The KidMin Tech Playbook: A Guide to Connecting with Parents & Equipping Volunteers

From social media strategy and volunteer training to the very tools we use on Sunday morning, technology is woven into the fabric of modern ministry. But are we using it effectively? How do we navigate the learning curves, avoid the pitfalls, and truly partner with families in a digital age?

In this episode, we sit down with author and ministry leader Brittany Nelson to discuss the heart behind her book on digital discipleship. She offers a wealth of wisdom on how to thoughtfully integrate technology, avoid common mistakes, and lead your people well through change.

Show Notes

Episode Highlights

  • Common Tech Pitfalls: Discover two of the biggest mistakes ministry leaders make with technology when teaching kids and engaging parents on social media.
  • Leading Through Pushback: Learn the single most important principle for implementing a new technology, especially with volunteers who are less tech-savvy.
  • Create vs. Curate: A fascinating discussion on whether ministry leaders still need to create new content from scratch and the theological importance of adaptation.
  • Actionable Next Step: Brittany shares one simple exercise you can schedule this week to immediately improve your ministry’s digital strategy.

Favorite Tech in Ministry

The hosts and guest kick off the conversation by sharing the technology they are most thankful for in ministry.

  • Brandon: A “suite of technology” (email, chat, video) that fosters connectedness, allowing him to be on a thread with other executive pastors who share amazing wisdom and meet up annually.
  • Renée: Podcasts, which connect her to other pastoral voices and devotionals, much like radio programs like Adventures in Odyssey connected the larger church world for a previous generation.
  • Brittany: Her two favorites are a good check-in system (when the printers work!) and Canva, the graphic design platform she uses daily. She says, “if you want to create something that looks prettier than a word document, Canva is the way to do it”.

The “Why” Behind Digital Discipleship

Brittany’s book was born from the challenges of 2020, when she saw ministry leaders struggling to adapt after the world shut down. She realized, “we’re behind, like we need to figure this out”.

This wasn’t just a pandemic response. It was an acknowledgment that we can’t leave behind the lessons learned. Ministry has to change because both kids and their parents are now “digital natives” who have grown up in a world where the internet has always existed. This reality shapes how they communicate, parent, and even “look up a church before we step into the doors”.

Where Tech Goes Wrong (and How to Fix It)

Brittany identifies two common areas where ministries misuse or underutilize technology.

1. Teaching Kids: More Than a Video

  • The Pitfall: Many people think digital discipleship just means “let’s throw in a Bible story video and call it a Sunday”.
  • The Principle: Videos should not be the primary teaching method; that role should still belong to a person. The core issue is that technology has wired kids’ brains differently, so “if they’re learning differently, we have to be teaching differently”.

2. Social Media: From Billboard to Bonfire

  • The Pitfall: Many leaders treat their social media accounts like a “bulletin board or a billboard that’s just a place to share announcements”.
  • The Principle: Social media, when used well, should be social. It can be a place where parents connect, find encouragement, and are equipped with faith ideas to use at home, moving beyond just event promotion.

Action Step: Partnering with Parents

When using technology that involves children, open and honest communication with parents is the first and most important step.

  • Get Permission: Add a media release form to your registration process that asks for explicit permission to take and share photos of children for church use. This is critical for respecting family wishes and protecting children in unique situations, such as foster care.
  • Ask for Input: Before implementing a new technology (like TVs in the nursery), ask the parents in your ministry for their opinion and preference.

How to Navigate Tech Pushback

The most common challenge when introducing a new tool is the learning curve. When Brittany rolled out Planning Center to a congregation with many older members, she learned a crucial lesson.

  • The Principle: As a leader, you must slow down.
  • The Practice: Don’t assume a new tool is as easy for others as it is for you. You must provide clear, direct instructions, tutorials, and hands-on training. This might look like sending a quick tutorial video or, as Brandon shared, setting up individual one-on-one meetings to walk people through the software.

A Leader’s Call: Adapt, Don’t Just Adopt

Are we in an age where you no longer have to create anything new for ministry? Brittany says yes, you technically could just pull resources offline, but as image bearers of a Creator God, we have a responsibility to be creative.

Ministry is not one-size-fits-all. A good leader never uses a resource exactly as it comes “out of the box”. They always adapt it for their specific people and context. This act of adapting is itself a creative act that allows the Holy Spirit to work through you for your people.

A Final Word of Encouragement

Brittany’s wish for every ministry leader is an unlimited budget and, more importantly, “a constant reminder of your why”. On the hard days, remember: “what you’re doing is not just running a ministry, you’re building a kingdom”.

Your Next Step: The Digital Audit

Brittany leaves listeners with a clear, practical action step.

  • What: Schedule one hour in the next week to conduct a “digital audit” of your ministry.
  • How: Download Brittany’s free guide, then sit down and walk through the questions (bonus points for including your volunteer team).

Resources Mentioned