A Framework for Seeing Our World: the Millennium Matrix

A I prepare to write my book and update my curriculum for my summer course in online ministry, I have been catching up on some recommended reading (many of which I pulled from John Dyer’s excellent list of books). One of the books that has come highly recommended is The Millennium Matrix by M. Rex Miller.

The goal of this book is to provide a lens through which we can look to better understand how the changes in communications technologies have affected our culture in general and the Church specifically. Published in 2005, this book gives clear insights into why we do things a certain way and why those things are beginning to fail. In many ways, this book discusses the same issues that books like UnChristian and, even more so, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture do. And, like those books, it offers a plan for moving forward to address those issues. But I would have to say that, of the three, this book is the most comprehensive and detailed. › Continue reading

Tags: m. rex miller, millennium matrix

Highlights from around the web – 2/19/2010

Here are the most interesting, instructive, and innovative articles from around the web that I’ve read in the past few days.   I am sharing these, along with my comments on them, via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• A history of media technology scares, from the printing press to Facebook. - By Vaughan Bell - Slate Magazine
  Posted: February 17, 2010
  From: www.slate.com
  A brief history of how technology has ruined our society over and over and over...
• Are We All Asking to Be Robbed?
  Posted: February 17, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  The flip side of the location-based technologies, such as Foursquare, are that by telling people where you are, you are also telling them where you are not...
• Microsoft Will Charge Carriers for Windows Phone 7
  Posted: February 17, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Here's an early take on why Android phones will become the default operating system for phones - what do you think?
• The State of the Internet, Does this Change our Online Ministry Strategies?
  Posted: February 16, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  This is a cool graphic. But when you are developing your online strategy, you probably need to focus more specifically on your demographic than this graphic gives. But this is a starting point.
• Facebook Is the Web’s Ultimate Timesink [STATS]
  Posted: February 16, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Some good statistics on the use of Facebook and other web technologies. Trying to figure out where to focus your energy? This may help.
• Understanding Users of Social Networks
  Posted: February 16, 2010
  From: HBS Working Knowledge
  This one's a little old, but I just ran across it. Here is a report on some research about the use of social networks out of Harvard Business School. Some interesting findings and comments on just what a "social strategy" is.
• Plugin by C. Murray Consulting

Living in a post-web site world

Whenever someone comes up to me requesting help for their church or ministry’s Internet effort, I usually get asked a question such as: “How can we make our website better?”  In my opinion, this is the wrong question to ask.  We are now living in a “post-website” world. I don’t know when this happened, but over the past year or so, there has been a shift away from the organization website being the centerpiece of the online world. We need to go where the people are; they are not going to come to us. The advent of social media, including the massive popularity and mainstreaming of Facebook, has changed the game. The question should now be: “What should our online strategy be?”

This is not to say that you don’t need a web site. A web site is your stake in the ground, it is how people will find information about you if they are looking for it. But it is not going to be your primary means of interaction. Sure, you can build your own social network or your own photo-sharing site, but what is going to draw people to it? They are already on Facebook! They are already on Twitter, YouTube, Buzz, MySpace, LinkedIn, and many others! Do your research and find out where the people whom you want to reach are going and then go there yourself! Your strategy should include an intentional focus on specific social media sites based on your research.

So what does this look like? For many, it means Facebook, absolutely. For others, it means getting on board with mobile technologies. Looking forward (as you must do) it should include location-based technologies such as FourSquare or Yelp! And be sure you are getting on board with the augmented reality applications starting to appear! It can be overwhelming, but by making intentional choices, you can move forward in a strategic way that will bring success. If your ministry is struggling with strategic decisions regarding online ministry, consider working with someone like me who is keeping on top of these technologies and can provide strategic planning and advice.

So what do you think? Is the web site as the priority Internet presence a thing of the past? Can an organization get away with a minimal website if they focus on social media sites instead?

