From the Editor: I’m That Guy

I’m the guy who has the latest tech gadget. I actually had – and used – an Apple Newton back before there was such a thing as a Palm Pilot. I guess that qualifies me as an “early adopter.”

I’m the guy who can help you make your iPhone or Macintosh work for you. Because I don’t have a secretary or executive assistant, I’ve had to learn how to get the most from my personal digital assistants. As a result, I seem to be the person that people call when they need help with their Apple gear or software.

I use my computers (that includes my phone and pad) to communicate, create, learn, troubleshoot, and play. Instant Messaging/Videochatting/Texting/Conferencing makes my farflung friends and collaborators seem like they’re right next to me.

I don’t have a landline for work or home any more – just my cellphone, which I use as a phone, a camera/camcorder, a Dictaphone, a game console, a music/video/book/magazine library, and on and on. I haven’t sent flyers out in the mail in ages – texting is way more efficient. I post pictures on the Internet instead of the bulletin board in the youth room. My phone is used to play songs and videos in the sanctuary at church, in the bus on the way to the beach, and everywhere between.

Yeah, I’m that guy. (I might be a geek, but I’m positively not a nerd!) But being that guy doesn’t mean that I understand, or even fully appreciate, the tsunami of change that the technological marvels we own has brought to youth ministry. My technology makes me more efficient, but I sometimes wonder if it makes me more effective for God’s kingdom. That is the big question of the Technology “flavor” of this Youth Leaders Only magazine. The issue to consider is: with all the technology that we have available to us, will we create a better ministry, or just something cool?

This issue of YLO includes some great new music … check it out here!

Nobody questions the fact that technology has changed our lives and ministries. In this edition of YLO we explore some of the issues that are raised by that change. From ideas for using social media in your ministry to handling the technological A.D.D. that many teenagers have, you’ll find a lot of information in these pages that you can use in your ministry with teenagers.

I hope you enjoy this issue –and if you want to videochat with me, just drop me an email and we’ll set it up!