Technology is an amazing tool for youth ministry, but as a youth worker I’ve found it can be like the rattle on a venomous snake. Here are five ways that technology attempts to lure and distract me from abundant life.
1) Over-Dependence: In Tech We Trust
“I couldn’t live without my computer…My whole life is on my iPhone…” Have you ever caught yourself making these types of comments in casual conversation? Technology allows us to manage vast social networks, to exchange information instantly, to organize complicated schedules and more. Woe to us when we fall into thinking that it, rather than God, is what makes our lives possible.
Our God loves to be trusted. When we misplace our trust, our daily connection with Him weakens, and our youth can see this. A daily time of self-reflection can be great for locating misplaced trust.
2) The Trouble with Constant Connection
With relentlessly growing to-do lists, overflowing inboxes and mini-messages galore, it’s easy to feel as if having access to the Internet is critical. When I begin to feel like this, I need to remember the Internet can be a good thing, but it’s not an ultimate thing. People have been effectively ministering to youth for millennia without it. I’m not a do-stuff machine; I’m a youth worker—but constant connection to the Internet can make it easy to forget that.
Try scheduling a day a week, a weekend a month and a week a year when you’ll be disconnected from the Internet. Rest from the noise and remember what youth work is all about.
3) Living out of Your Inbox
I’m super-guilty of this. The most natural thing for me to do in the morning—besides hitting the snooze button—is read through my email. The problem is, my email then tends to dictate what I do next. Before I know it, my mind is going in 10 different directions at once, and spending quality time with God is a long shot.
Having a messy inbox seems urgent, but it’s not. The great men and women of God through the centuries have spread the kingdom not by responding to correspondence in milliseconds, but by cultivating their relationships with the King and being about His purposes.
Monitor and limit your inbox checking, and put it where it belongs—after God.
4) Tech Lust
If I spend more time ogling new tech than taking in the wonder of God, I always see my idle thoughts defaulting on the next gadget rather than on the surpassing glory of Christ. This is not acceptable! As youth workers, we have a unique opportunity to model contentment for our youth. Kids need not look far to find an adult having a love affair with technology, but rare are those adults who live as if Jesus is life.
Consider a tech-buying fast for a year. If you’re like me, this will push you out of your comfort zone, grow your contentment in Christ and increase your budget.
5) Over-Implementation
Watch out for being so good at connecting with youth via technology that you become good for little else. Technology is great at conveying information, but youth need more than Christ info— they need Him embodied in you. This requires a flesh-and-blood person, and you can’t be that through tweets, texts, wall posts or funny YouTube videos.
It’s true: Youth today live in cyberspace more than ever before; but online communication is no substitute for the one-on-one, deep connections youth are craving. After all, though it may be old-fashioned, those relationships are what being a youth worker is all about.
