Technology Gap Emerges between Churches, Pastors
A recent study has revealed a significant gap in Internet usage between large and small congregations, and young and older pastors.
A recent study has revealed a significant gap in Internet usage between large and small congregations, and young and older pastors.
Out of the Ellison survey of 700 Protestant pastors, 91% has some sort of internet access. This number reached across age, church size, and denominational factors. However, it was found that among the 52% of churches that maintain websites, larger churches were much more likely to have websites. Of churches with congregations of 200+ members, 88% had a website. Churches with 100-199 service attendants were 60% likely to have a website. Smaller congregations had only a 28% chance of having a website.
"As the American public becomes more and more reliant on technology in everyday life, they will logically expect churches to have things such as websites, streaming audio or video on the site, or study materials on video or computer software," Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, said. "Small churches often don't have the budget to pay for technology, or the staff or volunteers to implement it. The increased use of technology in churches has a real potential to widen the gap even further between small churches and medium or large congregations."
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The survey found that the likelihood a church would have a website was also contingent upon the head pastor’s age. Among ministers under 60 years old, 56% have a church website. Of ministers over 60%, 35% have a church site.
The report is likely to raise concern among denominational ranks, wary that their churches may not be reaching out as effectively as possible. If a church has an older pastor and/or a smaller congregation, they may lack the ability or knowledge to use the Internet as a medium of communication and unification.
"Pastors need to take a hard look at where technology might no longer be a matter of style or a luxury for the congregation, but an expectation," Sellers added. "For example, with a majority of Americans using the Internet, it's amazing that over one out of four medium and large churches don't have any presence on the Web -- particularly with many churches trying to figure out ways of attracting younger people, who are particularly likely to use the Internet to gather information and explore their options."
Ellison Research polled representatives pastors of Protestant denominations, varying geography, church size, and denomination. The report is accurate within 3.6 percentage points, with a 95% confidence level in the results.
