth ministry. Drew Sams refers to Marshall McLuhan, a sociologist from the 20th century, who defined technology as an “extension of our humanity.” It is important not to fight against the technological innovations but to learn how to adapt them into the every day praxis of youth ministry. Don’t use technology just to “spy” on students. Be visible, engaged, and interactive. The youth pastors and youth leaders that can implement and manage technology integration in their ministries will be highly effective in their contact work and relational ministry.
My warning – Please don’t let the integration of technology in your youth ministry dictate every aspect of your ministry. If you do, you will have missed my point. The use of technology should be used to enhance what you are already doing and to potentially change the way you are doing it, but only if it furthers the Kingdom. Just being connected for the sake of being connected will waste the resource that technology can be. There will need to be appropriate boundaries applied to this technology integration.
Jeremy Zach is an average-fixer upper- type of youth worker. Stuff that makes him smile: his wife, technology, student pastors, productivity, theology, airplanes, student ministry, Mixed Martial Arts and techno music.
JohnnyRoberts.tv
