Digital transformation of mission

Tony Whittaker, the Coordinator of the online magazine, Internet Evangelism Day has written an Open Letter to Mission Agency Leaders.   He begins in this way:

Digital communication is transforming our world in ways that we are only beginning to discern. There are now over 3 billion mobile phone owners and 2 billion web users, and the majority are outside the West. Facebook has 500 million users in nearly 100 languages, making it (in terms of ‘population’) the third largest ‘country’ in the world.

This new ‘digital communication culture’ is superseding the West’s ‘print communication culture’. And remarkably, it has much more in common with the ‘oral communication cultures’ that many of us are so familiar with. Its strengths include two-way interaction and relationship building, visual storying rather than left-brain abstract analytic thinking, and the ability to offer information and help anonymously. 

Tony goes on to discuss ways in which Mission Organisations are still needing to catch up with the digital revolution.   There's something of a mindset that the digital age is only affecting the West.   This may (in part) be the case with the Internet, but in terms of mobile phones, the revolution is huge, enormous, increasingly global.  

Read the rest of his letter and see just how remarkable the potential is for far-reaching changes in global mission.  

Heard of LifeChurch?

Heard of LifeChurch.tv...? Can't say I have, although the name kind of rings a bell. Anyway, LifeChurch.tv is:

#1 on 2008 America’s 25 Most Innovative Churches

#31 on Outreach magazine’s 2007 101 Fastest-Growing U.S. Churches

#5 on Outreach magazine’s 2007 100 Largest U.S. Churches

#5 on The Church Report’s 2007 50 Most Influential Churches

• LifeChurch.tv meets in twelve locations in six states, reaching over 22,000 people weekly through 49 worship experiences every weekend
  
• Has an Internet Church
• Has started a church in Second Life (don't know what that is? Check out the notes below.)
• Has developed an interactive online Bible: YouVersion
• Hosts One Prayer - a daily devotional focused on prayer
  
• Gives all their resources away for free to other churches

Second Life is an Internet-based 3-D virtual world which enables its users to explore, socialize, participate in individual or group activities, and create and trade items and services from one another. In Second Life, users create avatars (3-D characters) that they use to interact and communicate with each other via a text chat (audio chat is coming soon) or by making gestures.

Second Life was launched in 2003 and has grown significantly in recent months. In October 2006, Second Life reached the 1 million registered accounts mark and quickly grew to over 6 million registered accounts by May 2007.

What is significant about all these items: Internet, Internet, Internet. (While I don't agree entirely with Tony Morgan that print is dead, Internet is certainly alive.)

Nine Do's and Don'ts

Tony Morgan, on the neoleader blog, offers nine do's and don'ts for those in ministry leadership. I've just listed the nine here, but you can see his additional comments by going to the blog itself.

1. You don’t need a logo.
   
2. Your fancy flyers won’t help.
   
3. Put people first.
   
4. Lead your ministry.
   
5. Remember: print is dead.
   
6. Don’t wait on the church to establish online community.
7. You probably need to cut programs and events.
   
8. Grow through volunteers.
   
9. You are not competing against other ministries.

What he has to say beyond these nine statements is well worth considering.