Technology and Worship in the Church
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Technology and Worship in the Church
Ardelia J. Butts
WRSP 540: Current Issues in Worship
August 17, 2023
When considering the challenges that come with the Church and the importance of worship
within the confines of time, technology plays a key role in its execution. In the modern world,
everything is controlled or at least affected in some way by technology. Technology is
everywhere and people are using it for things that used to be done manually. The fact that
technology has changed over time and even the least tech savvy person in the world is learning
how to use it implies that technology is taking over. The Church is no different because
technology has changed the way that people choose to worship. It has caused the people who are
creative and innovative to join in and make amendments to everything from praise and worship
to the sermons being preached. Technology has caused church attendance to dwindle in the wake
of the COVID-19 pandemic because people could get their church experiences in the comfort of
their own homes. The transition from in person services to virtual services was not exclusive to
the United States because the pandemic had a worldwide effect. Christian communities
everywhere were falling back on technology and giving way to the methods of worship that
would protect the people physically even if it cost them spiritually. For example, worship in the
Christian services of the Czech Republic were primarily traditional and looked a lot like what
transpires in the Christian communities of America. However, when the pandemic struck, those
same people who were clamouring to get into the worship services readily accepted the
technological alternative.
1
Technology allowed for that to happen, so it is definitely not all bad.
Technology is changing the world, one mouse click at a time.
What role does technology really
play in the Church? Could Church function better without it?
Biblical Foundations
1 Helena Lipkova and Adéla Jarolímková. "Twist in Perception: Spiritual Needs and Technology in the Times of
COVID-19. A Qualitative Research Study in the Czech Republic."
72, no. 1 (2023): 143-167
The Bible does not condemn the use of technology in any form, because God gave Man
dominion over everything. When God created the world, He took the time to set everything in
place and charged Man with maintaining the world and making it a better place. When Man
decided to use the tools and skills that God gave to him, that was the beginning of technology as
it is known. Although some may see technology as an “evil,” it is clearly not. It is merely the gift
that God gave to Man, and it is what Man decides to do with that gift that makes it evil.
Technology itself can be a blessing when used correctly and damaging when misused.
Technology that is used to advance the spread of Christianity and God’s love is exactly what God
would desire. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts
of the Earth, He knew that it would be virtually, no pun intended, impossible to do so without
technology.
One of the earliest instances of technology being used in worship was during Joshua’s victory
over Jericho. God had promised Joshua the victory as the children of Israel were being led to the
Promised Land. But how did it happen? Of course, they were obedient to God and made their
way through, but they may have had a technological advantage. The trumpet blasts on the 7th
day after the silent march was unusual. The noise that those trumpets made along with the
uplifted voices of God’s children allowed them to steamroll Jericho easily.
2
The use of
technology in this way shows that worship in the Old Testament was accomplished at various
times by using technology. The masterful playing of instruments during over periods also served
as worship to God using technology.
Technology has impacted Church and worship services in many ways due to the
advancements in what churches are now offering to their congregations. Gone are the days strict
2 Emmet McGonagle, “Bible Ark BOMBSHELL: Moses 'Given Alien Technology' on Mount Sinai.,”
Daily Star
,
December 6, 2018.
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liturgical worship where a strict program is followed without fail. People are now longing to feel
the presence of God while having their other senses awakened in the process. Technology has
given the Church a way to present God in a way that is both meaningful and engaging to the
believer. The Bible declares that believers must worship God in spirit and in truth, meaning that
the Holy Spirit must be present, and the believer has to reverence Jesus as the truth.
3
It is safe to
say that most Christians have embraced technology in such a way that it is impossible to have an
effective worship experience without it.
If technology aids the congregation in pursuit of God, it
would be unwise to minimize its use during the worship services.
4
Historical Development
Technology has evolved over time, and it has impacted the spread of God’s word and the way
that worship is overseen. The instances of worship that are mentioned in the Bible were only
known to a few people prior to the invention of the printing press. Johannes Gutenberg’s
invention allowed the Bible to be translated and spread to all nations across the world. When
considered here, technology had changed the way that the world viewed Christianity.
5
The
printing press made the Bible more accessible and thereby gave more people the opportunity to
read study the Word and develop worship practices that lasted for centuries.
6
Some groups of
people have come to embrace technology because of its ability to help to spread the Gospel to
the masses.
