I smile almost every time I receive an email from a church asking me for my advice on a very specific piece of equipment. Why do I smile? Because I always get to ask them a question that, hopefully, will help them answer their question.

Asking me to give you advice on one piece of gear is the same as asking “what’s a good car?”

The answer, of course, depends on what you need the car to do.

Do you need it to carry a few people or lots of people?
Is gas mileage a top priority?
Will it be driven in ice and snow and need optional traction control?
Will it be used to pull a trailer?
Will it be used to haul stuff around?
Will it need to support multiple car seats?
Do you want it to have leather or cloth?
Is cruise control important?
Does it need to be an automatic transmission?

The list of questions is necessary to understand what kind of car is needed. In the same way, technology must be approached with the same kind of needs analysis and understanding of who will be using it, how often, where and for what purpose.

I’m more than happy to give advice on equipment, but understanding that my advice is sound only when the application is completely understood. And that’s where churches often don’t go the extra mile; you have to know the context to pick the right equipment.

So feel free to call or email me about gear. But know we’re first going to be talking about cars.