Really simple question as those of us in the USA celebrate Independence Day today:
Has the introduction of mobile into your life given you more or less independence in ministry?
Let’s hear your responses in the comments and on Twitter.
Posts Tagged ‘Communication’
Is Mobile Independence for You/Your Ministry-Org?
Monday, July 4th, 2011
The Disability of Christians in IT
Sunday, June 26th, 2011
Having recently spent some time at both the GCIA and ICCM conferences, I’ve gotten to take a look at some of the more techie aspects of ministering in the Body. And truly, there’s something different about IT folks – Christian or not – that these kinds of conferences are ideal for. That being said, I’ve also noticed that because there’s such a need for these conferences, this also points to a signifiant sense of disability (or even disunity in some cases) amongst Christians that goes unchecked.
A Clanging Cymbal…
Starting with the common parlance, “those geeks/nerds don’t speak our language.” And this is indeed true. The vernacular of IT professionals seems to totally qualify as “another tongue” and hence much of the wisdom your local IT nerd/geek can espouse would fall on deaf ears (that clanging cymbal of 1 Corinthians 12).
What’s not usually addressed is how to get over those communication barriers. I got this lesson in college. When my dreams of being an industrial designer were shredded, I was led by the Lord towards communications and public relations as a focus. It was there that I learned how to take my more technical leanings in some areas, and parse them toward more understandable terms. That’s not a common path, and hence we have many technologists whom have their weaknesses in speaking and writing relationally.
Transformations of the Mind…
Communication though isn’t the only struggle. There’s also the struggle of fit (psychologically). I noticed that there were an unusually high number of IT persons who they themselves, or those close to them, who suffered from some diagnosed mental disability. For some, that meant a series of medications to keep on track. For some, that meant counseling instead of, or in addition to, medications. And for others still, it meant that they had to transition from areas of work they loved, to areas that weren’t so lovable, because of the stress levels and effects of that stress on them. It is hard to have the position that IT is a ministry, when IT is perceived as something of a disease to be treated and brought into normacy.
Let’s be clear here. There are chemical/psychological leanings that are clear cases of disorder. However, some of those diagnoses come from a misunderstanding not of brain chemistry, but of the entirety of mental capacity ranges in any society. I wish that I could go back to my time teaching in Lancaster, PA and document the effects of the relationships that I had with kids who were diagnosed one way, but given a change in engaging them, their disabilities became a doorway to unlocked abilities.
Every Good and Perfect Gift…
Lastly, and this kind of follows along with language and psychology, is that IT isn’t seen as a “gift from God.” It doesn’t fall within the (often mistaught) five-fold (or four-fold if you actually read the Greek) ministry. Yes, its a service-oriented platform, but there was no such thing as information technology in the Bible (or so some would have you believe). And being that it wasn’t there, this is just a product of the times and those people with IT leanings need to be directed towards more traditional forms of ministry.
Unfortunately, this position is more common than we sometimes want to believe. We lose a lot of people not just in respect to ministry service, but also in terms of the entire population of this faith community when we demean talents and competencies such as those found in information technology. When these competencies are denied or taken advantage of without a clear teaching of their usefulness, fruitfulness, or historical perspectives, we actually rape from one another the clothing that God’s given us towards clothing the Bride of Christ.
Unlike the other two items I’ve mentioned, it takes a bit more than behavior changes and diagnosable terms. In this respect, we’ve got to do a better job of communicating the full scope of the gifts of service, organization, craftsmanship, etc. that go into the Body. In a very real sense, we need to figure out “why” we have a Gall Bladder, not just cut it out when it explodes. Groups such as Digital Disciples and Church Tech Matters have sought to shift the perspective here, but much work is yet to be done.
No One Is Exempt…
IT professionals and ministers need to also take heed here. You don’t get off free because you’ve gone the better part of the last 40 years not being understood. You’ve got to learn new skills – some of them people-relational skills, some of them journalistic – in order to make sure that what you are bringing to the table isn’t simply clanging off the ears of others. You know that you’ve been given that brain and those technical skills by God, step to the plate in learning how to better apply them in a relevant manner.
