Church Tech Dump

For Christmas my in-laws got me a subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine. In addition to the issues I have to look forward to, they mailed me a collection of back issues and while thumbing through these I read an article about the aging Baby Boomer generation and the opportunities for business that they provide. Consider these stats:

• 77 million people were born between 1946 and 1964, which is defined as the baby boomer era (U.S. Census).
• By 2015, those aged 50 and older will represent 45% of the U.S. population (AARP).
• By 2030, the 65-plus population will double to about 71.5 million, and by 2050 will grow to 86.7 million people (U.S. Census).

Holy smokes, that’s a lot of people! Now you might be thinking that this would be a great time to start that consulting business where you send an army of patient techies into the suburbs to walk the Boomers through Facebook, connect their printers and program their universal remotes. But before you bounce to Craig’s List, consider the following:

• One-third of the 195.3 million Internet users in the U.S., adults aged 50+ represent the Web’s largest constituency (Jupiter Research).
• Two-thirds of Americans age 50-64 use the Internet (SeniorNet).
• Email is the most popular online activity among 50+ users, followed by web browsing, research, and shopping (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
• 72% of baby boomers have broadband Internet in their homes (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
• By the end of 2007, the number of mature social networkers is expected to top 20 million (Deloitte).

What’s it mean? Unlike my grandparents (I’m 29) my kids’ grandparents are online, sending email to their friends and family, surfing the webs, and using social networks like Facebook. A large majority of them are doing it at home with broadband connections. So while your market for your consulting business may have diminished, this still presents many opportunities for your church.

What’s This Mean for the Church?

If your congregation is of the more mature variety, there are some ways you can be using technology to connect with and minister to them.

1. Email Newsletter
   Email is the most popular feature of the internet used by those who are 50+ years old. Not web browsing or RSS. Why not offer an email newsletter to keep those who prefer email engaged. Take your message to where they are! I like ConstantContact.com but many other options are available. Not ready to face the cost of another web service? Give RSS to Email subscription services like Feedburner.com a try.
   
   
2. Video on Demand
   Friends, 2010 was a big year for internet video. Hulu went plus, Netflix got mobile and Apple’s AppleTV sold a million units (not bad for a hobby). I’m predicting the next year to be bigger for video. More content, more devices, more viewers. As Boomers enter into retirement, you may find them stuck at home due to health issues or (hopefully) enjoying their new freedom and traveling. By making sure your video content is being podcast or accessible via a Roku set-top box, you’ll continue ministering to those who are unable to make it to weekend services. Speaking of Roku, those things are cheap (starting at $69). Wouldn’t it be cool if a group of people from the church raised enough money to buy several Roku boxes and then visited members of the congregation who were home-bound, installed the boxes and showed them how to get teaching and worship services on demand? I think so!
   
   
3. Facebook
   Is your mom on Facebook? She may be soon. Boomers are flocking to the social network. If you don’t already have a Facebook page for your ministry, now is the time, there are lots of reasons to have a presence on Facebook.
   
   

What ideas do you have for reaching Baby Boomers with technology? Are you doing the above? Are you trying something new? Please, let us know in the comments!