Mobile Ministry Magazine

Just a reminder that you can meet up with Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM) and many other bloggers, ministers, teachers, and organizations from all over the world at this year's BibleTech Conference. There are tons of topics being covered over the two day event, and if anything like last year the backchat (Twitter, Facebook, and in the hallways) will be just as engaging.

This year, MMM's topic will be Mobile's Christ-Led Encounters (last year's was called Mobile Technology and Connecting Communities) . Here's the presentation abstract/summary:

Mobile has now taken hold as a main fixture within the regular consciousness of most mainstream technical thought. From sociology to psychology, transportation to entertainment, Facebook to the Good Book, mobile is now at the tip of every tongue in being that next great area of opportunity, engagement, division, and law. Still a new media, mobile suffers from the same growing pains centering around the question: "what's its relevance?" Through the Body of Christ, we can point to some examples of mobile taking root in engagement, evangelistic, and opportunistic measures. We will look at some of these areas as a means to describe what has happened, but also in light of what can still be explored with mobile. It is from this lens that we can engage audiences towards utilizing their mobiles-in-hand as a handshake to open the door for an engaging Christ-encounter.

Hopefully, that has you a bit excited towards what's to come - and not just from MMM. Be sure to register and get your hotel reserved as soon as possible. There's a conference discount for the room, and you don't need to worry about food. It will be in San Jose this year, and so we might get more than the 20min of sun we saw last year ;)

Looking forward to reconnecting with many of you, and seeing some others for the first time in person. But, don't let conferences be the only time you choose to connect with MMM. We are on Twitter, engage the local Charlotte, NC community with Digital Disciples, and are available for other presentations and engagements through Inner-Linked. Suffice to say, we're mobile - and at BibleTech, you'll hear more about this mobile lens and how you can respond to it. See you there!

Labels: BibleTech, conferences, Inner-Linked, twitter

Setting up and executing an effective mobile strategy is something that comes up a lot when at conferences or during engagements with various (and prospective) clients. The easy thing to say about that is that you have to have a mobile strategy (speaking solely in terms of faith-based endeavors). Its not an issue of if you will need it, but that you do and need to go about it with much clearer planning an your internet strategy.

Now, without giving away too much of what allows Inner-Linked to survive ;) I will let you in on a few things that you should be mindful of when thinking about "going mobile" on an organizational level.

• First, understand that mobile is just a window into interaction, not the only door, and should definitely not be the last door. Its a handshake, treat it as such.
• SMS is more effective than a website; so don't get caught up in mobile web and applications, yet
• Do take advantage of mobile learning via apps and websites already created for mobile use (for example, YouVersion Live)
• Finally, just try something; mobile is still too new to say that everything won't work. So try something, learn from it, and move to the next door/handshake.

Much like the Mayo Clinic is finding out, you need to have and think hard about a strategy before moving forward. But you have to move, its part of the commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and its the present and future.

Labels: Inner-Linked, innovation, mobile, mobility

Its been a while since plugging Inner-Linked, but I wanted to let you all know of a new service offering through this training/consulting arm of Mobile Ministry Magazine.

Called Mobile Engagement Consulting, this service combines analytics, stragetic planning, Web 2.0 services, and a team-based approach to assist ministries/organizations plan and execute a mobile strategy that enables outreach to current audiences, and opens new windows of engagement to new audiences.

Many organizations are looking for that cost effective extra marketing or engagement edge. We believe that mobile is the most adept and versatile platform for getting to that edge. And in respect to faith-based audiences, it is a very new arena that can generate engagement opportunities faster and deeper than even social networking. We will not sit here and say that there are any proven strategies; we will say that there are several opportunities that would be wise to explore and from there, create the kind of engagements to Christ-centered living that is sometimes missed in our uber-connected world.

So if this is something that interests you or someone in your circle, take a spin over to Inner-Linked and foster that connection of mobile and ministry.

Labels: consulting, Inner-Linked, mobility

This is just one of those plugs for the consulting side of MMM called Inner-Linked.

Inner-Linked is a mobile technology enablement service. Through mobile training and purchase assistance, Inner-Linked helps people and organizataions make sound decsions towards going mobile.

If you are interested in learning more about Inner-Linked, visit our website and drop us a line. Technology is only relevant when its personal, and Inner-Linked helps you make that connection.

Labels: Inner-Linked

So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. (Genesis 1:27-28 AMP)

One of the reasons that I have gone mobile is because I better understand that while the ability to be connected is good for the Body, the ability to use devices and services that better utilize the limited resources of this planet means that other generations will also be able to enjoy such inventiveness.

Something that many do not think about when they use computers, build offices, or even get in their cars to travel to this and that event is that there is a considerable impact on the earth around us that can be minimized when we start looking at the excess and start working to trim things.