One of the most divided groups when it comes to technology is Evangelicals who
have been practicing Christianity for centuries. While some do frown on technology and consider
it moving far away from what the Bible calls for, others have implemented technology due
mainstream television opportunities.
7
3 J. Matthew Pinson,
Perspectives on Christian Worship
, (Nashville, TN:
B&H Publishing, 2009), 190.
4 Matthew Cheung Salisbury.
Worship in Medieval England
. Leeds: Arc Humanities Press, 2018.
5 Alex Sosler, “Going to School with Marilynne Robinson:
Sacramental Education as Alternative Paradigm for Faith,”
Christian Scholar’s Review
, no. 52, no. 1 (2022), 64.
6 John Dyer,
Evangelicals, the Bible, and Technology
, (New York:
Oxford University Press, 2022), 38.
7 Dyer,
Evangelicals
, 43.
Historically, music has been a part of worship and the introduction of technology has made a
major difference in today’s time. The songs of the Old Testament that were sung after a great
deliverance from God were instantaneous and heartfelt, but they would not pass with today’s
worshippers. The culture changes that have hit the world are changing the way everything is
done and the Church is following suit. The days of congregational singing during worship is
gone and is replaced by praise teams that are supposed to lead the people into worship.
8
The
hymns are replaced by ballads that emulate worship to God, but the symbolism of Godly worship
is absent.
Worship is something that is not manufactured in a laboratory or passed out on an assembly
line, but there is a secret to making it work. Worship has many forms, and it looks different in
various parts of the world and that is something that should always be considered. God is
universal and so His worship should reflect who He is no matter where He is worshipped.
Culture plays a significant role in worship and the use of technology to expand the influence of
God is needed every time the doors of the Church are opened. There can be no missed
opportunities when it comes to worshipping God, because there are too many people who are
losing out. If their cultural background exposes them to something that is not traditional, then
tradition has to take a back seat to their needs as long as they do not conflict with the Bible.
Many people are attracted to what they hear when they are called to worship and not always
what is spoken. The sounds are attached to their cultures and if their culture is not considered,
their worship experiences begin to suffer.
9
8 Brenda Eatman Aghahowa,
"The Need for Milk and Meat in Contemporary Christian Worship Part One: Music
that "Moves" Worshipers to Spiritual Growth and Activism."
36, no. 1 (2021): 33.
9 Alaa Algargoosh,
Soleimani Babak, O’Modhrain Sile, and Navvab Mojtaba . "The Impact of the Acoustic
Environment on Human Emotion and Experience: A Case Study of Worship Spaces."
29, no. 1 (2022): 85-106.
The Protestant Reformation and other movements that have swept the world came about
because of technology. In addition to the printing press, liturgy, or the organized method of
offering worship, has changed drastically over time because of technology. Liturgical scholars
attribute these shifts to the dissemination of holy scripts and books that were once reserved for
one group of people. That meant that the liturgical practices were limited, and the worshippers
were restricted to what they could do. Technology has allowed worshippers to expand their
horizons to a great extent and now, people are able to experience God in diverse ways.
How does the implementation of technology change the way that worship occurs? Technology
includes the lighting and sound systems that are in use every week. Kevin Navarro insists that
great worship experiences are improved by the use of technology.
10
The changes that have come
to the Church due to COVID-19 and other developments pushes worship to expand now more
than ever. Many religious groups have adapted their worship experiences to meet the needs of the
people who show up each week and also those who tune in virtually. A substantial number of
people find convenience in technology that allows them to worship God from home rather than
entering into the sanctuary.
11
The use of technology has been accepted by so many Christians today because the message of
Jesus is easier to disseminate than it has bee in the past. Worship that is geared towards God is
easier to share with the masses due to television and other media products. The differences
between Christian practices in America and those in Latin countries are now few due to the
introduction of technology. The Latin communities have evolved over the last several decades
after seeing the successes of technology in America. The people of Latin America can now enjoy
their worship services online and in numerous ways even when they come to church. The church
10 Kevin Navarro, The Complete Worship Leader, (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2001), 173.
11 Dyer,
Evangelicals
, 48.
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community figured out ways to share their strict religious doctrines in ways that would appeal to
the masses and also lend themselves to the extension of God’s love through technology.
