Less Time for Computers, More Time for Converts?

Bobby Welch, past president of the Southern Baptists, isn't too fond of technology. In his last sermon as leader of the Southern Baptist Convention he asked if we should spend less time on websites and more time on witnessing, less time blogging and more time baptizing. Then, completing his trinity of alliteration, Welch asked: "Do you think if we spent less time fumbling around with those computers we might have more converts?"

Just for fun, I thought it would be interesting to check out the website for Bobby Welch's church, The First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach (Florida). So I did.

First of all, the church website is graphically sophisticated. There's no "fumbling around" here. The layout is superb. There are elements of Flash technology (movement), but nothing too complex. This church either has a professional web designer/master, or they outsource to professionals. Obviously, First Baptist of Daytona Beach takes serious the need to use technology to maximum advantage. Yet I find the excellence of this website to be strangely inconsistent with Welch's negativity about computer technology in his sermon. Hmmmm.

Second, I noticed on the page that described the pastors of First Baptist that Bobby Welch has an e-mail link. I guess that's one technology he's not opposing. The funny thing is that I find e-mail to be perhaps the single greatest consumer (waster?) of time that I might otherwise be investing in converts. If I were Bobby Welch, I might have gone after this distraction.

Third, First Baptist of Daytona Beach has a page that lays out its "Core Values." These are fine statements, well conceived and expressed. Several of them, it seems to me, are relevant to the question of how Christians might use technology. For example:

Core Value #1. The Lordship and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ – In all we are and do, our foundation and focus will always be the honor and lordship of Jesus Christ and all things will be for His glory. Furthermore, understanding that with God all things are possible, our mission and ministry shall be limited only in those ways God Himself determines. We shall allow our hearts, minds and souls to be stretched by the heart and hand of God as He shapes and fashions us as a Church according to His perfect will.

My comment: Could blogging be one way of doing ministry, one of the "all things" that are possible with God?

Core Value #6. An Emphasis on Evangelism and Missions – We believe that Jesus Christ alone is the way to salvation. Our ministry calls for a strong emphasis on taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to this community and around the world.

My comment: Couldn’t the Internet be a powerful tool for "taking the Good News of Jesus Christ" to our local communities and to the world? In the two and a half years of my blog, I've received e-mails from readers on six continents. No readers from Antartica, as far as I know.

11. Freedom to Innovate and Change – We recognize the eternal and unchanging nature of God’s Word but we also recognize an on-going need for ministry change and innovation in order to effectively facilitate the sharing of the Word and growth of God’s kingdom. An atmosphere of grace shall prevail when our innovative methodologies are deemed ineffective.

My comment: This is an excellent statement, don't you think? I only wish Bobby Welch had remembered it as he was preparing his sermon. This statement would seem to call forth an aggressive effort to use new technologies for the sake of the kingdom.

It may seem like I'm picking on Bobby Welch. If so, I apologize. I'm not trying to show him up so much as to show how his own church is much more engaged with technology than his sermon might suggest. Sometimes sermons use hyperbolic rhetoric that simplifies or distorts reality. Core value statements, like the one adopted by Bobby Welch's church, tend to be more thoughtful and balanced.

Bobby Welch the preacher asks: "Do you think if we spent less time fumbling around with those computers we might have more converts?"

Bobby Welch the pastor answers: "[U]nderstanding that with God all things are possible, our mission and ministry shall be limited only in those ways God Himself determines. . . . Our ministry calls for a strong emphasis on taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to this community and around the world. . . . [W]e also recognize an on-going need for ministry change and innovation in order to effectively facilitate the sharing of the Word and growth of God’s kingdom." Or, to put it differently, maybe time spent fumbling around with computers will lead to more converts.