Highlights from around the web – 2/16/2010

Here are the most interesting, instructive, and innovative articles from around the web that I’ve read in the past few days.   I am sharing these, along with my comments on them, via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• Rob Bell on the Dangers of Video Preaching
  Posted: February 15, 2010
  From: Out of Ur
  A caution on the use of video from Rob Bell.
• The Case for Excellence - Honoring God with Our Best
  Posted: February 15, 2010
  From: State of Ministry Online
  Here's Paul Steinbrueck's take on excellence in online ministry. I like how he gives some very specific details about what it means to be excellent.
• Google Buzz Has Completely Changed the Game: Here’s How
  Posted: February 14, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Better pay attention to that buzzing sound coming from Google...
• Web Strategy Matrix: Google Buzz vs Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter (Feb 2010)
  Posted: February 13, 2010
  From: Web Strategy by Jeremiah
  Here's a great comparison of some of the top social media tools.
• Is SEO the future of evangelism?
  Posted: February 12, 2010
  From: churchrelevance.com
  Very interesting article on using search. Search is the #1 way people find you on the Internet. And the Internet is usually the first place they look...
• Plugin by C. Murray Consulting

Being intentional about our online lives

As part of my preparation for my book on strategic online ministry, I am working my way through some of the latest books and other materials on the topic. As I review these for myself, I will also share my thoughts about them on this blog.

When I first started reading The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice, I was a bit cynical. The title seemed a bit corny and so many people have said so many things about Facebook already that there couldn’t be anything new to say. Besides, any book written about a specific technology is going to be outdated a year after it was published, and since this was published in 2009, I figured it was already going to be out of date. But, as I began working my way through the book, I was pleasantly surprised in many ways by this book and would recommended for reasons having nothing to do with finding out about Facebook or online ministry.

The book begins with a quick history on the rise of Facebook, in which the author compares the impact that Facebook has had to other technological breakthroughs in modern history. I did find it a bit hard to buy the comparison of Facebook’s impact to that of air conditioning or London’s Millennium Bridge. The discussions of how quickly Facebook’s popularity rose and the founder’s plans for the future can be found in many places. But for the uninitiated, it provides a good background on the popular social networking tool.

› Continue reading

Tags: church of facebook, facebook, jesse rice

Highlights from around the web – 2/12/2010

Here are the most interesting, instructive, and innovative articles from around the web that I’ve read in the past few days. I am sharing these, along with my comments on them, via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• Ed Stetzer on Pastors and Change
  Posted: February 10, 2010
  From: Out of Ur
  Wow. This post gives great insight into where "the Church" is headed. While not all of it is relevant to online ministry, the basic premise is: be ready to change!
• BREAKING: Iranian Government Bans Gmail
  Posted: February 10, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  If you are considering a move to "cloud computing" for your ministry, take note of this article. I realize that here in the US, the chances of something like this happening are slim (after all, the government can't shut down Google, can they?), but if your ministry has a presence in a restrictive country, this could paralyze your communications. And think of all the saved email you would lose access to as well! If you use other "cloud" services to store documents, client information, presentations, etc., this is a call to be sure you have them backed up!
• 7 Ways to Promote Your Offline Event Using Social Media
  Posted: February 10, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Here's a nice primer on using social media for "real world" events. I am all about online/offline integration, so here is one way to do it!
• 3 Ministry Podcasting Options with Wordpress
  Posted: February 10, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  This is a great addition to my series on "web 2.0" for churches: using free web 2.0 tools, you can put your ministry fully online. You can read the series at http://genesys11.com/lessonsfrombabel/2007/05/14/web-20-suite-wrap-up/.
• Visualizing 6 Years of Facebook [INFOGRAPHIC]
  Posted: February 10, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Some good data on how Facebook is becoming THE social media tool. Need some stats to convince your ministry leaders or board that you should be on Facebook?
• Wed. Website Weview & Extreme Makeover Winner: Faith Bible Church
  Posted: February 10, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  Another review of a church website with good recommendations.
• Plugin by C. Murray Consulting

Online Course for Summer 2010: Using the Internet and Social Media for Ministry

There is a need for those being trained in ministry to understand the full potential of the Internet. In their open letter to colleges, the Internet Evangelism Coalition states:

We thank God that some ministries and missions are already ‘seizing the day’ and using the Web effectively for outreach. But unfortunately, these are the exception. Although there are vast numbers of Christian websites and blogs, the overwhelming majority are only for Christians. Church websites can be very off-putting to outsiders. The situation is even worse in non-English languages. Most cross-cultural mission agencies are not using the Web for evangelism. The opportunities to use this God-given tool are immense, but not yet being grasped.

We wonder if this is a gap that colleges like yours could be poised to fill. With your vision, experience and resources, you could help to shape and establish a web evangelism movement that will impact the world for years to come. This new medium also offers many opportunities for student placements, assignments and research projects.