12
In times past, worship was seen so much as a sacred part of service that nothing was ever
added or taken away from it. The liturgy was rigid and set and no matter what the move of God
was, nothing changed. The song list was set, the congregation joined in, and the service was
deemed successful because there was no deviation from the norm. Did the worship atmosphere
always produce the experience that was needed? Probably not, but the focus was on continuing
to be pragmatic and stagnant at all costs. Miller referred to that as the Idol of Tradition and it has
been bogging down worship services for decades.
13
The Church itself could be falling apart right
before their eyes and those who are stuck in tradition would watch it happen and do nothing
about it. A worship experience that is steeped in traditions is an enemy to change and those who
fail to acknowledge the need to change usually end up closing their doors.
Worship is the universal expression of love for God and technology has bridged the gap for
many different religious groups. The use of technology has changed the way that Muslims
observe their services as well. Instead of chanting the prayers, some mosques have adapted to the
need for virtual aspects of their services. Muslim services have become more modern with the
implementation of music and slide shows that direct the congregations in the art of worship.
14
The Muslim worship experience is still very much regimented, following the traditional scripts,
but the use of multimedia resources enhances the experience for the people. The Muslim
communities across the world are adjusting to technology because the uniformity makes worship
12 Timothy H.B. Stoneman, "Presencing the Divine: Religion and Technology in the Latin West."
36, no. 2 (2020)
13 Gabriel Miller, Idol Worship, (Lynchburg, VA:
All Peoples Ministries, 2018), 48.
14 Satria, E., D. Tresnawati, D. Rudiansyah, Y. Pariatin, and M. S. Mubarok. "How Mobile Application can Increase
Moslem Worship Activities."
1402, no. 6 (2019)
for visiting followers a great deal easier to understand. The Muslim faith is still the same, but the
focus is on helping to make disciples during worship experiences and not being so restricted.
Practical Considerations:
Problems and Practical Solutions
Technology in the Church can present some problems because the dependence of services on
multimedia presentations. In some circles, churches depend so much on technology and less on
the traditional ways of expressing thanks to God through worship. The greatest asset to the
modern Church can sometimes be the greatest hindrance as well. If the lighting on the stage does
not work, should that prevent the worship from going on? If the soundtracks to the music are
dysfunctional, can the songs still be lifted up to God? Many people have concluded that they
need technology to push them into the place of worship. The size of the congregation now
depends on several factors and worship experiences is one of them. Because people tend to
gather in places that excite them and make them feel good, technology has to be fully employed
most of the time. The presence of technology or the lack thereof changes the attitudes of people
towards worship in such a way that many do not come to worship if there is no technology
present. The worshippers have a need to feel that they are worshipping in modern ways rather
than the antiquated ways of the past.
15
Naturally, the advancements in technology make worship experiences better for people, but
there are definitely some drawbacks. There are more distractions during the services now and
without concentration on God, many lose their place during the service. Using the Bible Apps
during the worship service rather than using printed materials makes worshippers more likely to
stop paying attention to the messages being preached. The worship experience will not go over
as well when other things are interrupting the flow and atmosphere of the gathering.
16
Those
15Jonathan Gilang Phita and Yessica Nataliani. "The Analysis of Online Worship Services Acceptance using the
UTAUT 2 Method and Clustering k-Means."
11, no. 3 (2022):
16 Vanguard, “Using Bible Apps on Phone during Church Worship: Some Say it’s Youth Culture,” September 4, 2018.
who need to be entertained or otherwise engaged to feel comfortable in a place of worship also
present a problem to the worship experience. Those emotional worshippers are not able to
function without the things that technology offers to them.
17
Technology is also bringing about a change when it comes to the way that people worship
because they have extraordinarily little connection as a group with what is going on. The absence
of hymnals means that people do not have to share them and sing together. They do not worship
together anymore, but instead follow a script that does not really require them to physically
assemble. Technology has reduced worship in some places to being an individual activity with
little emotion.
18
Emotions are usually the driving force behind worship services, but it is
important to not be led by the emotions. Instead, the worship has to bring out the proper
emotions needed to entreat God, because He has to remain the focal point. Allowing anything
other than God to be the catalyst for worship will lead to something that will not stand the tests
of time.
The implementation of Zoom and other mediums used for group gatherings presents an issue
as well because the plethora of options hinders the assembly of believers that the Bible speaks of.
