Facilitator: Al Rempel

Date: March 8th, 2022 

Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Location: Workshop via Zoom

We have 80 year-olds watching services on YouTube and families opting out of church altogether because they are Zoomed out at the end of the week." The use of technology - especially digital technology - has dramatically accelerated during the COVID pandemic. Technology has become a partner in ministry, helping us reach out, provide care, and communicate during lockdowns and social distancing. It has also been an antagonist, expecting little investment, reducing us to passive watchers, and weakening the church as God's embodied presence. How will we discern the benefits and shortcomings of technology for the life of the church and its ministries in a post-Covid world? Andy Brubacher Kaethler, Associate Professor of Christian Formation and Culture at AMBS will present us with ideas and notions for a path forward.

Andy Brubacher Kaethler, PhD, has been committed to Christian formation for more than 25 years, working in educational, conference, congregational, and camp settings. Before coming to AMBS in 2003, he was minister of youth ministries for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. At AMBS, Andy teaches in areas of theology, culture, and philosophy. He also launched !Explore, a program that encourages youth to consider various forms of Christian ministry, including pastoral ministry. He is also the director of the Center for Faith Formation.