Recently, Pastor Jeremy and I have had a few provocative discussions in different settings regarding technology and its use among young people in particular. I’ve been in conversation with a professional in the technology field and I wanted to share with this individual a sort of summary of some of our recent conversations and experiences.
Technology Conversations are Profitable
The conversation on technology was very profitable for parents who attended. It was actually a deep issue with strong feelings by many parents. Many parents wonder how to navigate in a world where they are not as much “digital natives” as their kids. For instance, many parents feel naive and overwhelmed by what their kids do on the computer, phone, iPad, and what those devices are capable of. Some parents even cried as they shared of their kids addictive behaviors. Not knowing how to handle and manage their child’s cravings to be online, but they see it impacting their child’s relationships in unhealthy ways. One parent with tears in her eyes asked if we could meet regularly as a support group. And, we want to keep resourcing these parents, encouraging them and helping to support them in doing what’s proper and right for their kids. All of this was so encouraging.
A Seeming Lack of Concern for these Growing Technology Issues
The second observation, and less encouraging, was how few people attended the two meetings we had. We have a church of 500 and have probably 200 kids involved in youth and children’s ministry weekly. Yet, there were only about 12 parents combined at both of the parent meetings. So, we are concerned with the lack of parental knowledge and support regarding an issue that is arguably the biggest issue daily in the home (at least in my house it is: TV usage, computer usage, wanting a phone, wanting a video game system, etc).
Read More
Pastor Heath Davis is a prolific writer. The problem is that most of his writings are stuck on his computer or in his email. If any of you know Heath, he is not technical by nature. One of his most famous sayings (at least I think so) is:
