Disclaimer #1 – Note that I said enhance. The use of technology should not be the focus of worship but should be an aid to worship.

Disclaimer #2 – I will freely admit that what I'm about to suggest will probably never happen, but I can still dream.

What would an iPad church be like? Here are some ideas to get your head spinning...

1. The Bulletin. After mingling around, you sit down  and pick up your iPad and are greeted with your church's logo and mission statement as the screen saver. You slide the bar to unlock your iPad and you see various Apps on the screen: Order of Worship, Announcements, The Bible, Hymnal, Children, Youth, Adults, Visitor, you get the idea. You would be able to touch on each of these Apps to get the latest information about what is going on in each ministry. No longer would there be static written announcements, but you could see pictures and clips of what was going on. You would even be able to sign up for the fellowship potluck. Why not be able to push the events to your calendar or email as well?

2. The Order of Worship. I always have to check my order of worship twice to make sure I know what song we are about to sing. If I was holding an iPad, I would be able to touch “Hymn #1” and Holy, Holy, Holy would pop up on my screen. When it was time for the scripture reading, I would touch  “Matthew 25” and I would be able to choose which version of the Bible I would want to read. If I really liked the anthem the choir just sang, I could touch the title of the song and be taken to the web to find out more about the song.

3. The Hymnal. Not only would you be able to touch on “Hymn #1” and be takent to Holy, Holy, Holy, but minister of music would no longer be bound by the songs in the songbook in front of you. You would even have the option of how you wanted the hymn presented; you just want the words because like me you can't read music or you could have the entire score because you believe transposing music should take the place of the weekly crossword puzzle in the newspaper.

4. The Bible. Why be limited by the one version of the Bible that you brought with you to church this morning when you could have 50 different versions. Why stop at different versions of the Bible when you could also have theological dictionaries, commentaries, and character sketches of what you just read accessible at your fingertips.

5. The Offering. I don't carry cash anymore and I currently don't know where my checkbook is, but I do have my debit card. We use Paypal for everything else, why not be able to give your tithes and offerings while sitting in the pew. There could even be a link on the announcement about the various giving campaigns or special offerings that would allow you to give right then and there.

6. Notes. If you are like me, my bulletin is covered with notes that I have written to myself throughout the service. It would be great if I could open up a Note App to write all of these down and then be able to email them to myself to remind me of them later. And if we are going to be honest, I will also be able to check online to find the cheapest ground beef that is on my grocerey list that I made during the sermon.

7. Visitor Information. I think the same visitor cards have been in our pews for as long as I have been here. We have visitors every Sunday, they just don't fill out the cards. My guess is that they would be far more likely to leave their name and email address on an iPad after taking a virtual tour of the ministries of the church than they would on that little white card that sits on the back of the pew. And you will have more visitors at your church if you have iPads in your pews because word will spread quickly.

There are all kinds of different ways that the iPad could be used to enhance worship but seven seems an appropriate place to stop for now. Next week...Why iPads need to be in your Youth Room.

Maybe this is all just fanciful dreaming, but I do think that technology can better be utilized to enhance your experience at church. What are some of the ways you could envision new technology being used in your congregation?

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Small Groups
written by David L Cassady, March 10, 2010

The iPad (and other tablets) can also help small group Bible studies. Especially tablets with 3G, since not all churches have wifi in their educational spaces.

A 3G equipped iPad in a small group Bible study allows them to use new resources, such as http://www.faithelement.com, where songs and video clips are regularly linked up in sessions. Just one tablet in a small group would allow these videos and songs to be easily played as needed. Since the iPad will also hook up to a projector or larger monitor, bigger screens are easy to add.

Tablets could make small group Bible study a lot more interesting.

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