Barnabas File

Back in the last century, I was invited to write an article for The Campus Minister journal on the future of campus ministry.     I was too optimistic.     In that article, I identified some of the changes that were coming in higher education, but I missed some of the religious trends that would impact denominational ministry with college students—theological divisions, the decline of congregational strength, the decreased denominational support this would bring to both campus ministry and theological education, and the rise of megachurches.     One mistake I made was to project too far into the future out of ignorance of the rapid shifts coming in the latter part of the 20 th  century.   In the next several blog posts, I will attempt to consider possible future trends for the clergy leadership in the local congregation.  I hope to avoid my past errors by looking at hard data about what is happening right now in the church and denominat...

In a recent call with a clergy group, I shared a survey from Exponential NEXT which found that 93.5% of church leaders used or explored using AI in 2025; 78% used it daily or weekly.     One of the participants pointed out that if one uses the Internet, you are using AI whether you want to or not!     It is probably true that everyone uses AI unintentionally!    The finding of the survey, however, was that AI was intentionally used by most clergy leaders in the US.   While AI can assist with sermon research, administrative drafting, and data applications, where do we draw the line to ensure that our teaching remains "God-breathed" and born of human experience, rather than just being an optimized synthesis of existing data? How do we safeguard the integrity of inspiration in our use of AI? How do we continue to nurture the human connection?   Here are some tension points church leaders are currently navigating with AI:   Authenticity. ...

You’ve probably received a letter or e-mail with this message: “(Name of organization) wishes to inform you of an incident that may impact the use of information you have provided to us.”     Yes, there’s been a data breach.   In the past year, we have received such messages from a prominent medical clinic in our city, an insurance company, and the custodian of some of our retirement funds.     The hackers are out there, and they want your information.    And don’t think that church will not be a target.   The tools of technology, like all others, can be a blessing and add impact to our work, but there is the potential for abuse as well. As we think about the church and technology, digital privacy is just one of the things we must consider.     Data Privacy and Trust: What ethical frameworks are we using to protect the data and privacy of our congregants in an era of increasing digital surveillance and data harvesting? ...

Those who are immersed in the digital world sometimes forget that the same is not true of everyone.     Not everyone has a state-of-the-art computer, a smart phone, an Apple watch, and high-speed internet connection.     Due to their financial status, their demographic group, or their geographic location, these modern amenities are not available to all.      Consider these challenges to inclusivity and connection in the digital age:   The Digital Divide: How do we remain inclusive of older members or those with limited financial means who may feel alienated or left behind by a heavy reliance on apps and digital platforms? Moving to digital platforms as means of communication is faster and more economical, but how do we maintain contact with those who are not connected in this way?  We shouldn’t assume that the barrier is knowledge.  For some—in both urban and rural areas—there may be inadequate and unreliable internet or c...

We can’t avoid technology today.     If I want to communicate with my grandchildren, I must know how to text.   When I need that refrigerator part that Sears no longer provides, I can go to Amazon and find it.     Most of the companies I do business with—including my health care providers--want to interact online.    Many of us learned quickly how to move our worship services online during COVID and now we must decide what to do with that “second campus.”   As we attempt to integrate technology into our faith communities, we are challenged to balance modern necessity and efficiency with humanity and sacred tradition.  In this series of posts, I encourage us to think about technology and the church in several ways.   First, the "Why" behind the "What": How do we ensure that our use of technology serves our core mission of spiritual growth rather than just becoming a performance or a distraction?   I hope we are beyond the “...

Jamais Cascio, an American futurist and anthropologist, proposes it is time for a new term—BANI—Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, Incomprehensible—to address our present context.  Although these shifts disturb our personal and organizational equilibrium, Cascio proposes Positive BANI, a set of mindsets to counter the chaos:   Bendable (to counter Brittle) Attentive (to counter Anxious) Neuroflexible (to counter Non-linear) Interconnected (to counter Incomprehensible)   Coaching in a BANI environment requires us to focus on "Capacity Coaching" (how to expand our capacity and options). Since coaches use powerful questions that move people from dependency to autonomy, we can adapt those to address the specific "fractures" BANI creates.   Here are specific coaching tips and adapted questions for each BANI pillar:   Coaching the "Brittle" (Fragility)   When a client feels their career or project is brittle, they are often paralyzed by t...