“Openness to New Ideas”: GMP holds interactive conversations about ministry and technology

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Virtual church members. Accessibility needs. Technical deacons. Hybrid services. Reach people where they are.

All of these topics and more emerged during “Create Playspace with the President” on Wednesday, February 15, the first in a series of virtual events designed to foster a spirit of collaborative play around timely issues facing the Church at large.

The Rev. John Dorhauer, Minister General and UCC President, opened the interactive conversation by inviting people to share and engage. “We desire not only your voice, not only your participation, but your creative thinking, openness to new ideas.” He credited James Carse, who wrote the book Finite and Infinite Games, for inspiring the use of gaming as a way to think about pushing boundaries and making change within institutions.

The Minister General and President, the Rev. John Dorhauer hosts the first ever Create Playspace with the President event. “Technologically Significant”

National staff facilitated the event from the Cleveland office’s meeting room called Mission Central, and 90 attendees joining on Zoom from across the country were visible on the room’s walls designed for interactive engagement. There were a few minor technical tweaks when things got started—adjusting the cameras and the occasional suggestion to unmute Zoom—but Dorhauer acknowledged in his introduction that the best plans require a readiness to adapt.

Since the “provocateur” intended to spark conversation, Dorhauer offered a brief reflection on his experience as a “digital immigrant,” coming to use computers after attending the entire seminar without one. He recounted a keynote address at the 2015 General Synod by the Rev. Paul Raushenbush who encouraged UCC to “get involved” on the digital revolution unfolding at the time. Dorhauer also shared a 2017 Strategic Vision Report that envisioned a healthy UCC ten years into the future as “technologically meaningful.”

Technological innovation, ministry, future

Those in attendance addressed the use of technology to address accessibility needs and how having virtual attendance options has helped protect people from regular illnesses such as the flu and the common cold. A stream of topics focused on helping older members who are less familiar with the technology learn how to use it. While some suggested recruiting young people as instructors, building intergenerational bridges, others wondered if young people were getting tired of having to teach everyone else.

During the first interactive conversation Create Playspace with the President, participants were invited to offer a word to express what technology is to them. The answers were used to form this word cloud.

UCC Chief Strategy Officer and event host, Cheryl Williams, sparked lively conversation among virtual attendees when she invited people to offer brief comments on the benefits and challenges of technology they’ve experienced in ministry. Others responded simultaneously through the Zoom chat feature, all focusing on issues of tech innovation, ministry and the future.

The discussion on how to create virtual and inclusive faith communities was ignited when participant Debbie Bahr offered her experience as a church member who participates in all online events. “What I see is people making decisions and speaking up need to incorporate online attendees as regular members,” she said. “Language is really important… It’s really a community of faith or they are [virtual attendees] just another group of people?”

A fight and a lifeline

Jesse Letourneau, pastor of Salem United Church of Christ in Westphalia, Indiana, noted how the conversation “immediately went into sanctuary,” centered around face-to-face encounters. He asked, “What does it mean for technology to be for people who aren’t here? … How do we use it to reach people who are hurt and lonely and who don’t come to church but are online?”

The lack of internet service in some parts of the country, especially in rural areas, is another problem that has arisen. Amelia Price, pastor of Saint Paul’s Verdilla UCC in Selinsgrove, Pa., shared that her church doesn’t have Internet or cell service. “How not to leave these people behind?” she asked. In response, Dorhauer highlighted a resolution for this summer’s General Synod, titled “Closing the Digital Divide,” which focuses on digital justice and inclusion.

The Create Playspace interactive conversation with the President seen in the Mission Central conference room of the UCC Country Offices.

Some have used the space to share tech resources and programs they’ve learned to use to make things run more smoothly, naming programs like Be.Live to run hybrid services, Promptsmart teleprompter software to read sermons on camera, and Giving Tools for online collections.

Using technology to share values

Some have raised opportunities to share a progressive Christian identity through technology. “I would like to see how we can use technology to let people know who we are and what we stand for, regarding issues of justice that are so controversial right now,” said Alice Stambaugh of Scottsdale Congregational UCC in Scottsdale, Arizona.

At the end of the hour-long meeting, the participants expressed the need to devote more time to the use of technology in ministerial settings.

“UCC really has a valuable message that is needed right now, and it’s obvious that many churches are still struggling with technology and the cost of technology. An hour is not enough,” Jeff Pommerening, pastor of Elcho and Kempster UCC in Wis, wrote in the chat.

The interactive conversation has been recorded and will be made available for viewing. Create Playspace with the President events are scheduled for Wednesday afternoons over the next three months and will address issues such as church ownership, future faith seekers, and social media. Find out more and register here.

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Categories: United Church of Christ News

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