I always like to start with something personal, so please bear it with me!
Throughout the years I’ve been attending church, I’ve always been hearing pastors saying how technology is a bane for Christians. After all, for centuries, the church taught believers that science, in its very nature, speaks out against the basic foundations of Christianity and technology is an undeniable part of science. This is one of the main reasons why we are often asked to “unplug” from technology to grow closer to God. However, what would have been your reaction if a pastor himself testified the fact that technology helped in shaping his ministry? Well, honestly, mine was a perfect replication of the yellow face emoji with a skewed frown.
It came as a surprise when a young pastor in the church claimed that he believed God gave mankind knowledge to create what is now called “technology” so that we could use this gift wisely and grow closer to Him. Let’s find out more about how technology can shape the ministry of a pastor.
Searchable Books
There’s nothing glamorous about the profession of a pastor. He is not just a representative of the kingdom of God; he represents God in the church and he has the responsibility of conveying to people the humility and love that Christ previously showed us here on earth. Pastors also have other responsibilities like guiding youngsters, helping widows and orphans and counseling the lost ones, but the most important of all includes teaching the word of God to the people. A good pastor represents a good shepherd and a good shepherd will always lead people beside still waters and this “task” is carried out by centering on the teaching ministry.
This pastoral ministry is one of the gifts given by God to pastors. The pastor is to lead and guide the flock (Acts 20: 28) by teaching the word of God (1 Timothy 3:2). For Christians, the Bible is spiritual food and thus pastors are tasked with supplying this divine food to us. However, before teaching us the good news of Christ, pastors need to know what the good news actually is.
Weekly sermons aren’t just about providing detailed information about the past history of ancient prophets or about the miracles Jesus performed on earth –Christians can easily access such information even on the net. Pastors are to preach the gospel by being led by the Holy Spirit. Remember that it is the Holy Spirit who taught Paul on how to share the good news with different nations.
As they are being led by the Holy Spirit, pastors need a complete and accurate knowledge of the gospel before teaching what is deemed appropriate before God (Titus 2:1). And, it’s very common for teaching pastors to turn to Biblical books.
There are thousands, if not millions, of Christian books today and I can only guess that at one point, you must have been looking for some books that can help explain certain doctrines or aspects of Christianity. Well, just like you, pastors also enjoy and love reading books whose authors have different kinds of divergent views about Christianity. Any book that can edify their faith and teach them more about Christianity is appropriate. I know some pastors who even testified how several Christian books have allowed them to see God in all aspects of their lives.
When a pastor starts his ministry, he would usually need a reference system for every single thing he’s read in books, articles, journals and etc. Instead of just wondering, “Where did I read that quote?” or “Which book talks about this verse,” pastors can now easily find these references on the internet.