In All Thy Getting…
At the ICCM conference, I stopped to talk with a brother and his family whom accompanied him there. He had two tall sons (taller than me). One was beginning to look at colleges and the other was entering high school. For the one entering college, he responded when asked that he was looking into engineering. Always an impressive field, but wrought with people whom are technically sound, but lack relational skills. I admonished him to make sure that he takes some writing and communication classes. His technical skills would be enhanced by his ability to communicate in spoken and written words. The father had never heard of focusing on weaknesses in schooling like that before and was himself encouraged at the recommendation. I can speak from experience, writing and speaking classes made it a lot easier to get some points across – even when I do write longer articles like this.
I say all of that to encourage the body of believers to not neglect one another because one gift comes across more geeky than another. And don’t always subject yourself to stresses and pressures of only catering to what makes you unique. We all have value to one another. Its a disability to us all when we allow our IT-focused brothers and sisters to sit away from us, neglected in what is clearly a direct copy of God’s image-building of us (Genesis 1-2).
Mobile in Those Experience Spaces
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
I have been thinking a bit more about the aspect of mobile having three layers: devices, services, and experiences. Specifically, I have been looking at experiences as this eventual goal, but kind of missing some of the key elements of experiences.
For example, Starbucks (McDonald’s, Panera, and luxury auto makers) define their existence as something fitting that space in life that is neither home nor work. There are areas of the USA where churches also define their existence within this 3rd space.
Now, what happens in this space can’t be like work (take for compensation) or home (rest and maturity). Something else happens in this space that fills something needed in our lives. One of the pitches for retail outlets is that they appeal to a space where you can get away and be refreshed without a vacation.
Now, there’s mobile. When we say that we want to use mobile in a ministry context, we are encroaching on this 3rd space to a degree. It could be intentional – the bible application developer ideally wants you to use their application in this 3rd space to refresh and retool. That doesn’t mean that the application isn’t viable in the other two spaces, but that it fits better in the 3rd.
But, what about other ministry engagements. Surely, if church is considered the 3rd space, then using a mobile for bible studies, events, and to create media can fit. But, when it does get placed there, is mobile encroaching on that personal moment? Can a mobile-friendly broadcast (for example) ever be well received when a person is not willing to be engaged?
I’ve got ways to go in this thinking. But, I want to leave with the same questions we posted on Twitter some days back for discussion and reflection:
[Thought] #mobmin (mobile ministry) challenges the Christian perception that the 3rd space (home, work are 1st two) is a church(-space)?
[Thought] If 3rd space is no longer a space but is an event, what/should the focus of #mobmin lie, how does it morph to other 3rd spaces?
MMM Top 10 Topics of 2010
Thursday, December 30th, 2010
Yesterday, we hit on the top posts of 2010. Today, we look at the top 10 topics based on frequency of use here at MMM. In one respect, this gives you an idea of how we focus on various areas, and in another respect points to areas of interest and notable subject areas throughout 2010.
#10: SMS
Makes a lot of sense that SMS would be a popular topic. Its how it was a popular topic that becomes interesting as you see the various types of posts on the topic.
#9: Software
The software industry is constantly changing, and this year in mobile has been no exception. Lots of viewpoints here from applicaitons to developer relations.
#8: Social Networking
What comes first, going social or going mobile? Hard to tell sometimes with the amount of conversations around both.
#7: Bible
It strikes me as amazing how the Bible stays in the conversation no matter if we are talking reading, communities, software, or successes in this space.
#6: Communication
As with social networking, simply communicating tends to be a common meme within mobile. Lots of potential here for more work.
#5: Education
We’ve been intentional at look at education as a part of the fabric of being mobile, and this year’s posts have fought hard towards that fact. Look for much more in this space in 2011.
#4: Tech
Technology is a term that be be denoted to any tool. Effective technology – especially in this space – is another conversation. We’ve had several of these.
