The last decade has seen massive progress in technological advancement in Africa. Many pastors have embraced the use of technology in their religious and ministerial practices. Within such a context, it is necessary to understand the various identities of the African pastor emerging from responses to the use of technology. This article discusses technological use in churches, particularly focusing on the changing technological context of Africa. The article uses Zimbabwe as a case study to assess and determine technology use and the responsive emerging identities of pastors. Three identities of pastors arising from increased technological use in Zimbabwe have been discerned. The first identity is that of the pastor who is on a par with the world. He is a technology embracer and is as sophisticated as the congregational members. He is a networker and entrepreneur. The second identity is that of a pastor who is trailing society and technology. He is a cautious technology embracer and is a confused technology consumer. The third identity is that of a pastor in isolation. He is a technology objector, and is unconnected, ignorant and feels that God is somewhat an enemy of technology.
Castells (
The penetration of technology into every sphere of people’s lives suggests that technology has to be embraced. As far back as 1995, Kumar and Kar (
A high level of technology use is not only being experienced in the West, but the use of technology in Africa has arisen to an equal extent. There has been an explosive growth of technology use in Africa, particularly in the area of mobile phones. A study by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (
Kitetu (
Notwithstanding the significant progress in technology use in Africa, Kitetu (
Limited access to and use of technology in Africa have been noted in a number of research projects. Country studies for Kenya and South Africa conducted by InfoDev managed by the World Bank (
A detailed analysis of the African situation regarding the use of technology, particularly mobile phones, the Internet and broadband, is presented in a report of a study conducted by Research ICT of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, authored by Gillwald (
Further analysis of data by Research ICT of the University of Cape Town revealed that Tanzania has the highest number of people who cannot afford the cost of mobile phones, and whereas Ethiopians can afford them, there is limited connectivity. South Africa has the highest number of people with mobile phones and Ethiopia has the lowest. With the exception of Ethiopia, where mobile phones are mostly used for sending emails, people in all the other countries surveyed mostly use their phones for browsing the Internet, with South Africa recording the highest number. South Africa has the highest number of people who have personal computers, with Tanzania having the lowest. Thus for the countries surveyed, South Africans are generally shown to have more access to mobile phones, the Internet and computers. The telling finding, however, is the high level of Internet browsing using mobile phones. As Internet browsing requires a smartphone, the situation suggests that people in Africa probably need to upgrade their phones, which in many instances cannot be afforded by the rural poor. This is also a limitation among people with low literacy.
Kabweza (
The use of technology and access to technology as a proxy for use in Africa indicate that there has been significant progress. Many people are using technology. In Zimbabwe, as in other African countries, technology use is significantly much higher in urban areas than in rural areas. With the majority of rural people being women, the consequent effect is also low technology use among women. With technology infused into every area of people's lives and society, how are churches in Africa using technology? What identities of pastors are emerging due to the increased use of technology? Ossai-Ugbah (
The research design for the empirical study is an interpretive paradigm. In an interpretive paradigm, the researcher describes as well as interprets phenomena in order to derive meaning from the situation. Marshall and Rossman (
The data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire with four questions focusing on the use of technology in the church. The questions elicited information on the extent of technology use, factors influencing use, opportunities resulting from the use of technology, and weaknesses of technology use. A purposive sample of 26 pastors in two cities (Mutare and Harare) were interviewed. The interviews were conducted by the present researcher. The pastors were drawn from the religious denominations seen in
Religious denominations.
Denomination | Total |
---|---|
New independent emerging churches | 6 |
Methodists | 5 |
Baptists | 5 |
Pentecostal | 3 |
Roman Catholic | 3 |
Anglican | 2 |
African independent churches | 2 |
Total | 26 |
The majority of the pastors (74%) were at least 11 years in the ministry, followed by 3–5 years (15%), then 6–10 years (7%), and lastly 0–2 years (4%). The responses were transcribed, coded and analysed using a grounded theory approach whereby codes emerge from the data set as read by the researcher (Babbie & Mouton
The transcribed interviews were organised into themes. Sections of text units such as words, phrases and paragraphs that best addressed the topic of technology use in the church were extracted. The themes that emerged from the interviews are indicated on the thematic map below (
Thematic map of pastors’ responses on the use of technology.
A number of pastors reported that considering the extent of technological advancement and consequent use in people's lives, one has to embrace technology aggressively. The following responses indicate aggressive embracing of technology:
‘There is no going back on technology. It's the order for the day everywhere, including the church. We have embraced technology in our worship and various ministries.’ (Respondent 3) ‘We are using technology big time although others in the church are a bit sceptical, for instance in the use of Twitter during sermons.’ (Respondent 7)
The pastors who embraced technology aggressively expressed their willingness and initiatives to revolutionise the church and the church ministry by exploring new ways via technology.
