The hushed, animated conversations happening at tables and kiosks in the tech lab contrasted sharply with the cacophony of laughter, shouted greetings, and cheerful melee in the halls and stairway right outside the lab at the CALLED convention main registration area. The "Ministry Tech Lab," a new addition to the convention, strived to provide pastors with the tools to begin using — or level up their use of — technology.

“Technology is here to stay and it was an exciting experience in the tech lab where pastors got technical hands-on exposure to technology that can improve their digital witness,” said Rohann Wellington, NAD Professional Services director. “We also offered one-on-one coaching for improved virtual ministry delivery, and seminars on how to pivot their ministry to a more strategic and effective digital discipleship ministry.”

For three days, June 19-21, 2022, at the tech lab, thousands of church leaders at the CALLED Pastors’ Family Convention were able to talk with experts on everything tech-ministry related, including special time slots to talk about microphones, cameras, lights, and more for worship services, podcasts, Bible studies, and evangelistic outreach. Podcasters, technology innovators, digital missionaries, and social media pioneers and experts met with pastors one-on-one, or spoke to audiences during Ted Talk-style presentations during the event’s regularly scheduled “Tech Talks.”

“Our presenters are experts in the field of digital discipleship, worship, and evangelism practices, and we believe that their success strategies can act as a catalyst for other ministers to engage in digital evangelism and grow their ministry effectiveness in transformative and relevant ways,” Wellington added.

Special presenters who shared their expertise on the Tech Talk stage included Justin Khoe, Larry Witzel, Adam Fenner, Kurt Nugent, Matthew Lucio, José Briones, Brent Hardinge, Adam Fenner, Rohann Wellington, and Keith Bowman. At least 150 crowded in the TechTalk room for each session. In addition to these high-powered, extended-length sessions, tech-savvy ministry leaders spoke at smaller, shorter sessions, sometimes airing their podcasts on or near the small tech lab speaker platform.

More than 2,700 passed through the lab, and many signed up for one-on-one sessions with the tech squad and also visited the more than 15 stations spread around the hall. Some of these tech experts lending advice included LOGOS, Adventist Risk Management, Hope TV, NAD Production Services, SermonView, Media77, Accordance, and Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI).

“A significant highlight was the tech squad where pastors had the awesome experience of interacting with the tech squad specialists who were able to answer their personal and professional questions for their ministry initiatives,” explained Wellington. “Technology is a thread that runs through every church in the world. It cannot be escaped no matter where you do ministry today.”

The introductory materials for the tech lab included a startling statistic: The average person spends over 11 hours a day looking at a screen.[1] In that material, the case was made for incorporating technology in ministry. “We want to embrace the idea that technology is here to stay and provide pastors everywhere the tools to begin using it. The ‘Ministry Tech Lab’ is a place where needs will be met and questions answered — no matter the skill level.” Below is a breakdown of the three main features of the tech lab.

Tech Squad — The Snapshot

Roaming the main floor of the Ministry Tech Lab was a crew of ‘genius.’ They were positioned to provide a wide introduction to three main areas: mobile, production, and Web tools. These groups introduced attendees to apps, websites, microphones, cameras, podcasts, switchers, streamers, and everything else a person could imagine. This station was an introduction to the existence of helpful technology for use in ministry.

Tech Talks

Every moment that the exhibits are allowed to be open, the Ministry Tech Lab had Tech Talk-style presentations that demoed some of the most widely used (or should be used) tech available for ministry. This list was synthesized to introduce and explore the basics of using different technologies in the local church context. From Google Apps to the Envato platform to live streaming, attendees had the opportunity to learn the basics of getting started.

Preachers Lab

Scheduled 10-minute time slots focused on presenting a sermonette or devotional talk intended for online distribution. After attendees finished, they receive constructive feedback from some of the best in this area of ministry. The presentations were filmed and available for the speaker on a flash drive.

Human Interaction and Forward Progress

“Most people feel the absence and the loss and the void that was created through the COVID-19 pandemic. Most people feel disconnected, and most people feel alone. And so one of the things that the church has done in response is that we figured out how to livestream our sermons, we figured out how to post on YouTube and all that's great. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we're able to create community and be able to facilitate this back and forth experience,” shared Khoe when asked about his scheduled talks at CALLED. “In my seminar we're going to explore: How do we actually create content online? And more importantly, how [do we] create a sense of belonging? How do we create community so that people feel connected and engaged and feel like they're part of the church family again?”

During his Tech Talk presentation, Wellington said, “You don't have a strategy if you don't know how to use the tools but more importantly, if you do not have a human interaction playing out in the process, then you won't necessarily achieve your best results.”

As the tech lab doors shut for the last time and the hall grew quiet after all the equipment was packed and personnel departed, Wellington shared that the Ministry Tech Lab will be back for the next CALLED convention. And that’s not all. “The great news is that we will launch an online tech lab show in collaboration with Production Services, the Ministerial Association, and Professional Services on providing technical resources that can benefit the conferences, pastors, and churches,” said Wellington.

[1]Nielsen Company. Market Watch. People spend most of their waking hours staring at screens: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/people-are-spending-most-of-their-waking-hours-staring-at-screens-2018-08-01