Pastors in the Post-Information Age
by Rev. Rhonda Blevins, DMIN
Maybe you’re old enough to remember the transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age which took place around 1970. Since that seismic shift, access to and control of information has been the defining characteristic of this era in human civilization. Information has been king and knowledge workers have ruled the day: workers whose main asset is knowledge like doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, academics, and I would add to that list . . . pastors.
During the Information Age, people went to school to get information. People watched the news to get information. People read the paper to get information. People went to church, in large part, to get information. The role of the “lofty” educated pastor, armed with a three-year seminary degree, was to be the keeper and disseminator of information. After all, the pastor had the degree, the books, and the training unavailable to people in the pews.
But the world is changing. We’ve seen televised news programs shift away from information toward entertainment. No longer is the pundit or the professor or the pastor the only one with access to information. If I want a diagnosis, I type my symptoms into a website, and there’s my (pre-)diagnosis. These days anyone can access the world’s information storehouses from a handheld device. Anyone can get information. Anyone can share information. Information isn’t what it once was.
What comes next once the Information Age is clearly in the rear view mirror?
Some say that what follows is the “Experience” Age. The next evolution in human civilization will have us seeking experiences over and above information. It’s not that information will no longer be needed, but information will no longer be sufficient. Mark Zuckerberg bet the bank on this evolution from an information-based “Facebook” (type in your “status update” i.e. information) to an experience-based “Meta” (let’s join up in the group room!) TikTok has shown us a growing desire among many people to be creators not just consumers.
What does all of this mean for the church?
In the Information Age, worshipers said, “Tell me about God.” In the Experience Age, worshipers will say, “Show me God.”
Personally, I love what this means for the church. Churches that transition well into the Experience Age will see parishioners evolve from being passive spectators to active practitioners. Worshipers will come to church not to seek information but to experience transcendence.
What does this mean for the role of pastor? Pastors must transition from being disseminators of information toward becoming curators of holy experiences. When it comes to homiletics, wise preachers will seek to inspire rather than merely inform.
I recently told my congregation that if we try to play the entertainment game, we’ll lose. There are far more entertaining things to watch and to do than what we can offer through the local church. I told them that if we try to play the information game, we’ll lose that too. Seminary-level classes are available, many for free, right there from the comfort of the living room. But here’s how I left that discussion—I said, “We’re going to lose the entertainment game. We’re going to lose the information game. But if you want to come together to create a holy encounter with God Almighty . . . then I’ll see you in church next Sunday.”