Technology for parish work, part 1

Well, I've had fun exploring some of the different forms of technology out there and considering how they might be useful in a parish setting.

One of my favorite resources is WorkingPreacher.org, a resource for preaching and teaching. Part of what's so great about it is that it incorporates several different media all in one place. There is plenty of print, of course: commentaries on the week's lectionary readings, along with articles and columns on various aspects of the preaching craft. And one of the coolest features is the Sermon Brainwave podcast, which you can access on the site, in your reader (via its RSS feed), or through iTunes. It lets you listen to three fabulous Luther Seminary profs discuss each of the week's readings, so it's like sitting in on a text study.

Another site from Luther Seminary is Enter the Bible, which lets you study scripture with historical, literary, and theological background on each book of the bible, study paths, and more multimedia resources like images and videos. It even gives you a chance to create an account so you can take notes and track your learning. While Working Preacher is geared more toward preachers and teachers (though it's also helpful for listeners!), Enter the Bible might be useful for broader groups within the parish.

Of course there are countless other resources like these out there. Another of my favorites for preaching, teaching, and biblical study is The Text This Week. Worship planning gives us lots of opportunity to use online resources as well. For ELCA worship, I like Sundays and Seasons from Augsburg Fortress. The fact that all of the most common ELCA worship resources are referenced in one place is really handy. And of course, there's always You Tube. I've seen You Tube videos used in worship or Christian education settings.

I'm still exploring, but sometimes it's hard to search when you aren't sure which direction to look. I know I've overlooked entire categories of resources, though I will address blogging and social media in anther post. What are your favorite forms of technology, especially online resources? How have you used them in parish life, or how do you imagine doing so?