But then I got to thinking…small groups are also a powerful way for people to grow spiritually, could they benefit from this app? And many people work in teams as part of their job or volunteering, could they benefit from this app?  This is where you come in – would you like to be a part of this project? Would your ministry benefit from an app that allows people to form groups and communicate privately with each other, coordinate schedules, and also integrate with your ministry? The potential users could be your employees, volunteers, or those to whom you minister.  This could be a boon to small group Bible studies as the app could include pointers to what should be studied that week or (most importantly) who is bringing dessert to the next meeting – and then send reminders to them via their device the day before.

So, how can you partner with me on this? I am looking for ministries who will 1) commit to being on a steering committee team over the next few months as this app is developed and 2) be willing to make a small financial commitment up front to “buy in”.  Once the app is ready, your ministries will be the first test organizations (besides my classes) to use it.  And, of course, you will not have to purchase the app for your ministry once it is ready. This project will be limited to only about six ministries – so if you are interested, please contact me right away! If I feel that your ministry is a good fit for this project, then we will begin moving forward.

For my part, I will commit to working with you over the next few months to develop the app. I will work on it myself, with the possibility of bringing in one or more of my students to help work on it as the project moves forward.  The app will be targeted for iPhone and Android simultaneously, with an eye toward an iPad implementation in round 2.

If you are interested in getting more information about this project and possibly partnering with me, please click the button below. Thanks for your interest!

For readers of my blog, I will also embed it here. This embedded video will work for as long as I have the video available on my genesys11 site. It runs about a half an hour, but is well worth it.

UCI tackles ‘World of Warcraft’ mystery

And Happy New Year!

I have finally settled on three primary books for my course (though I still have a couple I am thinking about adding). Over the next few weeks, I will share my selections here on this blog.  The first book I have selected is Dr. Aubrey Malphurs’ Church Next.  Written with his son, Michael, I found this book to give a good overview of the current state of the Church and makes a great case for why the move to the Internet is the right one.  For those who do not know who Aubrey Malphurs is, he is Senior Professor of Pastoral Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the head of the Malphurs Group.

The book opens with two chapters on the decline of the Church in the US and the world and presents some reasons for just why that has happened.  Their conclusion: the Church has failed to change as society and culture changed and is becoming less and less relevant.

The second part of the book makes the case for change, with a full chapter devoted to the development of a “theology of change”. Frankly, it is this chapter that convinced me that this is one of the books I need in my course.  This chapter focuses on the idea that while it is allowable for the forms of the Church to change, it is not acceptable for the functions of the Church to change.  Using good examples and scripture, a case for change is well-made. This is followed up by a chapter on the effects of postmodernism on our culture.

The last part of the book is on how the Internet can be the tool for this change.  Because the book was written in 2003, most of what is here is old news. I will probably have my students scan this part, but we will not focus on it. We will have other sources in our class for ideas on technology.

Overall, this is a great book for those working to understand how something as timeless as Christ’s body (the Church) can change. If you are working with a church or organization who doesn’t see the need to move to the Internet, this book presents a compelling case.

• Pew Internet and American Life Project home page
• Report on use of podcasting (2008)
• Report on use of video sites (2008)
• Report on “networked families” (2008)
• Report on “faith online” (2004)

Link to Church Marketing Sucks blog entry

Link to research page on genesys11