This is sometimes the picture that comes to mind when I encounter ministries that are flagrantly opposed to using any sort of online media to help their ministries grow and prosper.
We must begin to think of the local church as much more than brick and mortar; we must begin to think digitally. There’s too much at stake and too much opportunity to be wasted not to.
Let’s continue to encourage our brothers and sisters that don’t have this perspective (yet). Let’s love them into the truth.
chrishill says
I assume you mean ministries that could obviously benefit from going digital.
There are still very focused ministries doing great things for the kingdom with no plans of going digital. Because their offline vision is so focused and running well oiled, they're reaching more than dying digital ministries with little or no vision or focus.
I believe all focused ministries, online & offline, are doing a great job of standing in the gap for one another.
human3rror says
i'm not dogmatic about technology nor it's use. I think many ministries would do far better if they never entered the space.
Mary says
Integration is a good thing. Both online and off line will benefit all.
human3rror says
agreed.
matt huggins says
You make no mention of what sort of fruit these ministries might be bearing. Please stop acting like the use of information technology is some how on a par with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. For all you know (for all anyone knows), the Internet is causing more harm than good in the Church. Don't mistake technological or marketing wizardry for spiritual wisdom.
God's work over the course of history very rarely advances through the power structures of this World. Do not scoff at the widow's mite.
Kyle Reed says
I understand what you are trying to say here Matt, but it seems that you are bringing in some other things as well that John was not talking about in his post. I don't see any mention about neglecting the holy spirit in favor of the indwelling of the spirit of the webs.
We do not go any where without the guidance and mentorship of the Holy Spirit, but what if in refusal of new technology we are refusing the guidance of the holy spirit to use this technology?
CountryCuban says
God's work over the course of history does advance through the power structures of this world. We are in this world, not of it… but since we are in it, we are to use the resources that are available to spread the Gospel. In the Bible, Jesus and the disciples used every resource they had available to them. If the Lord has put us in this point in time where we can use these resources to advance the Gospel, it's almost offensive to not do so. Jesus went where people were. Where are people today? Online. Where are people meeting their significant others (1 out of every 8)? Online. People are online, which is why the Church needs to at least consider meeting them there.
Just my two cents.
human3rror says
thanks for your contribution to this convo…!
;0
Graham Brenna says
That's what it's all about right there! Nicely put.
joannamuses says
At very least a basic website would be a good start for many churches/ministries. When i moved to where i'm living at now a few months ago i looked on Google maps to find churches near by. It was amazing how many of those didn't even have a website. Those got crossed of the list because without the website i couldn't easily find the service times or any other important information about them that would make visiting them a possibility.
jojoagot says
I agree with @joannamuses. When I relocated to a new city few months ago, I couldn't just roam around the block to find a church. I surfed the internet and found one that I liked but when I went to the building, it was empty. It turned out that they already moved to a better location but forgot to update their "static" website (they rarely update it). I ended up going to another church.
Of all the arguments above, I think I'd go with @chrishill. Some churches are better off not going online if they're doing fairly well offline. It's just a matter of focus and the vision of the leadership. You don't need to fix something that's not broken. Let's just let them be.
And for those who have ministries online, two thumbs for you guys.
Alex says
i would also agree with Chris Hill. Not all church's and organizations need social media or a website. It all depends on the target base. Generally, I like to avoid absolute statements because there always tends to be some exception. You cannot say that all churches and ministries need a website. The church my grandmother goes to out in the country of Tennessee doesn't need a website; it doesn't fit the culture of that area.
Justin Wise says
In all seriousness, I think any ministry effort in the next 5-15 years that DOESN'T integrate some sort of digital initiative is unfaithful. It's that big of a deal. Great note, John.
human3rror says
word up.
😉
how are things going?
Justin Wise says
Just sent an update. I think.
chrishill says
Remember though that we're a body…together….not a bunch of individual bodies. If an arm is striving to be the best arm it can be and fulfilling its purpose, then it should be okay to leave the walking to the feet.
We need to sharpen our strengths instead of trying to do it all even if we're not gifted in all things. Let the people who are digitally inclined reach people who are also digitally inclined and vice versa. Cliche alert: Working together, using our gifts as one body, we can take the gospel to all nations, tribe, tongue, shelter, browser, etc…
Jim says
they think its a fad…both there a many who are not sure of what to do or who to go to…or they are cheap…
Mike says
I am a young pastor in a new church… and unfortunately being young doesn't translate into "tech smarts" But I believe in this thing. Whether or not it takes me the rest of my life, I have decided to strive to at least do my best to keep up. stretch myself. learn. grow. Be the best HARVEST HAND I can be. Jesus said that we would receive Power when the Holy Spirit came upon us to go and BE His witnesses. The field is not going to harvest itself. Let's work hard, and SMART while it is day for night is coming when no one can work! The problem with ministries who are completely offline is simply that they are NOT reaching their FULLEST potential and so, arguably, not reaching or fulfilling their God given purpose. This is poor leadership, and poor stewardship of the call. OH but they don't know how… that is why we have the Body of Christ! Some he gave to teach, others to teach the teachers how to get on the web!!! We need to work together on this to reach the fullness of all that God wants for us. Thank you John for your encouragement to us to reach for the depths! I pray that God will help me in this arena to engage more than I am today by conventional means… because the day will come, and is fast approaching, when the web itself will be convention and there will be a new system to learn and I do not want to be left behind because I refused to tech up now!
sdesocio says
Im a Presbyterian and I wrote an article over at my blog on the topic within our context Technology Stewardship
human3rror says
thanks for that!
Mark Thomas says
The church I'm in has a good website and we release content on said website every week. We, however, have little intention of ever doing live broadcasts of Sunday morning services. All too often this gives people an excuse not go to church.
If we were to ever do "online church" as part of our internet presence, it would be made very clear that we would prefer no one actually sat at home and watched and instead went to a physical local church in their community: to serve their community.
The whole point of church is not to go to the coolest, hippest, most cutting edge church. The point is to integrate yourself into a body of believers. This provides real fellowship and accountability that can never be paralleled by online "attendance". It also provides the church goer a real opportunity to be actually involved in their community. Many churches have outreach programs involving feeding/clothing the hungry and community clean-up among other things.
While I'm not completely against the online church service, it should never, ever be a substitute for physically going to a church in your community.
human3rror says
I think my point was to use online technology generally, not specifically church online… but, good thoughts!
@techmate says
A ministry with an online presence is key for me. I work long hours throughout the day plus have to drive to a different town to work. I don't always have the time I would like to sit down and read the Bible or attend a weekday service at a church. Being able to access sermons via podcasts and listen on the way to work and watch live sermons streamed online has been such an enormous blessing to me. I know there are others out there who are in the same situation. I think it's vital that a church pursues it's online presence as it is another method to feed the sheep.