Torch, Summer 1984

FIVE PATTERNS Computer adoption and adaptation in Christian ministries is already following patterns similar to those found in secular organizations. First, top management personnel in Christian ministries have greeted computers with a cautious attit~de ve1!' similar to their secular counterparts . Resis_tance IS probably the first reaction of many and remams the outlook of some. High costs , loss of management control , and lack of some computer understanding all combine to foster this cautious response . The orientation of top managers is also described as permissive (a kind of passive acceptance of the inevitable) , supportive (a more actively involved stance), or progressive. Those in the last category do not wait for their staff to suggest computer services but attempt to generate new ideas and applications of their own . As yet, this posture is rare . Most administrators in Christian ministries are characterized as permissive to supportive with several moving step-like from one to the next as they learn the advantages of computers . A second pattern indicates that a majority of those responsible for computer-related tasks in Christian organizations have evolved into these roles from a wide variety of educational backgrounds . Very few are specific~lly-t~ained computer professionals. Learning ?n t~e JOb _is a common practice and many have mhented thetr task because they happen to know a little more than others in the office. High personnel turnover is a third pattern . As computer employees gain experience and realize that considerably greater salaries may be found elsewhere, the temptation to leave becomes too much to resist. This is probably unavoidable in the present market. But som~ <?hristian organizations have kept their people by providmg them with new equipment and thus creating a challenge and some excitement. A fourth observable pattern may be stated as a maxim. Once installed , computer facilities grow . "Upgrading," or adding more power and capacity to one's machine , is a frequent practice and is invariably requ~ed sooner than expected. Managers are usually surpnsed at how quickly more resources are needed . The danger here is to be "penny wise and pound foolish ." Buying the least expensive computer option may commit the ministry to an inadequate system. Expandability is a crucial purchasing consideration. Finally, in almost every case, the initial use of a computer in a Christian ministry is in accounting or some other administrative application. Word processing follows as a close second . As in business, the cost _advantages of computers are most readily apparent m general ledger administrative work. What o~ce required hours of drudgery is now completed in mmutes . More creative applications typically come with experience . CHURCHES Churches are discovering that computers enable them to accomplish tasks that they are already doing, but at a much faster pace. Virtually any record-keeping application is possible on computers : visitation programs , Sunday school statistics, bus routes and scheduling, correspondence , bulletins, data bases , calendars, planning , mailing lists , treasury reports , or even the monitoring of energy use. Several vendors are developing computerized concordances and theological dictionaries so that "on– line" ac~ess t~ seminary libraries through a phone modem IS an imminent possibility. The number of ~stors . with computers and phone modems is mcreasmg . Networked (linked) computers are also operating, providing direct communication from pastor to pastor. The potential for information exchange is limitless. CHURCH AFFILIATIONS It would be impossible to say how many of the nation's 250,000 churches have computers . But several denomin~ti?ns or associations are already computenzmg. The Church of God headquarters in Anderson Indiana, uses computers for administrative application~ and donor-related needs. The Presbyterian Church USA has a church-wide data processing coordinator and the Luth_eran Ch~rch In America is developing a local ch~rch _mformat10n system. The Southern Baptist Convent10n IS more committed to television and video at this juncture, but is also experimenting with a church information system. Certainly among the leaders are the Conservative Baptist and the United Methodist denominations . Conservative Baptists have implemented a very large IBM system to support their roughly 2000 programs, 1000 missionaries , and four related agencies. The United Methodist Church employs a full-time computer consultant who studies an individual church ' s information needs and recommends a system. Of 38 ,000 United Methodist churches, some 2500 have a computer now, with an expected 20,000 to follow in the ?ext fi~e years . They control 15 major computer mstallattons and are presently developing church software for marketing in the fall of 1984. The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches began using computers at association ~eadquarters in 1979 for administrative tasks , mailing hsts for the Baptist Bulletin , and some word processing . One of the more prominent churches within the association that is using a computer is Emmanuel Baptist in Toledo, Ohio, pastored by Dr. Ernest Pickering . Their IBM XT is being used for general ledger tasks for both the church and the Christian school with further applications planned for the summer. Nearly all of the applications mentioned are administrative in nature . Very rare indeed is the church that uses computers for instruction in Sunday school. ~hildren's materials are now being converted (pun mtended) to software packages as are a number ofBible games . Using ~omputers in Sunday school will require a longer penod for acceptance. But, like the introduction of the overhead projector, its acceptance 5