Technology destroyed my church

I've spent some time recently attending mass at a local Catholic parish in my community.
I know this has nothing to do with technology, or maybe it does, however I find it wonderful that I have 4 catholic churches to choose from in my local community when it comes to which church to attend. Looking for the same in protestant churches, the closest church to my front door is 10 miles away in a completely different area of town. I think that sucks.
Anyway....

I've attended these Catholic services and to be honest, I absolutely love them. Having grown up in a spirit-filled evangelical home my whole life, there is something so pure and almost magical about the Catholic mass. As I sit in the torturous wooden pew and gaze around at the wonderfully detailed architecture, I have this calmness and peace that washes over my soul. It's a simple, yet unexplainable peace that wraps around me as I sit quietly considering Jesus. The priest walks into the center of the room (their altar is located centrally in the sanctuary with rows of pews surrounding) and begins the mass. The only technology used is his microphone. He doesn't have an iPad with his notes for the service. They don't show a video to draw the people in. They don't have anyone stand to address the congregation on why we should give our money. There are no contemporary songs played to usher the people into the presence of God. There is simply the bible and the prayers along with the receiving of the body and blood of Christ. The differences between this mass and most evangelical services is, honestly, frightening to me.

Please, do not mentally write me off before you hear my heart. I am not saying everyone needs to convert to Catholicism and do things just like the Catholics. I'm just telling you about my experiences in the Catholic church recently and what I find interesting in the connection between Catholic services and their lack of technology and Protestant services and their overuse of technology.

I am romanticizing the Catholic church, I know this. I'm completely aware of the issues surrounding their theology and the devastatingly obvious issues concerning their history. (The crusades, the horrific abuse of children within their church walls.)
What I would like to draw your attention to is their lack of technology used in the creation and development of their services and how we, as protestant congregations utilize technology to carry us through the awkwardness on Sunday mornings.

By abusing our right in the overuse of technology, do we take God out of our services in church? Let's consider a modern worship band. Are we really doing our job as worship leaders? Do we even understand our job as worship leaders? I can honestly say, having been a worship leader for the last seven years, I don't know how to change things to make them better, but I know that what I'm doing seems pointless. Now, I understand and believe that many people feel more connected to God when I lead worship and that's wonderful, I'm not trying to tell those people they're wrong. I'm simply telling you how I feel when I lead worship. I don't connect with the songs I'm singing on Sunday mornings, at least not most of them. I connect with the Spirit during the services, but the songs I play and the way I play them makes me feel as though I'm somehow offending God. However, when I sing the traditional hymns during my morning prayers at home, I feel connected to Him, I feel as though the songs I'm singing literally connect me to His heart. Could this be the songs? Or could it be the lack of technology and performance used in the worship? In the morning as I sing hymns to God, I don't have to worry about the sound equipment failing. I don't have to worry about which song I'm going to next. I don't have to worry about the lighting in the church or anything else related. I can simply sing these songs and not worry about anything else besides praising God. And that is the most freeing thing I've ever experienced in my walk with Him.

If we utilize technology in our services so often because we feel it helps connect the people to that week’s service. What does that show we really think of the intelligence of the people in our congregation? As a parent, it's easy to set your child in front of the television to keep them entertained and quiet for a period of time. So, when we use flashy lights, hip and current videos, and songs with catchy hooks in them, what does that show about who we are? Does that mean we think the congregants are simple minded? That they're children and we just need to set them in front of the television to keep them entertained for 2 hours? I'm not saying that we, as church leaders, are deliberately watering things down. I'm not saying we're utilizing technology because it's easy and it gets more people to attend our services. I'm simply wondering what it would look like if we all took a few steps back into tradition and became deeply grounded in the Word and in prayer instead of being grounded in the next video and awesome light display.

Does our technology in church make us like the great Oz? Smoke machines, lighting structures, and intense noise to distract the congregation from our shyness and awkwardness? Jack Johnson has a line in one of his songs that goes "Smoke machines and make-up men, you can't fool me". Again, I'm not trying to say that we're deliberately trying to fool anyone. I do think that we've continued down the path of technology as a supplement for real, intimate, and awkward moments because, well, they feel awkward.

Having discussed these thoughts with others I get a sense that we utilize such technological advancements because it helps us relate to the Bible, or to God better. If God looks like us, sounds like, smells like us, it becomes easier to relate to Him. However, isn't the point that He is not like us? His ways are higher than our ways. I can't see God breakdancing in a video describing how excited He is to be at church. But maybe that's just me.

I've been on a journey that has lead me down the path of relationship. I've noticed how much my own life has lacked real, pure and awkward relationships within my Christian world. So, I have been seeking the development of those relationships because I feel that's how I will grow the most in life, by living in relationship with others. Technology has an element that detracts from relationship. Technology can be a great time waster and can turn us into emotionless, iPhone literate, junkies. So, when churches utilize technology as a crutch for their service, do they take value away from the relationship aspect and place it in the hash-tagging, status updating, instagram sharing parts of society?

Technology can be a very impressive tool for reaching people around the world and in our communities. However, when we take God out of relationship and create an iPhone/iPad app where He exists, we've done something very sad and very wrong.

I write these words and form them into sentences and then read over them multiple times. As I read over these words I feel like I'm judging and throwing out harshness instead of love. Maybe that's because my heart is lost and needs to be found and rooted back in the love of Jesus. Please be aware, I am not trying to judge churches or pastors. My own church uses videos in different stages of our services and they fit. My point is not that we should never utilize technology in church or that we should adjust our behavior to better reflect the Catholic church. My point is simply that we work from a position of pure heart and reverence. We function from positions of peace and surrender to the goal of bringing Jesus to the people. I'm not sure if we can abuse technology when we operate from that place. My concern is that technology replaces work, technology replaces pure heart, technology replaces reverence for The Creator. My concern is that we sing songs because it will hook the listener and not because it brings a pure message that draws the listener close to Christ.

If my words have released judgement and hatred, please forgive me as that was not my intent. This is more of me wondering about things and sharing those wonderings with you.