By Liz Kirkland
As an occasional archivist of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) office, an interesting newspaper clipping found its way to my desk from the most recent wave of office purging. It was an article in religion section of the May 7, 1996, issue of the Wall Street Journal from staff writer Calmetta Y. Coleman, who primarily covered retail and business topics in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
As a youth growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, the article title “Churches Preach a High-Tech Gospel” caught my attention. I wondered what grand “new” technology was making waves in churches 30 years ago. To no surprise, it was the implementation of the large projection screens behind the pulpit that is a staple in even the humblest of churches now.
I was amused by the parallel conversations of today of looking to keep the youth engaged in church services while others viewing the technology equivalent to heresy.
I was nostalgic at the mention of overhead projectors, remembering the delight of a change in media when the teacher would wheel the squeaky cart to the front of the classroom.
And then, I was surprised …
Halfway through the article, the General Conference (GC) of Seventh-day Adventists was mentioned for being a tech forerunner through its transmission of Christian training by satellite and nearly 2,000 of its churches receiving projection equipment. While, anecdotally, our greater Church has been cautious in embracing new technologies, this feels like a good moment to set my preconceptions aside.
We look forward with anticipation to seeing what the OneVoice27 GC media initiative will bring and how many souls it can connect. As we continue to grow in innovation, who knows—maybe we’ll make the national news again for being on the forefront of media and mission.
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—Liz Kirkland is the RMC communication director. Photo by Liz Kirkland via Adobe Firefly.