It could be as simple as instead of having a church office that the church starts to use a mobile office where the office is actually a data center that is exercising environmentally mindful policies and then the staff members are working from home where they can be a more integral part of their local communities. Trading paper bulletins for SMS alerts might seem like a struggle for some members, but the saving of paper means that the administration staff can spend less time at FedEx and the church can spend those funds on enabling more members to stay connect whether they can make it to a service or the service come to them.

Now, we might not get immediately to the place where we are using phones made from biodegradable materials, but looking at the simple command at the beginning of creation to steward this earth, we can definitely do more than we do.

Has your church or organization started any policies to minimize the environmental impact of doing the work of ministry?

Related Articles:

• Review of the Nokia 3110 Eco-Friendly mobile (Smart Planet)
• Designing for Sustainability (Nokia Conversations)
• What if we all changed our chargers? (Nokia Conversations)
• Solio Solar Charging Solutions
• Working flexibly is paving the way for a more sustainable future (MOOF.mobi)
• Creating a Manifesto for Sustainable Life... (Tim Samoff)

Disclosure: Inner-Linked provides consulting services for those individuals and ministries who are looking to trim their environmental footprint while adding innovation and accessibility to their ministry endeavors.

Labels: 3110 Evolve, community, environment, Inner-Linked, Nokia, stewardship, sustainability, tech, usability

As briefly touched on yesterday, and basically alluded to since MMM came into being, Inner-Linked has been launched. A consulting and training service, Inner-Linked seeks to take lessons gained from Mobile Ministry Magazine, and apply those lessons directly to pastors, missionaries, and your leaders in non-profit arenas.

The best analogy to what Inner-Linked offers is technology enablement over technology support. Inner-Linked doesn't aim to fix usability issues, create applications, or even fix someone's device. Its simple a teaching pot. A place where those interested in mobile technology can gain the knowledge and understanding of how it will be used in their capacity.

The initial service offerings by Inner-Linked are Purchase Assistance and Mobile Device Training. Purchase Assistance walks through purchasing a mobile device, from comparison shopping to addressing the direct user needs. Inner-Linked wants to make sure that you purchase a device or service that fits you, not something you have to fit into. Mobile Device Training is a three course one-on-one (or one-on-many) option where you gain basic, advanced, and specific knowledge about your mobile device or service. From backups and insurance, to using social networks, to strategically implementing a mobile component to one's workplace, Mobile Device Training aims to make sure that whatever mobile technology you are linked to, its something that remains effective past the time when the newness runs off.

Initially, Inner-Linked will be operating as a one-man show. I've got to get a number of things together before adding staff (and trust me, that's really needed already). Inner-Linked is based on making interpersonal relationships, so for now things stay local (Charlotte, NC) and East Coast USA (within reasonable traveling distance).

Chances are that if you are reading this, you might not need something like Inner-Linked. But you do know someone who does. Pass them Inner-Linked's website address (http://inner-linked.com) as well as MMM's and let them see that there's more to mobile ministry than what we can see now; a whole generation of folks around the world use and understand this technology, and using it effectively to them and the generations to come speaks well towards becoming enablers of those who share Christ's passion to the ends of the earth.

Related Links:

• Inner-Linked
• Mobile Ministry Magazine Issue 5: Keep Moving Forward

Labels: community, Inner-Linked, issue 5, mission, tech

The theme of things this week seems to be on part with reflecting on the past, and moving towards the next. Contrary to the internal battle that I have towards integrity, finances, and just life as I age, I really am enjoying things as I have had a lot of places where I am able to discover new parts of myself and put away some older parts.

I went back in the MMM archives today as I was looking towards some records of a few things and saw one of the post popular posts that we ever published, The Paperless Pulpit (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). It was amazing to not just have such a suitable contribution, but for it also to garner some national attention. That, and a phone call that I received last week, just encouraged me that MMM is in the right place, even if it is a bit different and on another stream than what other tech ministries do.

That being said, I am glad that MMM is continuing to move forward. Besides having MMM as the web magazine resource, we also have Inner-Linked as the offline training resource. Inner-Linked is that part of MMM we have talked about from the beginning. A place of training and instruction for pastors, missionaries, and organizations wishing to better apply mobile technology resources to their abilities to inreach and outreach. Its exciting for me because I have to continue to trust God with everything, including the direction and administration of MMM and Inner-Linked. But also because its that moving forward we talked about earlier and doing so in a way that speaks towards glorifying God as best as our humanity allows.

I won't short you all by not speaking a bit more about Inner-Linked later. I've not had the time to write much of anything up for it. But there will be signage on the site soon, and your prayers (and business) will be definitely appreciated.

Labels: Inner-Linked, tech