6 attitudes of technology immaturity to grow past

M

y brother and I were having a casual conversation when I asked him: “what is maturity?” In a snap he jokingly responded: “maturity is the lack of immaturity.” Funny, isn’t it? That is why I told him: “You are so immature!” Over time, I have reflected on my brother’s answer and I have found that it had some hidden wisdom in it.

And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number.

Genesis 35:11

Though maturity has to do with bearing fruit or turning results, it is difficult to recognize it in our day to day lives. Immaturity, however, is much easier to single out when we see it.

By identifying these 6 attitudes of technology immaturity to grow past, you will be more able to stimulate growth. You will establish clear boundaries on immaturity and provide growth alternatives en route to maturity.

The ideas I share here have been extracted from my book Cibermadurez: 7 pasos para que las tecnologías ministeriales den mucho fruto, [Cybermaturity: 7 steps for ministry technologies to bear much fruit] only available in Spanish on Amazon.

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Growth alternatives are desirable replacement behaviors. In other words, do not place your efforts in stopping being immature, but rather in becoming mature, because when you grow in maturity, you displace immaturity.

Fear

There could be many legitimate reasons for feeling fear toward technology, but without proper investigation, these can be deemed unfounded. The most common reasons for fear are:

• Technology is very expensive
• No one knows how to use technology
• No one knows what this technology is for
• Any type of technology goes against the Bible
• It is difficult to get the technology
• Technology is not available in my language

If you feel you don’t have what it takes to set out on learning a new technology, that by starting something new people will criticize you or judge you, let me tell you, you are not alone. We have all been there.

Technology is a vast field. Perhaps you might not be able to control every detail surrounding it. This is all true at first. But do not let fear paralyze you and hold you back.

It is normal to feel fear when experimenting with new technologies. Widen your perspective and overcome fear by acting out of love – love of your neighbor – while exercising your mission.

Resistance

Some of these immature attitudes are passive. Resistance, however, is active. It sets barriers to initiatives for new technologies and manifests itself through delaying and blocking tactics, such as: boycott, absenteeism, gossip, threats, hidden agendas, and even the intimidation of leaders.

If someone employs tactics to resist change, it is because they don’t wish to grow. Some of these attitudes are highly censored by the Bible and can even be considered sinful. Jealousy, disputes, and division are on the same level as orgies, heresies, and witchcraft (NIV Galatians 5:19-21). This is the reason why we might need to repent.

Become a docile person. Being docile means being teachable. When you let yourself be taught, you lower your defenses and abandon all your self-interests in favor of the mission. Thereafter, you can obtain all the resources needed to fund your technological initiatives, learn the technology that you need to learn, and connect with the ideal people to steer your progress.

Conformity

Conformity is associated with maintaining the status quo; your job, your position, or your established methods. It also has to do with the comfort of stability or tradition.
We like change, but we don’t like to change. The problem with this stance is that the world around us is not static and controlled, but rather, in constant transformation, and if we do not grow, we will lose our current condition anyway. Without maturity, the loss of our status quo is inevitable.

There is no clearer evidence of this dynamic than technology. You purchase the most advanced computer on the market and after a few months, changes in the industry and even updates to the system itself render it obsolete.

Review your theology of change and your ministry philosophy. Become an enterprising person and set new tracks. Develop the adventurous spirit of an explorer that is willing to try new methods to survive and reach new horizons.

Blindness

Blindness has multiple dimensions. You cannot see the true condition of ministry, or the prevailing needs of your community, or the latest changes in culture or demographic composition. You lose the ability to tell the seasons. Blindness is also related to a lack of clear vision.
Blindness can be total or partial. When blind, we cannot see the whole picture, or even the next step. Technology blindness in some ministries stop them from seeing the full map clearly. This keeps them from growing step by step in maturity.

Blindness is cured when our vision returns. Vision is a fundamental element to any strategy, and most so, to any technological strategy. We need new eyes, but how do we acquire new eyes?

First, through prayer. Do not discount the role of prayer. God can give you the spirit of wisdom and illuminate the eyes of your heart (Ephesians 1:16-18). A retreat, for example, for group prayer and meditation might be the key to opening the eyes to vision. Even then, do not expect to see a scroll falling from the sky containing your technology plan. Your vision and your technology plan will be the result of much research and teamwork.

You can also import new eyes; those of a person who is foreign to your ministry and who can provide a neutral view while providing clear recommendations. Surround yourself with good and varied counselors. Review the article, 10 requirements you should look for in any technology consultant, in order to learn how to surround yourself with good advisors.

Comfortability

Comfortability leads to stagnation. It can also lead to an unhealthy attachment to tradition. Many follow the saying: “old is better than new.” This saying contradicts a fundamental biblical tenet: God is always up to something new, and anything new from God is always better.

The fact that people become attached to familiar technology is normal. But, attachment to familiar technologies that leads to ignorance of new ones can become a drawback. Unhealthy attachment to methods and programs of the past, even when they have been proven to no longer work, evidence immaturity. Ignorance and innovation are located at opposite ends of the maturity map.

All tradition was once a novelty. Correct your theology so you can understand the role of innovation. Balance the fundamental principles of faith and the methods used to share it. Principles are enduring but methods can be changed and should be changed.

Infertility

This is the case when our technological programs no longer bear good results or do not conclude in good deeds. This happens because we did not define what those fruits, or good deeds, were meant to be in the first place.

Technology serves many purposes in various scenarios. Define what technology will do for you in any given situation. Some ideas could be:

1. You wish to improve the productivity of your team
2. You need to better coordinate activities and schedules
3. You wish to promote effective and frequent communication
4. Your purpose is to train others in the work of ministry
5. You need to increase donations and you wish to do this online

This list is limited only by your imagination, but in every case, draw a line directly from the fruit you wish to obtain to the technologies that you think can get you there.

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Please comment on these concepts in the blog or on social media. You can begin by answering:

How about you, have you identified any of these attitudes of technological immaturity? What alternatives of growth have you utilized in your road to maturity?