Faith & Technology
I had the opportunity on Easter Sunday to appear on CBS Sunday Morning for a segment on Faith & Technology (link to video). The segment discussed how technology is impacting faith. CBS filmed at the Christian Web Conference, did a day of interviews and then visited Kaleo Church . In the session they filmed, the Future of the Web & Church we had a conversations on several topics related to faith & technology, including:
- Does reading the Bible in a digital format impact our spiritual development? How? Will this change for future generations of ‘digital natives’?
- To what extent can we use online tools in discipleship?
- Would Jesus be on Facebook or other social media? (Note: My position is that he would not.)
- How does our theology of presence impact the future of the church?
Overall, it was a lively conversation and we only got through the above four topics before time ran out (I had a total of 12 I wanted to hit. Ambitious). If you have not attended this conference, I highly recommend it to everyone. I’m amazed at the consistent high quality of thought-provoking conversations.
There are a number of great books now released & coming out addressing faith & tech, that I would encourage you to pick up.
1. The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion
Product Description: Even the least technical among us are being pressed from all sides by advances in digital technology. We rely upon computers, cell phones, and the Internet for communication, commerce, and entertainment. Yet even though we live in this ‘instant message’ culture, many of us feel disconnected, and we question if all this technology is really good for our souls. In a manner that’s accessible, thoughtful, and biblical, author Tim Challies addresses questions such as: * How has life—and faith—changed now that everyone is available all the time through mobile phones? * How does our constant connection to these digital devices affect our families and our church communities? * What does it mean that almost two billion humans are connected by the Internet … with hundreds of millions more coming online each year? Providing the reader with a framework they can apply to any technology, Tim Challies explains how and why our society has become reliant on digital technology, what it means for our lives, and how it impacts the Christian faith.
2. From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology
– A view of technology from within the Biblical story of redemption.
Product Description: Where does technology belong in the biblical story of redemption? Believers and unbelievers alike are saturated with technology, yet most give it little if any thought. Consumers buy and upgrade as fast as they can, largely unaware of technology’s subtle yet powerful influence. In a world where technology changes almost daily, many are left to wonder: Should Christians embrace all that is happening? Are there some technologies that we need to avoid? Does the Bible give us any guidance on how to use digital tools and social media?
An experienced Web developer and writer on technology and culture, John Dyer answers these questions and more by walking through the story of the Bible and introducing key ideas about how technology and culture interact. Dyer first analyzes the biblical, theological, and philosophical foundations of technology and then studies several examples that show how technology can influence the spiritual life. For youth pastors, college-aged readers, and anyone interested in understanding how technology fits with faith, From the Garden to the City fills a gap for biblically-informed literature in a technological world.
3. Earthen Vessels: Why Our Bodies Matter to Our Faith
Product Description: Our bodies matter. Christians today sometimes forget this, dangerously ignoring the importance of their physical selves when it comes to technology, sexuality, worship, and even death. Anderson’s book will help readers learn what the Bible says about our bodies and grow to appreciate the importance of embodiment in our spiritual lives. It will also explore generational differences when it comes to how we perceive and use our bodies. Just as Christ’s body was crucial to our salvation, our own bodies are an important part of the complete Christian life.
Ministry CIO & IT Roundtable
Join Jim Finwick Vice President of Information Technology – Compassion Intl. & me as we present the session Ministry CIO & IT Roundtable at CLA Ministry Internet & Tech Summit in Dallas April 26-28 http://bit.ly/eacK03
You won’t want to miss this groundbreaking CIO & IT Roundtable community building session. During this session you will hear from innovative Internet and Technology experts, and ministry Chief Information Officer’s and other ministry leaders will discuss today’s most critical online and tech ministry topics. This session provides ministry IT leaders a place to network with peers, learn about new technologies, find out about new solutions, and get advice from others. After completing this session you will be able to: 1) Discern the most pressing Internet and technology issues facing your ministry, 2) Draw upon the expertise of a network of outstanding ministry CIO’s and 3) Develop strategies that put your ministry ahead of the exponential technological change curve.
Social Media for Ministry Leaders and Pastors: Where Do I Start?
Just what is “social media” anyway? Why has it taken the online world by storm? In this webinar you’ll learn why the social web is absolutely crucial to communicating with the next generation. You’ll learn how the up-and-coming generation communicates and why you need to be in those channels, contributing your story to the social media flow. We’ll focus on the “why” and the “how” of social media. If you’re confused by terms like “tweet”, “like” and “blogging”, this webinar is a great place to start in getting a social media education! Join blogger and social strategist Justin Wise to uncover the basic principles of social media and why you need to be integrating it into your ministry work flow.
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/762009344
Title: Social Media for Ministry Leaders and Pastors: Where Do I Start?
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT
Hawaiian Islands Ministries Honolulu 2011 Conference
Hawaiian Islands Ministry Honolulu March 24-26, 2011 | Hawaii Convention Center –
Join me, I will be presenting 3 sessions:
A Look into the Near and Distant Future of Online Ministry
In this session leaders will learn how to develop web strategy to address a ministries’ needs. Learn what is on the horizon that will impact your ministry. This session is designed for strategic leaders regardless of their technological level of understanding. In this session participants will 1) learn how to plan for an effective ministry online strategy, 2) explore key emerging technologies that will impact their ministry and 3) hear how cutting edge organizations are implementing revolutionary practices today.
Websites/Social Media and Your Church
In this session you will get behind the scene access to the real world results of several church web strategies. We’ll look at the church website, social media involvement, mobile, content creation and more to see what is really happening. How effective are they? What are the best practices or common mistakes a church makes? This valuable session will equip you with practical insight, best practices & strategies that your church can implement whether you are an online expert or a beginner.
