I wrote an article for the August 2010 issue of Church Production Magazine entitled Questions for “Gospel Stewardship”.  In the article I lay out 8 questions to help a church make technology purchasing decisions in a way that reflects the Biblical mission of the church.  It can be read at churchproduction.com or below.  I would love to have your feedback on this concept of Gospel Stewardship so please comment on this post and I look forward to reading your thoughts and ideas…

Planning and Purchasing Audio, Video and Lighting

Good stewardship begins with a series of questions designed to assist you through the process.

by Rob Connelly

Most church leaders would agree that planning for and purchasing large items within the church is not nearly as simple as doing so for individual use. However, I have run across few churches that have a systematic framework to assist them in this area. The purpose of this article is to define and briefly apply a series of questions for purchasing and planning audio, video and lighting that will help pursue what I call gospel stewardship.

Gospel stewardship is quite simple: Making disciples who worship God with their lives is the primary mission of the church, according to Matthew 28. Everything we do and buy should be directly linked to this mission. This worship is also expressed through caring for the poor and hurting, caring for creation, serving our communities where real need exists, by essentially loving what God loves. Actually living this mission out in the church is quite complicated. In order to make disciples and facilitate worship, the gospel message and indeed the gospel community (the church) must be “contextualized” appropriately to the culture.

This idea of “contextualization” is debated greatly with differing opinions of how much contextualization is too much. In other words, at what point have we somehow altered the gospel in an attempt to contextualize it? While the church should use relevant methods, the message of the Bible and the end goal of making disciples must motivate their use. Each church must have a vision: a stated understanding of how the biblical mission of the church will be contextualized to unify and drive all of what they do.

The following three scenarios (regarding the purchase of audio, video and lighting, respectively) apply these gospel stewardship questions to reach effective decisions. For the sake of this article we won’t ask all questions for each example, but only enough to give readers a better understanding of the process.

When you’re considering equipment upgrades for your church, answers to some questions may be obvious, while other questions may require meetings, conversations with consultants and prayerful consideration to reach accurate conclusions.

Eight important questions:

1. How does the function of this equipment enhance the accomplishment of our long-term vision?

2. Do we have the budget to do it right legally, safely and with quality?

3. Are we prepared/able to put in place the proper infrastructure to make this a good kingdom investment for the long-term?

4. Are we willing to pay someone from outside the church (unless a volunteer experienced in A/V system design for houses of worship is available) to help us with both the decision and the integration?

5. Will this equipment be operable by our volunteers/staff in such a way that it will add its theoretical value?

6. Are there any technical issues that this upgrade might cause that would be a detriment to the vision?

7. Is there another piece of equipment that may cost less, be easier to operate, require less infrastructure or has only the features we need and none of the ones we don’t, which would bring the value we desire?

8. Should we have other priorities based on the heart of God for our money, which would better reflect the Gospel, such as feeding the poor or taking the Gospel to the nations?

AUDIO-Transition from Analog to Digital Console?

Let’s say a church is thinking about replacing a large-format analog console with a new digital console. Question number one would ask what gospel value is added by this purchase? How does a digital console facilitate accomplishing your vision? If gospel contextualization leads you to have multiple services and events taking place each week, then the instant setting recall of a digital console will facilitate that.

Question five would ask whether the console would be too advanced for your operators. If they have neither the expertise nor the ability to acquire the expertise, then the purchase will not embody gospel stewardship. Another mixer may have a more appropriate feature set that comes with a lower price tag. This is one case where a trustworthy outside consultant can be more helpful than merely finding out what another church is using or merely searching the internet for the best price.

VIDEO-Switching from SD to HD?

Let’s now consider a video upgrade from an SD 4:3 system to HD 16:9. Question six answers most issues. Certainly, the cost of HD projection has come down considerably in recent years, but such an upgrade is still expensive for most churches. There are a myriad of issues that must be considered with large-format video displays yet another reason to hire a qualified consultant or integrator. Some spaces are not large enough to truly benefit from HD, not to mention that the demographics of your congregation/target-group may or may not dictate the need. Also, most new projectors have the ability to project in 16:9 widescreen format, so a setting change along with a tweak to your screens may give the effect of HD without the cost or the technical considerations.

LIGHTING-New System or Not?

Finally let’s consider a complete lighting overhaul. Let’s use the example of an older congregation that is meeting in an older building, with an antiquated lighting system already in place. Let’s say the church leaders have decided that the vision moving forward will include more contemporary elements such as dramas, concerts and other events and that the current lighting system is in need of modernization.

With question one already answered, questions two and three come to the forefront. This type of upgrade will likely involve a good deal of electrical work to be done safely and legally. Depending on the specifics of the building, this may require significant interaction with local officials to assure that the work is being done according to code.

Aesthetics come into play with older facilities, and making modern technology fit with older architecture can be tricky and expensive. The infrastructure for future expansion of the lighting system, specifically electrical infrastructure for future fixtures and dimmers, should be done with the modernization. This will surely save money long-term not to mention avoiding the headache of not having the infrastructure in place when you need it. This would be true any time you are pulling cable or having electrical work done. Do as much as your future vision may dictate and your current budget allows.

In Conclusion

With any purchase your church is considering, the amount of money you spend is important. However, the lowest price is often not the best decision as gospel stewardship involves the long-term just as much as the short-term. Be intentional about cultivating good relationships with a consultant or integrator who can get to know your church and its vision and can provide quality service long after the sale or installation. Some smaller purchases such as cables, adapters, and small equipment can be priced out for the lowest price, but any major purchase is worth some extra investment into the relationship with a long-term partner. Hopefully, these questions will give you a framework for your purchasing and planning as your church moves forward with its vision to make disciples and embody good gospel stewardship.

