Like 90 percent of the ministers in America, David Wallace
uses electronic mail in his professional and personal life.
But for the new associate pastor at Montgomery Community Baptist
church in Erlanger, Ky., this efficient method of communication will never replace
face-to-face conversations.
Like 90 percent of the ministers in America, David Wallace
uses electronic mail in his professional and personal life.
But for the new associate pastor at Montgomery Community Baptist
church in Erlanger, Ky., this efficient method of communication will never replace
face-to-face conversations. “One of the frustrations I have with e-mail
is if I have something sensitive to discuss with a church member, Im afraid
the printed word will not convey personal feelings,” Wallace said.
“So, I will call someone or have lunch with them,”
he said. “In personal conversation, you can have all the color and depth
that e-mail doesnt. Being an authentic person requires human touch and
being with other people. Jesus ministered through human touch and conversation.
He did miracles by touch.”
Wallaces comments reflect one side of an ongoing discussion
within religious and professional circles over how e-mail and other Internet-based
communication affects people socially and spiritually.
Part of the problem in assessing the situation is a lack of
studies about it, a past president of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors
maintained.
For his part, James Wyrtzen said he believes that e-mail fosters
more human interaction, not less.
He recalled how a 15-member e-mail group helped him wade through
some personal difficulties two years ago. By using e-mail to exchange reports
in advance, members of a professional association can spend more time in periodic,
face-to-face meetings discussing personal issues, he said.
“I think I get closer to people,” the counselor said.
“I dont think it replaces human contact, but it allows me to connect
with them more often. I can talk with a friend in Oregon and see how his cancer
is; I dont think I would have done that as often by phone. I think part
of spirituality is being connected.”
However, Suzanne Coyle, director of Kentucky Baptist Homes
for Childrens Cornerstone Counseling, said she believes there should be
a balance between electronic and human conversation.
Noting that many in the mental health field are debating the
ethics of counseling via the Internet which she opposes Coyle
said the main question is how e-mail is used. “It depends on what kind
of relationship you want it to be. If you just want information, e-mail is fine.
If you want more, its better to have more alternatives for communicating.”
The desire for more human contact led the vice president of
one Kentucky company to place limits on e-mail usage, which he said has improved
the office climate.
“We send e-mails back and forth and take 20 minutes when
five minutes of talking could have solved the problem,” David Dearie of
Brown-Forman said.
Along with casual dress, last summer Dearie declared Fridays
an e-mail-less day for his 26 employees. Offenders are fined $10. The executive
said when he introduced the idea at a corporate conference, he received a standing
ovation. A news article in late December about the practice has generated more
than a dozen calls and letters.
“It struck a nerve,” Dearie said. “The idea
of coming in and having a morning cup of coffee has been lost. Everyone heads
for their computer terminals. Its like weve all become e-mail junkies.”
Even supporters of e-mails efficiency and its ability
to establish far-reaching contacts admit e-mail can go too far. However, many
Christians think its advantages outweigh its disadvantages.
Vicki Hollon of the Wayne Oates Institute in Louisville, Ky.,
said she uses the Net to circulate institute publications, continuing education
courses and other attempts to foster dialogue between the religious, medical
and social communities. Her worldwide interchanges include talks with her daughter,
who is studying for a masters degree in Scotland.
E-mail users tend to eliminate judgments based on race, income,
weight and facial features, Hollon noted.
“E-mail is very much high touch,” she said. “Theres
nothing inherently personal about being face to face. If were not sharing
out of our heart, we can have very poor interpersonal communication.”
Steve Ayers of Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green, Ky.,
saw how e-mail can foster closer human contact when he did doctoral studies
several years ago at Drew University in New Jersey.
His study group met solely online, while another attended traditional
classroom sessions. When everyone gathered on campus for a two-week summer session,
the electronic group interacted more often than classroom students, he said.
Web-based video conferencing also enables Ayers to conduct
staff meetings when he is traveling. Even when everyone is in town, Ayers said
he sees young staffers checking hand-held computing devices for messages.
Ayers admitted to using e-mail more than the telephone but
warned that ministry cannot be done solely through the Internet. “It doesnt
replace human interaction,” said Ayers, whose church has grown from a few
dozen to more than 4,000 in the past decade. “The church should say, We
are the place where you can come for human contact. We use technology
to enhance the ministry, not drive it.”
Also, the question of losing touch in the Internet age ought
to prompt Christians to ask themselves what they are doing to create more interaction
with the world, Ayers said.
“Maybe (we) need to have a church-less Sunday every once in awhile and
go see what people are doing,” he suggested. “The church was isolated
from the world before e-mail existed.” (BP)