According to a survey conducted by the Barna Group, 55 per cent of Protestant pastors believe it will be common practice for people to rely on the internet for their faith experiences in the next decade.
The Barna Group conducted the survey among 601 senior Protestant pastors from November to December 2014 - 15 years after it conducted a similar poll on the use of the technology in churches in the year 2000.
At the turn of the century, 83 per cent of pastors used a computer in church but that figure rose to 96 per cent in 2014. Most pastors essentially use their computers as tools for word processing and writing but there was a significant increase in the number who use the internet (39%, up from 24%), accessing emails (46% vs 24% in 2000), doing research (56% against 29%) and creating presentations (44% vs 10%).
Now, pastors are using the internet not just to find information but to keep up existing relationships, buy products, check out music and videos, engage in spiritual and religious activities, and play video games.
Because of the growing exposure and openness to the power of the internet, 54 per cent of respondents affirmed that they see it as an effective medium to promote ministry, a figure that increased from only 35 per cent in 2000.
Fifty five per cent of pastors also saw a need to create an online presence in the form a website and said this was a good way to invest the church's money.
A staggering 87 per cent agree that it is theologically acceptable for churches to provide faith assistance or religious experiences online and think that their area would welcome the measure.
Eleven per cent believe in the total migration of faith experiences online, up from 7 per cent in 2000, while 36 per cent say people will probably rely on online mediums to experience faith, up from 20 per cent in 2000. Of the pastors who don't think this will happen within the next ten years, only 17 per cent say people definitely will not accept an online faith experience —down from 26 per cent in 2000 —while 34 per cent say people probably won't—down from 44 per cent in 2000.
Roxanne Stone, a vice president at Barna Group explained that the trends have changed in the last 15 years as people have become more reliant on technology. Pastors who used to see the use of technology as a luxury are now being more accepting of it as a necessity and a tool to connect with the faithful.
"Most church leaders realise the potential for continued connection with members and visitors alike through the Internet—from podcasts, to social media, to blogs, to sermon discussion questions and even community prayer requests. No matter the church's size, location or demographic, the Internet has become and will continue to be a vital tool for connection, outreach and even spiritual formation," she said.
However, Stone noted that pastors surveyed are still not ready to rely solely on the Internet as a way to provide a faith or religious experience for people.
"Much of a pastor's role—and the role of a local church—is about presence: presence in a community of believers, presence in the taking of communion, presence in the service of others, presence in communal prayer and worship. The Internet can offer an important and accessible supplement to these physical activities, but pastors are reluctant to say it can fully replace them or duplicate them," she said.