Mike Sessler, Technical Director at Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, CA, maintains a blog which he calls Church Tech Arts.  It really is a wonderful source for the practical elements of technical ministry.  Those serving the church in the area of technology will benefit from reading his posts both as technicians and ministers…  Check it out HERE

In October 2009, Church Production Magazine published a short article I wrote entitled Church Technology as Worship.  You can read it at churchproduction.com or below.

All humans worship, as that is the purpose for which we were created and in which our lives are engaged. (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15 Romans 12:1, Colossians 3:17) We all inadvertently worship things other than God be it material things, money, other people, or a status or level of achievement (which is called idolatry). What we do for God as church technicians can be especially tricky.  Our desire to utilize technology in an excellent way FOR God can subtly become idolatry or misplaced worship in the place of God.

The Bible teaches that the Church is the assembly of those who have been redeemed by Christ’s death on the cross whose purpose is the worship of their Creator (Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Peter 2:10). Worship is the entire life of a Christian lived in obedience to God’s commands (John 14:15,23), and dedicated to fulfilling the mission that He has given the Church. The mission of the Church is to raise up maturing worshippers who will raise up more maturing worshippers (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8) (which is far different from filling the seats with warm bodies).  Technology (including but not limited to production technology) has an important role to play in this mission in many modern cultures, but let’s be clear: the Church can and certainly has existed without technology.

So with all of this in mind, how can we “Church Tech” types worship God through technology and help lead the rest of the Church in worship of Christ?  When we engage in the use of technology in the Church it is worship.  But the tricky part is that the condition of our hearts determines the object of our worship.  It is so easy (and I have been guilty of these things) to begin to worship our own perceived abilities, that great new piece of gear, or the desire for excellence.  If it is truly done to the glory of God (Colossians 3:17, 1 Corinthians 10:31), then we will do our best towards excellence without worshipping the excellence, ourselves, or the technology.

While gear and technical excellence are essential tools to help the modern Church in its purpose (worship) and its mission (raising up maturing worshippers), they are not to be worshipped.  Whether you are a staff member or a volunteer, if you serve your Church in the area of technology, let your service be an offering of worship to God.

Salvation and Sovereignty A Molinist Approach. By Kenneth Keathley.  Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2010, 232pp.

Dr. Kenneth Keathley is the Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received both the M. Div. and the Ph. D and has been teaching since 2006.  In his book, Salvation and Sovereignty A Molinist Approach, Dr. Keathley puts forward the argument that Molinism provides for a soteriology which fully affirms both God’s sovereignty and his genuine desire that all humans be reconciled with him as well as the genuine libertarian free will of created mankind.  Keathley’s nuanced affirmation of three of the five points of traditional Calvinism, and his rejection of the other two, are placed upon the theological and philosophical framework of Molinism and expressed through the acronym ROSES. It is Keathley’s aim to provide both a primer of Luis Molina’s (a 16^th century Jesuit priest) understanding of God’s foreknowledge and it’s mutual support of both the sovereignty of God and the libertarian freedom of man in salvation.

The thesis of the book is fairly straightforward and is fourfold: “(1) the Molinist paradigm presents the best model for understanding the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, (2) the ROSES framework provides the best way of applying Molinism to the doctrines of salvation,” and that (3) the traditional Calvinist understanding of God’s sovereignty comes out of  flawed philosophical and logical necessity, and (4) that, contrary to traditional Calvinistic thought, causal determinism is not a proper framework for understanding the choices, decisions, and actions related to soteriology (page 8).  These points are argued Biblically with the primary arguments coming directly as evidence from scripture. The necessary philosophical argumentation is also presented in support of the primarily theological premise of the book.

Any critique of this book should relegated to a critique of  presentation as one might argue that it is not as sophisticated as some might hope, though it is accurate and fulfills the stated purpose which is more soteriological than philosophical.  Indeed it is not a first order philosophical treatise, nor was it intended to be.  Those within the academy, especially those within the Calvinist camp against whose system much of the book’s argumentation is formulated, may find the technical elements of the book to be far too elementary for their liking.  In fact this must be seen as the book’s greatest weakness even though it is intended as a primer of Molinism upon which a soteriology is proposed.  The book is indeed not intended to be a full exposition of Molinism though for many it will certainly be a helpful and illuminating primer on the subject. The ROSES framework is quite helpful though its use may engender greater angst from the Calvinists than would otherwise be because of its original use within that framework.

This critique, which should be seen more as an acknowledgement of the primary purpose of the book, does not take away from it’s significance.  In placing Molinism within the ROSES acronym, Dr. Keathley gives to those who cannot hold either to Arminianism nor Calvinism an opportunity for both cohesion and logical defensiblity for their soteriology. By expositing Molinism in both modern language and as a tenable system which affirms Biblical sovereignty and libertarian free will, many will gain greater confidence in their faith and passion for their God and for engaging in His mission.  The ROSES formulation gives a framework for understanding Molinism that will not only bring many into the fold, but will likely legitimize the system on a popular level. This book is no less than essential reading for all theologically concerned believers and especially for any who find themselves less than satisfied with the exegetical value of five point Calvinism.

Dr. Keathley also maintains a blog @ theologyforthechurch.com and is a regular contributer to betweenthetimes.com.