If ensuring attendance by some official means is absolutely necessary, why not use a sign in sheet in the sacristy or some other predetermined location? Why does a person need to bring a high tech device into a church just to prove they were there?
I'm not saying you or any of the clergy or parish staff don't actually care, but means like…
If ensuring attendance by some official means is absolutely necessary, why not use a sign in sheet in the sacristy or some other predetermined location? Why does a person need to bring a high tech device into a church just to prove they were there?
I'm not saying you or any of the clergy or parish staff don't actually care, but means like this definitely can give the impression that you don't. It can also place an undue burden on a person who has to ask for an exemption (for such a reason as, "I don't use a smartphone," which is in fact a thing for many people, even young people or those who grew up with that kind of tech.)
Paper gets lost. All of our liturgical ministers sign in to MinistrySchedulerPro. Even that is not a slam dunk since a liturgy coordinator has to monitor it. Technology is not the enemy. Our narthex is crazy hectic before Sunday liturgies.
Technology can very much be an enemy. It can be convenient (I actually like MinistrySchedulerPro, for a group of already committed volunteers), but it can also cause a lot more problems than it solves. (It is not lost on me the irony that I have learned so much about the harms of too much tech by using said tech, but...there it is.)
I'm not a fan of unnecessary tech. A posted sign in sheet on a bulletin board in a consistent location will work most of the time. If one gets lost once in a while, I still think it's the better option. Hymnals in the pews get damaged, but you're not going to persuade me that it's a good idea to install a projector screen into Mass for people to follow along, though some parishes do it.
We can barely keep track of paper registration sheets from our ministry fairs. I’m a retired IT/ERP program manager so paper is admittedly anathema to my skill set and patience. Our QR code probably checks a box in Googlesheets or some back end database. In any event, I am an unpaid flunky and the pastor and paid staff make the rules and set the tools. I’m fast losing my will to push people toward sacramental life and heaven if they don’t really want it. I’m old, tired, and willing to do some of my own heavy lifting for the Lord Jesus. You can’t lead every horse to springs of living water.
If ensuring attendance by some official means is absolutely necessary, why not use a sign in sheet in the sacristy or some other predetermined location? Why does a person need to bring a high tech device into a church just to prove they were there?
I'm not saying you or any of the clergy or parish staff don't actually care, but means like this definitely can give the impression that you don't. It can also place an undue burden on a person who has to ask for an exemption (for such a reason as, "I don't use a smartphone," which is in fact a thing for many people, even young people or those who grew up with that kind of tech.)
Paper gets lost. All of our liturgical ministers sign in to MinistrySchedulerPro. Even that is not a slam dunk since a liturgy coordinator has to monitor it. Technology is not the enemy. Our narthex is crazy hectic before Sunday liturgies.
Technology can very much be an enemy. It can be convenient (I actually like MinistrySchedulerPro, for a group of already committed volunteers), but it can also cause a lot more problems than it solves. (It is not lost on me the irony that I have learned so much about the harms of too much tech by using said tech, but...there it is.)
I'm not a fan of unnecessary tech. A posted sign in sheet on a bulletin board in a consistent location will work most of the time. If one gets lost once in a while, I still think it's the better option. Hymnals in the pews get damaged, but you're not going to persuade me that it's a good idea to install a projector screen into Mass for people to follow along, though some parishes do it.
We can barely keep track of paper registration sheets from our ministry fairs. I’m a retired IT/ERP program manager so paper is admittedly anathema to my skill set and patience. Our QR code probably checks a box in Googlesheets or some back end database. In any event, I am an unpaid flunky and the pastor and paid staff make the rules and set the tools. I’m fast losing my will to push people toward sacramental life and heaven if they don’t really want it. I’m old, tired, and willing to do some of my own heavy lifting for the Lord Jesus. You can’t lead every horse to springs of living water.
Yes & we always keep our phones in our car’s glovebox. If we brought them in our small kids would try to play with them or throw them around.
Yep. I got my first smartphone a couple years ago, never bothered to learn how to scan a QR code, and I'm in my 30s and write code for my job.
But I don't see why providing a sign-in sheet for us luddites should prevent others from using a QR code.