This coming summer (2010), I will be offering an online course in Internet ministry in my role here as a professor at Biola University. I am very excited about this course and hope it can become a regular course that I teach at Biola and possibly expand to other programs at other colleges.  Click here to see the first draft of the course syllabus.

If you are a Biola graduate student and want to find out more about this course, please contact me via email.

If you are not a Biola student and you want to know how you can take this course, please read the letter I sent to dozens of other colleges regarding this possibility.

Tags: biola university

Help us help you: excellence in online ministry

I told you earlier this week about the Ministry Internet & Technology Summit at CLA 2010. One of the themes of this summit is going to be “excellence in online ministry”. I am part of a research team that is putting this project together – and if you are part of an online ministry effort, I need your help!

The cornerstone of this research project is an online survey that will help us understand just what online ministries are doing, why they are doing it, and how effective they are. The results of this survey, combined with interviews and in-depth conversations, will provide our team with the resources needed to develop materials that can make your online ministry excellent.

So will you help us? The survey should take under 30 minutes. I know, this is still a lot of time, but we ask your patience in completing the entire survey to give us the full picture of your ministry.  Those who complete the survey will receive a discount code good for $50 off of the conference registration.

Start the survey by clicking here.

If you would like more background on the conference or the team that is working on the project, see our website: State of Ministry Online.  And if you are not part of an online ministry team, but you know someone who is, please forward them a link to this post or to the survey and ask them to help us out!

Tags: CLA 2010, excellence in online ministry

Highlights from around the web – 2/9/2010

Here are the most interesting, instructive, and innovative articles from around the web that I’ve read in the past few days.   I am sharing these, along with my comments on them, via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• 5 Insightful TED Talks on Social Media
  Posted: February 8, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Five great speakers give their take on social media from past TED conferences.
• 12 Reasons to Redesign Your Website
  Posted: February 5, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  When was the last time you redesigned?
• 10 Reasons Why Your Church Should Seriously Consider Google Apps
  Posted: February 5, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  Here is an article suggesting the use of Google Apps for churches... Though I love Google Apps myself, I am not so sure. See more of my POV in the comments on this article.
• 5 Real Challenges For Non-Profit Texting Campaigns
  Posted: February 5, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Thinking about integrating texting into your ministry? This article gives some of the downsides that this can bring.
• Prayer Engine Launches, Customizable Web-Based Prayer Wall
  Posted: February 5, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  I've been looking for ways that social media could play a role in prayer. This app looks promising...
• How Social Media Helps One Small Business Connect with Fans
  Posted: February 5, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  If it can work for this small company, can it work for your ministry? What if your Facebook page became your PRIMARY focal point for interacting with web users?
• Facebook’s Major Redesign Emphasizes Search and So Much More
  Posted: February 5, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Facebook redesign - do you have it yet?
• Smartphones Are Selling Like Crazy
  Posted: February 5, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Smartphone sales are now slowing down... just a reminder to be sure your ministry is updating its strategy to integrate mobile!
• Pew Study Points to Facebook as Personal Blog Killer
  Posted: February 5, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  Paul points out something in the new Pew report on teen usage of the Internet: blogs are fading, social networks are replacing them.
• Plugin by C. Murray Consulting

Internet & Technology Summit – CLA 2010

Do you want to network with those who working on the same technology projects as you? Need to know what the latest technology trends are? Do you want to know how to be “excellent” in online ministry? Or maybe you just need an excuse to go to San Diego in April? Come to the Ministry Internet & Technology Summit from April 19 to 21 in San Diego, CA. This summit is part of the larger Christian Leadership Alliance’s annual conference.

Presenters include:

• Cynthia Ware, Executive Director Center for Church Communications
• Nick Nicholau, President Ministry Business Services and Co-founder Ministry Technology Institute
• Drew Goodmanson, CEO Monk Development
• Steve Hewitt, editor-in-chief Christian Computing Magazine
• Kevin Ring, President Unconventional Method
• Steve Hewitt, Editor-in-Chief, Christian Computing magazine
• Ron Weber, COO Trinet Internet Solutions
• …and me!

For more detail on the sessions, take a look at this PDF of page 8 of the conference brochure.  For full details of the conference, take a look at the full brochure.

Watch this blog for more info on how you can make these sessions even more effective by participating in research and giving us feedback on what is important to you (and get a discount on the conference as well!).

Tags: CLA 2010