KirbyAndersen.com

Kent Shaffer of ChurchRelevance.com recently discussed some stats regarding church technology usage for different size churches. He asked what technology do you consider essential in ministering to a church your size. I’m a bit of a geek compared to most pastors so my opinion may be skewed. That said, here’s my essential technology (our church currently has around 370 people attending regularly).

• High speed internet. Fastest, most reliable for the lowest cost. I’ve used both cable and dsl - I prefer dsl. It’s cheaper and doesn’t bog down as much with area usage.
• A great sounding wireless mic headset. I use a Countryman.
• At least one projector and large projection screen (an overhead projector doesn’t count!). On a limited budget, put the most dollars you can into the projector. We actually don’t use screens - we simply painted a screen. Surprisingly, it works great.
• The best sound board, loudspeakers, and stage monitors you can afford. If you’re a smaller church and don’t have a connection with an audio tech, contact my good friend Carl Vollrath of Agape Audio Systems at carl@agapeaudio.com.
• A reliable computer with good presentation software. We use EasyWorship.
• An effective church management software system with check in capabilities. We’re proud users of Fellowship One because we think it’s the best available and affordable for any size church.
• And, of course, a website. I can’t imagine not having even the simplest website. There are so many options and so affordable even the smallest church can have one.

Those would be essentials for me. A few highly desirable others I don’t think I could do without:

• Wireless internet access. I believe wifi should be free in public places so we provide it throughout our church.
• My Macbook and iPhone, of course!

So, that’s my short answer to Kent’s question.

What would you add to the list of essential technologies for your church?