Ryan Panzer ’19 M.A. is author of “Grace and Gigabytes: Being Church in a Tech-Shaped Culture,” published in 2020 by Fortress Press. Panzer asserts that the digital revolution has profound implications for ministry that are less about tactical changes than they are about philosophical changes.
Panzer organizes his book around four values of tech-shaped culture that ministries need to take into account. These values include facilitating questions, rather than focusing on answers that may minimize dialogue; forming connections that integrate online and offline experiences; promoting collaboration, which blurs the lines between people in different roles; and practicing creativity, which changes communities from content consumers to storytellers.
Stephanie Williams O’Brien, lead pastor of Mill City Church, writes, “From Sunday services to daily sabbath moments, technology can lead communities of faith toward a deeper connection or further into chaos. Never before have the challenges of integrating technology and ministry in effective ways been more important. Ryan M. Panzer engages this important challenge in ways that will empower your ministry in creative ways.”