www.i-pastor.co.uk
'The system is being targeted at churches and groups that have been without curates, vicars, priests and ministers for some time.'

A new software package for churches and groups has been greeted with concern by church leaders.

i-pastor, from US-based AFD Technology, claims to provide a fully programmable and customisable virtual worship leader, with a range of theologies, clothing styles and even different voices.

The system, which can be integrated with existing projectors and screens, is targeted at churches and groups that have been without curates, vicars, priests and ministers for some time, as well as preaching circuits with regular gaps.

The company claims that the system will save time and money in the long run, although the entry level package starts at $29,000 (around £15,000).

The creator of the i-pastor program, Ebrill Lolyn, a member of the Presbyterian Church of America, says on the company's website that a worldwide gap of church leaders inspired her to create the software.

Journey

"I also wanted to show those in the pews that technology can really help the local church," Lolyn said. "No longer do you have to listen to sermons that have been re-hashed from the previous year, or regular passages from the Bible. Go and explore, taking i-pastor with you, on a journey through new patterns of worship and state of the art technology."

Different theology packages are available to suit most Christian denominations, and plans for a female worship leader and long term counselling add-on program are in development.

However, there has been a cautious reaction from religious leaders who have tested the software.

A source in a mainstream non-conformist denomination in the UK, who would only allow his initials, AF, to be published, warned that churches could forget about stipendiary ministry using humans within a few years.

"I am very worried that new technology could replace human ministers, especially when, like in our experience, you have many more churches than ministers and have to decrease scoping and implement a rationing system across the church."

Ousted

AF continued: "If congregations start to use this technology to its maximum capabilities, I can see human clergy being ousted from their roles within a few years. It's even more attractive because you can switch the thing off at the end of the service and store it in a cupboard until the following Sunday."

When surefish approached the creators of i-pastor for a comment, the company declined, saying that it had been overwhelmed with enquiries from churches, cells and and faith groups.

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