#3: Resources
MMM also serves as a springboard towards research and reosurces in the mobile ministry space. As with education, this is a topic that’s bound to rise higher in 2011.
#2: Community
How does the tech and resources filter into the local community of believers? Plenty of coverage around community engagements such as Lausanne, discipliship, and more.
#1: Mobility
It would almost be obvious to say that mobile would be at the top of the list. Mobility is not just the tools, but the processes, the policies, and the implications. Next year, we might default this one out of the list.
Those areas accounted for lots of coverage here. We are expecting this list to shift a good bit in 2011. What do you think might be some of the topics that would make this list next year here at MMM? Speak up in the comments or on Twitter (@mobileminmag).
The Implications of PC Free
Monday, August 2nd, 2010A good friend to MMM, Ricky Cadden, had recently posted the question of if we are on the verge of the first computer (PC) free generation? Ignoring for a minute those persons whom their mobile phone is their first (and usually only) PC, this does seem to be a viable question.
One of parts to answering this question hits at the core of MMM’s approach to understanding life at the intersection of faith and mobile technology. It is not enough to use mobile as a part of your maturing spiritual life, but to understand and lead others towards understanding the implications of such a life.
So, with that backdrop, here’s a question to the MMM audience:
What are some of the implications to spiritual growth within faith-based communities when computing and communication have gone completely mobile and portable?
Braving the Real World (Mobile Versus Internet)
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010“…to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.”
To any fans of Star Trek, this phrase will ring very familiar. And to those who prescribe to missional and evangelitical contexts within the Christian fiath, this is pretty much your DNA and way of life.
And now there’s another veichle. One where communication and media travels faster than the attention that it deserves. One where its just as easy to connect spiritually as it is to disconnect socially. One where its a matter of several systems working together properly, not the least of which is the wallet to fund its relevancy.
I speak of mobility – not (just) Internet. And the purpose behind mobile is just as clear as it is within other forms of media and communication – connecting people to what matters most to them most, and sharing that value with others as an purposeful behavior, not a compelled one.
Depending on the perspective of who is reading this, you might also say the same for the Internet. But, I will caution you – its not the same journey. It is, in fact, accented by the gains made on the Internet, but punctuated by the gains made in access. The Internet isn’t everywhere. As a matter of fact, its not even everywhere in places that esposue to be connected more than others – for example, one county over from Silicon Valley boasts some impressively miniscule computer and broadband adoption raters. Mobile, on the other hand, sees nearly 4 billion unique eyes (and several million more machine eyes), and this number is still increasing at a high rate. Another example, in several countries, the number of mobile phone subscriptions is greater than the total population of that country. The Internet isn’t on that scale in any country at this time.
And yet mobile is added to the pie of communication that the Internet is also a part of. A pie that’s not finished baking if you as many who study and analyize the Internet do understand and forward. It’s not that the Internet is half-baked, but it – like media that has gone before it – undergoes continual change – the latest being the social web, or commonly called Web 2.0.
Mobile, or mobile access, can be argued as the most disruptive of these changes. It still in the adoption phase (6.5-7 billion people in the world, 4 billion mobile cellular subscriptions and growing; hunderds to 4 billion in 25 years, etc.). The idea of connectivity on a mobile is in its 3rd generation (3G = voice and data, with the ability to deliever broadband-like services, security, and monetization optimizations, mainstream acceptance, etc.). And the best is yet to come (augmented reality, unified communications, etc.). Mobile is a personal communication’s channel, enterprise/web testing bed, and a largely unexplored nebula of interpersonal and inter-communal interactions.
Mobile is a personal warp engine to reality. It doesn’t just invite you to use computing to connect, it compels you to get out in the real world and connect. Mobile isn’t just simply refactoring the behaviors of broadcast media,* it invites the receiver to be a participant in shaping the message narrow-casting that message to others.
*Broadcast media is normally defined as commercial media sent to a large group of persons, receivable by a hardware commodity which may or may not be subsidized by the media entity, but does follow specific governmatal and commerce regulations in order to disemenate information. Its not voluntary accept in the fact that you have your choice of channel, not message context.