Forming Missional Communities
In this session you will learn how to build “Missional Communities.” We will discuss how churches have planted or transitioned to include living as a community of people who are united around a common, local mission. Also, how these communities are local expressions of Jesus and his church in the world, living out the gospel in all ways. Learn from one of the founders of the GCM Collective (Gospel Community Mission) about how these movements are changing cities and reaching the lost.
Build the right Social Media Strategy for your Ministry
Join us in Dallas for a great session Tuesday April 26th for ministry leaders: Build the right Social Media Strategy for your Ministry
Learn from several research projects from over 100 leading ministries, hear first hand experience from the social media manager at Compassion Int’l and new media manager of Campus Crusades for Christ.
In this session you will have unprecedented access to social media experts that will help you determine how to craft a social media strategy for your organization. The session will include creating a one-page ministry strategic plan, learning from the best practices from 100+ ministries in the Excellence in Online Ministry research, interaction with the social media manager from Compassion International and others who have conducted numerous social media campaigns for ministries, presidential candidates and corporations. This is the one social media experience you won’t want to miss. After attending this session you will be able to 1) Implement best practices to strengthen your ministry’s social media initiatives, 2) Craft an effective social media strategy for your ministry, 2) Implement best practices for social media as defined in the Excellence in Online Ministry research and 3) Integrate innovative thinking into all the communications strategies for your ministry.
Session Facilitators: Drew Goodmanson, CEO, Monk Development – Kevin Ring, President, Unconventional Method – Chris Giovagnoni, Social Media Manager, Compassion International – Brian Kaufmann, Principal & Creative Director, Tipping Media.
What is your Church Web Strategy?
It is increasingly obvious that an organization’s online presence is the new front door for many people. In 2010, according to Edison Research the Internet has become the most essential medium (from options such as television, radio and others). In fact, this research found that now more people would give up their TV for the Internet if they were forced to only have one of these. The rapid pace of our interactions moving more through the web demands greater attention from the key leadership of your organization.
This shifts holds from the research we’ve done as well. Let me give you two supporting findings:
- 27% of respondents said the church website was how they first learned about the church of those who have attended their church less than 1 year.
- 61% said the church website was somewhat to very important in their decision to attend the church from the above respondents.
Sadly, developing an online ministry strategy doesn’t seem to be as important to many church leaders. MonkDev interacts with hundreds (if not thousands) of churches and ministries every year about the web. Often these conversations can include questions like, “Should we be on Twitter?”, “Are all-Flash websites a bad idea?”, “How do you get better placed on search engines to be found?” “Should we have a large image rotator on our website?” While these questions aren’t bad per-se, too often churches have seen the web from a tactics point-of-view or an add-on tool rather than what it is, a radical paradigm shift.
What I see missing from many churches is a clear strategy for using the web. For example (and to be a bit extreme to make a point) a church that says, “We need to create a Facebook page because everyone is doing this.” This would show that your strategy is to become a copycat of other churches. Churches shouldn’t think about online tactics until they have a web strategy. Let me share a few things we communicate to help churches prepare for building a web strategy.
Principle #1 : A Web Strategy shouldn’t begin with thinking about being Online. – Being Online can be meaningless if you don’t know what you are doing or who you are. Churches we speak with often have an unspoken vision that is internal to a few key leaders, but this vision isn’t frequently communicated or thought through at a level where it drives the organization in a clear and focused direction.
Principle #2 : Ministries should align together toward the shared vision of the church. – It’s easy for churches with their variety of ministries and leaders to move from a place of ministry alignment behind the central vision of the church. Further, in larger churches there can be a level of staff and ministry buy-in to set expectations and work together on communicating toward this changed vision. 
Principle #3 : Often what is the hardest part of a thought through web strategy is the changes offline -
Recently we met with a church who identified a few core goals in developing the community, discipleship, leadership training and connecting people into home groups. In the meetings it became clear no one currently owned this goal/process and it was decided they would have to hire someone. Further, many communication directors move from gatekeeper (often not intentionally this way but functionally) to consultant to release and consult ministry leaders to best use technology to achieve their ministry goals. All of this requires a rethinking of roles and responsibilities that go far deeper than building a website.
MonkDev has a strategic process to help churches build a plan on how they should use the web. This process includes a Vision & Strategy Session for the leadership team to unpack what they believe God is calling them to specifically. Secondly, we meet with Stakeholders & Ministry Leaders to have the leaders communicate this and we guide the team through a educational session that includes case studies to help them see how it might look. These stakeholders then work on their own ministry visions/goals that align with the overall vision of the church. Lastly, we gather all this information and work with the communication & implementation team to translate what was discovered to the web.
In the last three weeks we’ve been on-site of three churches (AL, CA & WA) helping them translate their ministry strategy to the online environment and are booking more into January & February, so it is good to see churches understand how important this is. At MonkDev we are passionate about serving churches in this way and helping ministries use web technology for the Glory of God is part of our calling. Also check out our web solution currently used by thousands of churches called Ekklesia 360.
Learn more about our Church Web Strategy Sessions.
Drew Goodmanson
CEO of Monk Development creators of Ekklesia 360. Co-Founder of Kaleo Church where I served as Pastor for 8+ years and helped coach several church plants in San Diego. Co-Founder of the GCM Collective, President of the Board at the Center for Church Communication, Board Member of the Entrepreneurship Organization, Internet/Technology Advisory Chair at the Christian Leadership Alliance. Connect
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