Using the latest technology — whether to communicate your congregation’s message to the public or in weekly worship — doesn’t have to be costly or elaborate to be effective. Most important are knowing your congregation’s mission and the people you are aiming to reach.

There is no question that American culture is media driven. Everywhere we go we are inundated with all kinds of media — from print to TV, to the Internet, to the iPhone. Each day we are bombarded with thousands of bits of information from almost as many sources. In this maelstrom of input, how do followers of Jesus and their congregations make their voices heard above all the noise?

In my experience, congregations are responding in one of three ways: (1) they use media as little as possible, and always with suspicion; (2) they use media to “power up” to secular media’s production level; or (3) they use media strategically to communicate the gospel faithfully in a language the broader culture understands.

Three Typical Approaches
As I have looked at the Web sites of many medium- and small-sized congregations, it appears that many ELCA congregations, especially smaller ones, respond in the first way described above. In terms of layout, content, and even vocabulary, many sites seem to be electronic versions of traditional monthly bulletins. I get the impression that those who designed these sites were not completely comfortable with the Internet as a communication tool. As a result, they based their Web sites on the medium they already knew: a print-based, members-only source of information. The good news is that often for little to no cost, these congregations could easily redesign their Web sites to reach out effectively into their communities.

As a result of leading seminars and gatherings at both the congregational and synodical levels on using media in worship, I have concluded that many worship planners use audio and visual media with a certain amount of trepidation, as if electronic media were inherently hostile to the worship experience. Due to this approach, an inadequate medium, unfortunately, often becomes the message. As a worshiper in these settings, I have found myself drawn away from the worship itself by a not-so-well-functioning sound system. The very thing the worship planners were trying to avoid actually happened.

The second response — attempting to match the production level of secular commercial media — is rarely used within ELCA congregations, primarily because of the cost. For the very few congregations that have tried this option, I am not convinced they achieved the results they were after. Usually, because of sheer expense, these congregations could not reach the production level of secular media. The results of their media strategies were often “cheesy” (media-speak for “inauthentic”) and distracting.

Happily, the third response seems to be used by a growing number of ELCA congregations. More and more congregations are looking first at their mission and context and only then at developing media strategies that support the direction their mission and context take them. This is the response I want to explore in some detail. As a reference point, I will use my home congregation, Lutheran Church of Hope, in West Des Moines, Iowa.

At one time or another, we at Hope have found ourselves responding in all three ways mentioned above. We have been overly cautious, only to have our caution become a distraction. At times we have become a little too enamored with a particular media innovation and thus stumbled a bit into the “cheese” factor. Most of the time, however, we have worked to keep our mission front and center and used our media resources to serve that mission.

Media That Matches
Our mission, “to reach out into the world around us and share the everlasting love of Christ,” mandates that we take the language of our context seriously. Hope is situated in a medium-sized city with much of the population only one generation removed from a life strongly centered in rural America. This rural influence has produced a no-nonsense approach to life and a preference for simplicity. On the other hand, because we are located in a metropolitan area, people have certain expectations regarding what any kind of media is able to achieve and produce.

That means we walk a tightrope — our use of media must not be slick, but still well-produced enough to demonstrate that we care about what we are communicating. In the midst of a “four-color glossy” media culture, Hope’s strategy is to strive for a “black-and-white photocopy” media strategy, simply produced but smartly designed. So how does that play out?

In worship Hope’s strategy is for media to support worship rather than dominate it. Hence, our traditional service makes only minimal use of media. Only the preachers and presiders have audio support. Video support is kept to a minimum. PowerPoint and movie clips for the sermon and words on the screen for liturgy and hymns are displayed.

Because Hope’s contemporary services are band-driven, audio support is more extensive than in our traditional service. However, our goal remains the same: media should support, not dominate. To insure that this happens, worship leadership meets weekly to review, among other things, the impact of media on the worship experience.

Simple But Inviting
How should congregations use the Internet? At Hope we have tried to make our Web site simple and inviting for members and seekers. This is one area, perhaps, where we began our efforts with too much caution. Initially, the content and style of our site were extremely basic — so much so, that it was not always easy for users to find what they were looking for. Through trial and error, we discovered how to build a Web site that is simple but still inviting and easy to navigate. The site now includes information about Hope and its ministries, ways to register for classes and events, and ways to contact staff and volunteer leaders. We also offer podcasts of our messages and an online calendar of events. (For more information go to www.hopewdm.org.)

One final point. In spite of all the technology we employ, we have learned that our greatest media asset is still people-to-people communication. When people experience the life-changing power of the gospel through one of our ministries, they have no trouble telling others about it. It’s this observation that keeps us in balance. No amount of media can make up for someone inviting others to “come and see.”

Richard Webb is a teaching pastor for worship and prayer at Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines, Iowa.