He is a God of love and mercy but he is also digital

NAIROBI, KENYA: Some years ago, phones were not allowed in places of worship and anyone found using one gave the ushers enough reason to throw them out.

But things are different now - there is a more relaxed approach to phones in many churches. The rise of mobile phone apps and social media trends has changed the way many of the world’s two billion Christians worship.

A spot check in a number of churches in the city reveals just how churches have kept up with technology to ensure that they meet the needs of all members.

“Carrying a hard copy of the Bible is tedious, especially for men, and that is why I prefer to use an up-to-date Bible application,” says Ian Waweru, a member of Bishop Allan Kiuna’s Jubilee Christian Church (JCC).

This has made reading the Bible easier, says Mr Waweru, because one doesn’t spend precious time flipping through the pages looking for Isaiah or Psalms.

Now, he says, you can read the Bible anywhere and any time. But that’s not all.

“Nowadays people are afraid of being seen carrying a Bible for fear of being judged as fanatics. The app helps to address this,” he adds.

Communication tool

For some worshippers, it is easier to forget a Bible in church than a phone. And for Telvin Kamatu, who also attends JCC, the Bible app has enough tools to enable one to go deeper into the scriptures.

“The number one communication tool in this generation is the mobile phone, which luckily simplifies the Bible with regards to reading. Tools such as the search bar enable you to get to different chapters faster compared to manually looking through the pages of a physical one,” says Mr Kamatu.

“The era of carrying a Bible, pen and notebook is slowly being phased out. The Bible application is convenient and easy to move around with,” he adds.

But not everyone is enthusiastic about the new technology. Victoria Kanini, who attends Deliverance Church Mwiki, would rather carry a Bible to avoid distractions.

“I’d rather just carry my Bible and switch the phone off. I have the app but whenever I use it, I easily find myself on WhatsApp or Facebook,” she says.

Philmah Wendo, a member of Citam Valley Road, says with the growth of the church population, there is a need for technology to come in.

“The population of the church continues to grow daily, which is why there are a number of services. We cannot have one person do one thing at every service; that would be tiring,” says Mr Wendo.

Smart phone

“Almost all smart phone users carry their phones with them everywhere, including plenty of places where it would be convenient to carry or use a hard copy Bible. The app is convenient and it makes work easy,” says Wendo.

But it is not only access to the scriptures that has changed. Many churches have added M-Pesa paybill numbers and even card machines to complement the traditional bag or basket.

“You can send your offering via M-Pesa or swipe your ATM card,” says a man wearing a sash with the word ‘usher’ printed on it at the Don Bosco Catholic Church in Upper Hill.

The card swipe machine is brought to the worshipper on request during offering time.

At the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) in Mwiki, a designated usher walks around with the card swipe machine to help members who prefer to give their offerings electronically.

“I swipe my tithe. It is safer because I don’t have to carry a lot of money when I am going to church, and it does not feel awkward like when you are giving a fat envelope,” says Sharon Kiprono.

According to some church leaders, technology has also made it easy to spread the Good News.

Church modernisation

Bishop David Oginde (pictured below) of the Nairobi Pentecostal Church Valley Road says modernisation of the church has done more good and enabled the word of God to spread far and wide.

He admits that he has not used his physical Bible to preach in years and instead relies on the app on his tablet.

“The church is called upon to speak to society and it has to be relevant. Wherever society goes, the church goes too because it can not afford to be left behind. That is why it (the Church) has been digitised,” says Oginde.

He adds that there is nothing wrong with the congregation using their phones while in church as long as they are referring to their Bibles.

“Some people say you could start looking at other things instead of your digital Bible but that is not the case. The message in the Bible is still the same, only that the means of conveying the message has changed,” he says.

And a priest at the Holy Family Basilica, who declined to be named because he is not in charge, says that the use of technology in evangelising is not necessarily an evil. But he does call for caution.

“These phones can become a destructive habit. It is hard to tell if people are really reading the Bible or engaging in other activities on their phones,” he says.

Although the Catholic Church is widely considered rigid and traditional, he notes that churches are increasingly being forced to adapt to new technologies, pointing out that even the Catholic Church uses screens to project various messages during services.

Pastor Frederick Okuku of Word and Repentance Church based in Kitengela also advocates for caution regarding certain aspects of technology.

Different message

He says using phone apps as a replacement for a hard copy of the Bible could send a different message to the congregation.

“Yes, there is no denying the tablet contains the digital text of the Bible, but visually that tablet represents so much more. It is an icon of social media and a buffet of endless entertainment,” he says.

“If you ask any of the younger generation what an iPad stands for they will automatically end up mentioning some of their favourite games. As for adults, the tablet is an immediate window into his or her social life.”

Mr Okuku adds that unless one is willing to delete all the social media messages on their phones with the exception of the Bible app, they could end up being exposed to several immoral things, which is contrary to the will of God. [Akello Odenyo, Anyango Otieno, Josphat Thiongo and Caroline Nyanga]