Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM)

Some weeks back, we pointed to a story from CNN noting the effect of mhealth and mobile banking services in Tanzania. Later, we posted a book review which pointed to the need to carefully think and educate towards the implications of mobile in the same country and region. One industry (mobile), one country (Tanzania), but two viewpoints towards the effect of mobile – how does one reconcile such divergent analyses?

Defining Mobile Ministry (again!)

Let’s take this back to grade school and fractions. When you were looking at problems with different denominators, you would first need to get your fractions common to one another. For our discussion, are fraction has the common factor of mobile, but the deonminators speak in one case towards social needs and the other towards social implications. We should then look back at our definition of mobile ministry to better frame both of these matters:

Mobile ministry is the skillful use and application of computer technology classified as mobile for the context of fulfilling the Christian (religious?) designation of forwarding the proclamation of the key ideals and history of the faith, following form to and innovating on top of cultural and faith traditions within applied contexts.

Note the skillful use being advanced by both of these stories – people are using mobile as a means to connect to one another, connect to life saving services, and in many cases are doing so in a context where connectivity and communication was traditionally bound to some specific restraint. Also note the implications happening because of mobile – relations between different culture groups are falling apart, the costs for mobile as an access point is greater than sustainable income levels, etc. As we said before, there’s an activity that’s happening, but its very much being defined by the how not just the what.

We see in the mHealth/mobile banking story the aspect of meeting needs (Matthew 25:35-40). We see in the second story a side effect of meeting needs. Ministry has happened, and lives were (saved) enriched, but doing so opened holes in the social structures which meant that the application of the Gospel had to go beyond the initial addressed need, and now needed to account for the side effect (economic and spiritual artifacts/abuses).

Defining Cultural and Faith Traditions

Look back at our extended outlook for both the definition of mobile ministry and 2011. Note this key point about areas where the Body needs to become more aware and knowledgable:

Spiritual implications of connected spaces: theological constraints/precedents; directions for educators/parents/local communities; psychological/cultural effects of mobile vs other personal/connected technology media elements

It isn’t enough to just apply a technology, but as is noted in both stories, there are cultural and faith traditions which must be observed and followed if the technology and its artifacts are going to have a lasting effect.

We can make some assumptions, as both CNN and Goliama do in their respective pieces. We can’t get the entire picture by just looking at one of them. We’ve got to take into account that there is a rich cultural and historical narrative to which mobile (and health, banking, politics, etc.) is being grafted onto that will further color what’s happening here.

Reconciling to a Picture of Tanzanian Mobile Activity

Tanzania is a country – not a neighborhood. Therefore, we can’t assume that activities happening for one group or in one area of the country are happening with the same fervor (if at all) in another areas.

The common denominator here is that the introduction of mobile in Tanzania has caused disruptions in the social fabric of all those who have or interact with those who utilize mobile devices.

The conclusions for the minister (missional, evangelical, doctor, or otherwise) have to start from there. If you addressing the people of Tanzania (or any country), and wish to engage them with the technologies of their day, does your approach start from a generalized view of the people and their technology, or is it grounded in a methodological evaluation of general and specific issues relating to the sub-groups to which you will be interacting with?

In respect to these stories of our Tanzanian family, remember these key points about mobile:

1. Mobile is the first personal mass media
2. Mobile is permanently carried
3. Mobile is always-on
4. Mobile has a built-in payment mechanism

These are four of the eight characteristics that mobile has and will effect the user and their immediate environment. You can’t get away from the fact that there is an effect. Making sense of it, and then pressing forward to display the Gospel, is what ministers are called to do. What pressing forward will look like, is dependent on what viewpoint of mobile is best served by the environment you are called to be involved in.