‘You have to understand that you cannot stand and only sing old hymns from a hymn book. You need to attract young people by exploring new ways of using technology to make church enjoyable.’ (Respondent 15) ‘You have to keep discovering new ways of using new technologies. I use my tablet to preach and I can quickly show pictures on the projector. It's sometimes disruptive but some people like it. It's trying to do new things using technology.’ (Respondent 19)
Some pastors linked their use of technology to the benefits that result from it. They view using technology in Christian ministry as harvesting. The harvest results from the benefits of technology:
‘Technology saves me time and money. I used to worry about printing my sermons but now it's no longer the case. I can edit my sermon depending on the mood and vibe of the church. I am harvesting the benefits of technology.’ (Respondent 9) ‘We are computerising most of our ministries. Our membership records are a click away. We are benefiting from technology advancement. Administratively and ministry-wise we are integrating technology.’ (Respondent 11)
There is a group of pastors whose responses are on the borderline regarding the use of technology in the church. On the one hand they seem to realise its benefits, and yet it seems wrong for their denomination. They are embracing technology, but they are lukewarm about its use in the church:
‘I am a bit divided about using all sorts of technological gadgets in the church. Some churches are using it but for me it has to be slowly. We are using simple things like projecting your sermon outline but not to the extent of putting your sermons on YouTube or tweeting in the church.’ (Respondent 15) ‘I use technology to invite people to meetings and other communications, but not at the centre of worship service. I preach from my manuscript. I feel people should listen to the word attentively without obstructions.’ (Respondent 24)
Some pastors expressed the need for caution in using technology in the church:
‘As a church you don’t have to jump to embrace everything offered by the world. I am very cautious in my use of secular information and knowledge. This goes for technological equipment.’ (Respondent 16) ‘In our church we assess every new trend and debate as leaders. We are careful about uncritically embracing foreign practices in the church. The church is sacred. However, for home visits, arrangement for meetings and invitations we use technology such as Whatsapp.’ (Respondent 17)
A significant number of young pastors in traditional missionary ‘We use technology such as phones like other people, but we don’t do much beyond that. I feel we need to use new technology, for instance posting church information on Facebook but the response has been very low. Sometimes other senior pastors are also sceptical about such initiatives.’ (Respondent 1) ‘My church has a long way to go regarding using technology gadgets in services. We sing hymns and use no projectors at all. With the youth we try to be innovative but the environment is stifling.’ (Respondent 5)
There were pastors from some denominations who viewed technology as equipment that did not glorify God. They argued that the consumerism and self-glorification of celebrities and televangelists is in contrast to the humility expected of Christians. These pastors objected to the use of technology in the church even though they owned mobile phones and computers:
‘The coming of technology and globalisation is a desire to propagate a culture of the Devil. How can we associate initiatives that have roots in humanism with God? We believe people can use technology outside but not in the church.’ (Respondent 26) ‘In our church we don’t have buildings so how can we use projectors or any other equipment? We discourage our members from taking things that are foreign to the church.’ (Respondent 22)
‘I strongly feel technology at its core is an enemy of what the Bible teaches such as meditation.’ (Respondent 26)
‘The church and the Bible are sacred. In our church therefore we believe and practice that what is sacred should not mix with what is secular, e.g. technological equipment.’ (Respondent 22)
A number of approaches could be employed as analytical lenses of the above responses. For this discussion the focus will be on the extent of technology use in the church and the emerging identities of the pastors. In interpreting technology use, technology access will be considered a proxy of use. Fearon (
The pastors who are technology embracers are technology explorers and they focus on the benefits of technology. They are generally young, technologically savvy and viewed as sophisticated. These pastors have fully embraced technology in their ministries. They explore various ways in which their ministries could be enhanced by it. They are aware of the benefits of technology and they use it in the church without restriction. The reasons cited for widely using technology are the ‘need to connect with broad membership’ as well as a ‘desire to attract and be relevant to young Christians’. The majority of these churches are independent and self-founded by the respective pastors. The major uses of technology include preaching from tablets, blogging, websites and connecting on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp with church members. Examples of these churches are Kingdom Church (member of the New Frontiers), One Church, Greystone Park Fellowship and Celebration Centre, just to mention a few.
