High Tech Worship

When I was a student at Fuller Theological Seminary, worship was pretty low tech and it was held usually at Pasadena Presbyterian Church or in Payton 101, a large class room/reception area. It was pretty traditional and I guess low tech. Imagine my surprise to read yesterday in the LA Times that worship at Fuller is going high tech. I must add here that back in my day, worship as a subject for academic study was low on the priority list. Being that Fuller is multi-denominational, much worship education was left to polity courses. The one worship course didn't do well in enrollment (I audited it one year).

But since then the Brehm Center has been established, a worship professor hired, and now in the planning stages is a 30 million dollar, 35,000 square foot building with 2 chapels, class rooms, and offices. I'm not opposed to it, but I found the rationale interesting. From Richard Mouw, the seminary's President:

"The church will always be asking what are the appropriate patterns of worship that dictate what we are trying to preach to people," said Mouw. "High tech is just going to get higher and higher. It continues to shape the culture, and 10, 15 years from now, it will have relevance to the way we communicate the Gospel."

Later in the article Mouw gives further definition to why a high tech worship center is needed.

Mouw agreed that Fuller was cramped for space. But he said the worship center should fill a void that reaches beyond campus: The center, with its high art and high tech, should also be a step toward global ministry."The irony is that everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, churches have gone high tech," Mouw said, while in other parts of the world ministers struggle to find preaching materials.

Mouw said Fuller will archive its ministry inside the worship center so that future students, or perhaps preachers from Africa, could observe American techniques.Along with the lighting, sound and editing systems, the center will have video equipment to record student preaching.He added that Fuller's ministers could learn from other countries as well."How can a seminary like
Fuller learn from what's going on there?" Mouw asked. "First, you put it on the agenda. Second, you try to reach them with technology."


Of course in my little church as high tech as we get is the wireless mic and the power point. But we're an older congregation. I'm not against high tech, but I'm a little concerned that young pastors will go out into their new congregations and be highly disappointed at what they find. Will they be able to adjust to a less high tech world. Besides, worship transcends technology. Anyway, interesting things to ponder as the new year begins.

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