I’m going to share an idea that some of us have tossed around in the past couple of months, plus share some of the vision and some thoughts. The idea is to create some kind of church tech association.
This would be for the purpose of providing a central point of contact to share ideas, ask questions etc. related to technology in the church. Granted, many of us do that today, through our blogs, but if you consider how many church tech people have blogs, I’m gonna say that there is alot more out there doing the things we are doing, both staff and volunteer, without blogs. Some are not interested in maintaining a blog or not have the time, but there are many more out there who might particpate and find value in a direct connection with other, like-minded individuals. So, for those that have a blog, it’s easy to disimiss this idea, but I’m thinking beyond that.
Here’s a few points that this organization/website would cover:
* technical writings on a variety of topics, contributed by many of us
* a cool logo that members could display on their own sites, blogs and email sig, ‘proud member of the ultra cool church tech club’ or whatever
* a forum with a variety of moderators
* a way to connect churches needing tech expertise with ministry minded, technical consultants who are willing and available in their area, either on a volunteer or contract basis
* provide churches without the resources to have expertise in-house, a resource to find answers and direction on technical issues
That is just a few of the purposes of a site such as this. Technology in the church is growing rapidly and churches, both large and small, need to be equipped to adequately use technology to enhance all areas of their ministry.
Another element that has come up, I have had discussions with Christian business people interested in this kind of concept and there’s really no reason to make this organization so exclusive that you have to be a church tech person to be included. It could really be a Christian technical association.
There are other ideas, I’m sure, but this is the core of it. A final thought, though, is that initially, for charter members, we would be allowed to join for no charge, but at some point there would have to be a fee to join, perhaps $10 or $20 per year. There are expenses with having a website, hosting and domain, so that would need to be covered, at a minimum, but I’m not concerned with that up front.
Here’s the deal, I’ve got the resources and ability to make this happen and I truly believe it will add value to the community, in alot of ways. However, at this point, I’ve got to prioritize all that I do. If you keep up with this blog, you may have noticed that there has been a lot of chaos and transition in my life lately and even though things have settled down, I’m not out of the woods yet. I still feel like God is leading me to some new things and I still am not sure where that is or what that will look like. I am in the process of transitioning my part time business into fulltime, plus I have other opportunities under consideration as well. By the way, I am not viewing this idea as a money maker or a business proposition, it is purely from the heart, a way to expand the reach of our community.
I would love to hear your input and thoughts. I am open to making this a combined effort, and let it become what it needs to be. If you are interested in being a key player in this project or even if you just want to toss some ideas around, let me know.
Finally, if you have contacted me about this idea, please contact me again. I know I have lost at least one person’s name and email address, inadvertantly.
Let’s do it.