The pastors of the churches such as the ones cited above, which use technology to a great extent, project an image of sophistication to their members. These pastors are sometimes way ahead of their peers in other churches regarding technology use. The pastors are considerable social networkers who spend a significant amount of time on the Internet branding themselves. One pastor remarked, ‘These young pastors are below forty years and are experimenting with how to lure people with technology’. Their main limitation, however, is resources as they sometimes have low membership. Some of these pastors are referred to as ‘entrepreneurial pastors’ due to their overt soliciting of financial resources from followers. Such churches are cynically called ‘church businesses’. These churches and their pastors are criticised for creating an unhealthy convergence of the world and the church. One of the respondents, a young technologically savvy pastor, stated that they believe ‘there is no sacred and secular as some mainline
The scepticism shown by some members of the church towards embracing technology in the church indicates that some church members are uneasy about it. Kalu (
On the other hand, overuse of technology could create an island of certain churches and pastors. Gillwald, Milek and Stork (
The second category of churches and pastors are those that are slowly and cautiously embracing technology. A significant majority of these pastors are part of congregations that belong to denomination families that are centrally controlled. In such congregational families, individual congregations have limited control. When a pastor within a particular congregation wants to use certain technologies he first has to seek approval from head office (central leadership). The churches and pastors have limited freedom to shape and design ministry at local congregation level. However, the pastor has some degree of autonomy in shaping the use of technology within set parameters. These pastors and churches use technology in a limited way, for example public address (PA) systems, data projectors and basic messaging platforms. Such pastors are caught between wanting to fully utilise technology and denomination control. These churches and pastors desire to attract the younger generation of Christians, but they are limited by denominational rigidity. One respondent described this situation as
The third category is those churches that do not use technology in their worship services. ICT is viewed as a secular tool with little or no place in formal worship. These churches and pastors are hierarchical with centralised decision-making. While members of these churches use technology in other areas of life, they do not use it in the church. There is very little appreciation of the contribution of technology in the church's public worship. Examples of such churches are Roman Catholic, Anglican, End Time Message Church and Bible Believers. The worship services of these churches are statically drawn from prayer books. Church is viewed as a sacred place that is not influenced by the world. There is very limited use of technology in church during worship services.
Jones and Ough (
Technology is notably being used in various ways in churches and the pastoral ministry. For instance, technology is providing opportunities for the new generation of pastors to reach out to many followers through satellites. Virtual churches have been arising through the exploitation of technology (ZBC News
Despite these commendable uses of technology, Allen (
From the above discussion, the categories and emerging identities of the pastors are summarised in
The categories and emerging identities of the pastors.
Category features | Technology embracer | Cautious technology embracer | Technology objector |
---|---|---|---|
Description of church category | Technology uncontrolled use. Pastor is an unrestricted technology consumer – a free atom. Independent self-founded church with pastor as leader. Church leader as the main decision maker. Leadership including pastor dominated by young generation. |
Technology used with limitation and control. Technology not entirely trusted. Congregations belong to a denomination family with central control (leadership). Limited freedom to shape and design ministry at local congregational level. Pastor sandwiched between wanting to fully utilise. technology and denomination control and limitation. |
Technology use viewed as secular tool with no place in formal worship. Hierarchical church with leadership not open to technology. Very little appreciation of technology contribution in the church. |
Drivers of technology use in ministry | Need to connect with broad membership. Desire to tap into young generation. Being technologically savvy. Unrestricted use in worship. Awareness of technological benefits. |
Desire to tap into young generation Christians. Desire to be progressive, ‘move with the times’. Some level of awareness of technological benefits. |
Top denominational leadership. |
Inhibitors to technology use in ministry | Cost of acquiring the technology. Lack of space to effectively utilise the technology. |
Cost of acquiring the technology. Denomination-limited flexibility. |
View of church as a sacred place that is not influenced by the world. Lack of exposure to technology. |
Emerging identity | Pastor on a par with the world – comparatively sophisticated just like congregational members. Pastor as networker. Pastor as entrepreneur. |
Pastor as trailing society and technology. Pastor as a confused technology consumer. |
Pastor in isolation. Pastor as unconnected Pastor as ignorant. Church as a place for the old. God as somewhat of an enemy of technology. |
This article discusses the use of technology in churches with a particular focus on the technological changes in the African context. The article then examines the technological situation in Zimbabwe based on an empirical study. In discussing the use of technology in churches, three identities of pastors arising from the increased use of technology in Zimbabwe have been discerned.
The first identity is that of the pastor who is on a par with the world – the technology embracer. The pastor is as sophisticated as the congregation members, and in many instances is far ahead of his members in the use of technology. The pastor is a networker and entrepreneur. This pastor uses technology in an uncontrolled manner, and is an unrestricted technology consumer.
The second identity is that of a pastor who is trailing society and technology. This pastor is a cautious embracer of technology whose use of technology is limited. Technology use is viewed with scepticism by denominational leadership.
The third identity is that of a pastor in isolation – the technology objector. This pastor is unconnected, ignorant and the church is viewed as a place for old people. God is somewhat of an enemy of technology. Technology is viewed as a secular tool with no place in formal worship.
The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.
Missionary-started churches refer to those denominations that were started during the period of the Missionary movement in the early 1900s.
Mainline churches largely refer to missionary-started churches.