Technology: Not as scary as you think

As technology continues to rapidly change, many parishes and diocesan offices struggle to keep up. There are three key factors that hinder our ability to effectively use technology in our ministries.

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Problem #1 - It’s Expensive

Technology, computers, software and printing are some of the biggest line items in a parish and diocesan budget. Don’t wait for your computers to fall over dead before you think about replacing them. Most likely you will lose critical data, and it will cost big bucks to get your data recovered.

• Plan ahead. If your parish has 12 computers, replace 3 of them every year. This will prevent you having to buy 12 new computers all at once. $2,400 is easier on your budget than $9,600 would be in one year.
• Be smart. Don’t buy your software at Best Buy, Office Depot, or at a store in town. Check with Microsoft or Adobe directly and ask them about charity licenses for your parish. This will save you 50-70% of what you would normally pay at a store for the same product.
• Share. Everyone doesn’t need his or her own printer. Get a good office copier from Xerox or Konica and share. The quality is much better and the cost of ink/toner is usually included in a lease agreement. $200 a month lease with toner and service included is better than buying $35-50 HP and Lexmark ink cartridges for every printer in your office.

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Problem #2 – Change

“It’s too hard,” said the parish DRE. “This is the way we’ve always done it.”

This comment drives me crazy! I’ve heard it all over the U.S. in hundreds of parishes. If an employee in a secular job said that to their employer, they might not have a job the next day.

Our pastors and ministry leaders teach us the faith and expect us to listen, study, learn, and ask questions. This concept holds true for them as well when it comes to learning new software, using social media, etc.

• Be willing to learn. Msgr. Cal Stalter, a retired 88-year-old priest of the Diocese of Amarillo, recently upgraded to a smartphone. “I don’t know what I’m doing now, but I’ll figure it out soon,” he said as he looked at a shiny new touch screen phone. By the end of the week he was e-mailing, texting, sharing photos, downloading apps, and doing research on the phone’s web browser. It was all a first for him. It’s all about attitude, so take some time and learn.

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Problem #3 – Patience

For those of us that are good with technology, we are often the biggest obstacle to those trying to learn. We need to remember to be extremely patient when we are helping others.

• Patience. It’s a simple concept, but hard to execute.

If your parish or diocese can tackle these key issues, you will be in a much better position to take your ministry to a new level. Using social media, effective marketing, developing a website all take time. Look at your time as an investment and make sure that you are getting a good return.