When worship becomes something that can be experienced from the comfort of one’s own home,
the effectiveness begins to wane. Because Christianity relies so heavily on physical worship,
using technology does not always meet the needs. People still have a need, and some have a
desire to be able to worship in the sanctuary. Although Zoom is easy to operate and very
convenient, the feeling of God’s presence is not there.
19
In the wake of the pandemic, it is quite
difficult to solve this issue because people are accustomed to it now just as they were to
17 Aghahowa,
The Need for Milk
, 36.
18 Joseph Roso, Anna Holleman & Mark Chaves, “Changing Worship Practices in American Congregations,”
Journal
for the Scientific Study of Religion
, 59, no. 4 (2020), 678.
19 "Zoom Cannot Sustain the Mystery of Faith: Online Services Turn the Sanctity of Worship into just another Hour
of Alienating Technology." 2021.
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attending Sunday services. They are accustomed now to having someone to sing for them as they
follow along. They are now accustomed to having someone to tell them what phrases to utter to
God rather than being inspired on their own. As much as technology has done to help the
worship process, it has always crippled the masses. They are helpless it seems when it comes to
knowing what to say or do towards God.
The challenge today is to find ways to incorporate technology into the mix without
overshadowing the other factors within the Church. The mistake is categorizing and prioritizing
the worship elements based on personal feelings and missing opportunities to reach the masses.
God loves to receive the worship that He demanded on Mt. Sinai, but often times, He does not
get it. There are always going to be people who cannot get themselves out of the way to see the
Church grow. God draws men to Him through His love and kindness, but what will happen once
they arrive? If His love gets them into the building, there has to be something there to get them
into a mode of worship that brings them back. Dullness and drab environments will not do it.
God is the ultimate Creator and He gave Man the task to do greater things in the Earth. Man can
start by showing flexibility and making worshipping God his goal by any ethical means
necessary.
Bibliography
Aghahowa, Brenda Eatman. "The Need for Milk and Meat in Contemporary Christian Worship
Part One: Music that "Moves" Worshipers to Spiritual Growth and Activism."
36, no. 1 (2021):
32-41.
Algargoosh, Alaa, Babak Soleimani, Sile O’Modhrain, and Mojtaba Navvab. "The Impact of the
Acoustic Environment on Human Emotion and Experience: A Case Study of Worship Spaces."
29, no. 1 (2022): 85-106.
Davies, Hugh. "Religious Devices: A Survey of Technologies of Worship."
7, no. 2 (2019).
Dyer, John. "Evangelicals, the Bible, and Technology." New York: Oxford University Press,
2022.
Hicks, Zac.
The Worship Pastor
. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 2018.
Lipková, Helena and Adéla Jarolímková. "Twist in Perception: Spiritual Needs and Technology
in the Times of COVID-19. A Qualitative Research Study in the Czech Republic."
72, no. 1
(2023): 143-167
McGonagle, Emmet. "Bible Ark BOMBSHELL: Moses 'Given Alien Technology' on Mount
Sinai." 2018.
Navarro, Kevin.
The Complete Worship Leader
. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2001.
Phita, Gilang Jonathan and Yessica Nataliani. "The Analysis of Online Worship Services
Acceptance using the UTAUT 2 Method and Clustering k-Means."
11, no. 3 (2022): 664-680.
Pinson, J. Matthew.
Perspectives on Christian Worship
. Nashville, TN:
B&H Publishing Group,
2009.
Roso, Joseph, Anna Holleman, and Mark Chaves. "Changing Worship Practices in American
Congregations."
59, no. 4 (2020): 675-684.
Salisbury, Matthew Cheung.
Worship in Medieval England
. Leeds: Arc
Humanities Press, 2018.
Satria, E., D. Tresnawati, D. Rudiansyah, Y. Pariatin, and M. S. Mubarok. "How Mobile
Application can Increase Moslem Worship Activities."
1402, no. 6 (2019): 66041.
Sosler, Alex. "Going to School with Marilynne Robinson: Sacramental Education as Alternative
Paradigm for Faith
.
"
52, no. 1 (2022): 57-70.
Stoneman, Timothy H. B. "Presencing the Divine: Religion and Technology in the Latin West."
36, no. 2 (2020): 187-204.
Vanguard, "Using Bible Apps on Phone during Church Worship: Some Say it’s Youth Culture."
2018.
"Zoom Cannot Sustain the Mystery of Faith: Online Services Turn the Sanctity of Worship into
just another Hour of Alienating Technology." 2021.