Christian Formation and the Chromebook?

I ran a clip on my radio show the other day that continues to haunt me. Greg Jones, who was the former dean of Duke Divinity School, was talking about the change that technology is bringing to Christian Formation

The old tools that we had in Sunday School are still being used in the 21st century, but the children and adults that are in those classes are so much different than we were in the 1960’s when those tools became popular.



Many children and youth are surrounded by computers and other technology five days a week in school. They come home and their evenings are filled with all kinds of personal technology and the family room with Smart TV’s and Bluetooth sound.

Yet, in most every church I visit, the classrooms are devoid of technology. My own local church has an antiquated TV (one of those 100 pound numbers) on a cart that can be shared on the Sunday School floor.

We do have wireless technology in part of the church, but it was not installed to cover the building, and doesn’t have the bandwidth for more than a few of us to log on during the morning.

The Sunday School hour is typically paper handouts for children (sometimes for the youth that show up). My own adult group is getting further along, and there are a few folks who read the scripture on their phone or tablet rather than carrying around a printed Bible.

We are not the norm, because we do have some technology available.

What would happen if churches began moving into the culture that our children and youth inhabit nearly every other hour of their life? (It is the same culture that most every parent of children and youth inhabit--and some of us who are older than that.)

I am not talking about bringing video entertainment into Sunday School (that is a dated concept itself). What I am suggesting is that we need to bring 21st century interactive learning, with technology as a significant tool, into the formation of children, youth and adults in the church.

Bibles and study materials are easily available online. Combing through it all to find the best and most theologically sound materials will be the most difficult task for any parish or educator.

What if Christian educators began using technology to get beyond those couple of hours on Sunday mornings that have been the traditional time for learning in the church? Developing blogs, forums, chats and “hangouts” through the week to touch base with students would be just a few examples.

Having a planned curriculum of reading the Bible and reflecting on it in daily life might actually be easier with technology than some other means. Most every youth I know over 13 years old carries a phone--a daily text from a teacher/mentor with a link to a Bible passage and a simple question might be a great start.

My son had an email address at school since age 10, and he has now been a regular habit of checking email for over 12 years. Why not make a few of those emails each week an interesting encounter with their faith?

So rather than keep writing (and ranting), I will pause and begin to formulate a process to delve deeper into the subject. I will begin using this blog as a platform for regular articles about technology and Christian Formation.

I will use the Chromebook as one model of technology that may be an excellent option for local churches. This technology is relatively inexpensive (it is cheaper than most phones and tablet devices), it is easy to use and keep updated, and it has the potential for an educator to develop serious tools in the service of formation.

Feel free to comment, critique and continue the conversation. Until the next time.