Resources

Worship and Technology Initiative
Presentation technology is remaking the practice of worship in many congregations. Jumbotron screens, Power Point projections, and liturgical use of movie-clips are the common and expected fare in hundreds of North America congregations. This is a trend that demands careful analysis that is both open to but also critical of technological innovations. As Calvin College Communication Arts and Sciences professor Quentin Schultze comments, “I think this is now a crucially important issue; our technological endeavors are running far ahead of our ability to assess them to relate them to particular traditions, both denominational and liturgical. And I cannot find any organization that is seriously addressing the issue. The ‘technique’ of secular-rational thought is eclipsing some of the status and validity of revealed religion in worship.” Quentin has served as a widely recognized resource nationwide on questions of faith and technology.

The Worship and Technology Initiative is a three-year research program to study, analyze, and develop resources for the thoughtful use of presentation technology in worship. This project is a collaborative effort between the Worship Institute and the emerging Calvin College “Center for Faith and Communication,” which will be the newest of Calvin’s signature academic initiatives. 

New publication:  High-Tech Worship?  Using Presentational Technologies Wisely
Quentin J. Schultze (Baker, 2003) 
This book was featured at the 2004 Calvin Symposium on Worship and the Arts.

Nearly 60% of churches in the West Michigan area use some form of visual media technology.  Results of a survey conducted in 2003 are reported in Visual Media Technology in Christian Worship, a master's thesis by Steven Koster. View the summary of the survey.

View a video clip from the Future Worship 1.0 DVD

View examples of presentational technology in worship. 
2004 summer workshop offered: "Creative Process and Principles for Multimedia in Worship."

See past seminar "Communicating Well for Ministry in a Technological Age." 
Read "Questions About Worship and Technology:  A Starting Point for a Discussion on Technology," Reformed Worship 65, by Schultze.

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