Canadian Research on the Church and Technology
This past summer Tyndale University College & Seminary conducted a survey on how churches in Ontario use and view technology. 368 churches responded to the survey ranging from rural congregations to urban; and from 20 members to over 5,000. The churches represented a variety of denominations, and their members represented a broad range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Tracey Mori, Marketing and Communications Manager at Tyndale, designed the survey. “I was researching about technology in the Church but all I found was U.S. data,” she says. “There was no Canadian data available so I thought it would be a good idea to do our own survey.” The purpose of the survey was to “create relevant data that can benefit the community.” Tracey hopes that churches in Ontario can “benefit from learning the innovative ways other churches are using technology, and be aware of some of the drawbacks and dangers.”
The survey covered a variety of topics related to technology including: Issues with implementing technology, limitations placed on technology, what types of technology are used, and goals related to integrating technology and ministry. The survey also had a few open-ended questions that allowed leaders in the church to respond with specific examples and opinions. One respondent said technology has “no trade-offs, only benefits” while another respondent said that technology causes “clergy and others to spend more time at their desks and less time pounding the pavement of the community.”
The Survey was recently published in Tyndale: the magazine. For more opinions on technology in the church and examples of innovative ways churches are using technology, click here. To see the Church & Technology Survey infographic, click here.