One of the many questions asked about adding a mobile and social component within ministries misses this key point. Mobile isn’t about what you can push to others, its about what you can do to get them to participate within the story you wish for them to subscribe to.
A question posted today on Twitter by the Ideas Project points to this incoming change in the way we understand and use information. It’s not that the learning, or even the information has changed. What mobile (and social Internet) has invited is this idea that there can and should be more participants crafting and dissemenating the story narriative. Mobile invites response by its very nature. And as mobile marketing analysists have investigated, the response time for communication to mobile devices can be 3-10X greater (in numbers) and measured in minutes (in respect to hours, days) to other media.
It’s therefore easy to say “go mobile,” or “let’s develop a mobile strategy that will put us in the minds (hands) of newer generations of communicators.” However, that might be the wrong approach. Its been seen time and time again on the educational side that learning happens best when students are a part of crafting the message. It was one thing when Jesus was the person visiting the sick and delievering hearts from oppression (Luke 4:18-19), it was another thing entirely when the people he taught to do (live) the same put on such clothing (Acts 2:40-47).
I’d argue that mobile invites us (the Body) to embed into others the ability to craft this story of our faith. Not that previous media or methods couldn’t, but because mobile is so close to the storyteller, that is makes sense to develop and enable others to do so.
What say you? Is this a part of what we’ve been endowed to do (Acts 1:8)? If you will, mobile/mobility inviting a literal practicing of the life we will eventually live (Revelation 1:6; 20:6)?
iPhone 4 and Biblical Reflections
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010It is a deliberate thing that reflections on the iPhone 4 announcement have taken a while to come together. While there is always some appreciation towards a new device and what it can mean for mobile from a technology-adoption standpoint, its always important to filter thoughts about the implications of mobile appropriately.
To be blunt, there’s nothing drastically new with this iPhone, and at the same time, there are some notables. The most spoken about features will be the battery life (if the iPad is an indication, should be outstanding to all but BlackBerry users) and the very high-resolution screen (at 326 dots-per-inch for a 3.5in screen, its better than anything out with a backlight, and will make paper look bad too). The other features are in or have been within other mobiles for a good amount of time. Apple’s attention to the user experience though will continue to set the iPhone as a (mental) bar for users, developers, and manufacturers alike.
All of this is ok. Yet, doesn’t really say why this reflection piece has taken so long to pen.
The announcement of the high-definition camera should start to change perceptions towards what’s possible from a mobile device. Yes, its not one of those professional grade approaches to recording and disseminating video, but its another call to a paradigm shift. That shift is simply that your IT resources (people, intellectual capacities, and strategies) would be better utilized training people to use this tool for the community’s benefit.
For example, instead of just having one team record a gathering, invite others to do so (use governance and appropriate direction in terms of bounds) and post the compiled footage on your community website. Use the capacities not just on the device, but within your IT teams to create avenues for the technical education programs that school districts are increasingly being asked to cut.
Then there’s the video calling feature – FaceTime. Now, let’s get this out there – this is not new. Its been done in several regions for a long time, and with varying degrees of success. This is of course announced with the Apple touch so there’s got to be something new right? No, not really. The calls are over Wi-Fi only at this point, which means that unless you are on a Wi-Fi train or plane, you will be sitting still in doing one of these calls. Other services such as Fring, Palringo, and Skype have this ability and over cellular connections as well as Wi-Fi. The debates of whether video calling is good or not will go on for sometime, but let’s concentrate on one specific implication of it – accountability.
Moreover, if they brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And he he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
That’s from Matthew 18:15-17. Notice the loophole that someone could take with video calling instead of an interpersonal interaction?
Its not the tool that’s the issue either, its the behavior (maturity) of the persons involved. If someone has an issue, and chooses not to address it to a person directly, even with being able to see them versus just getting the text/audio of the person, will matters be resolved? That’s not to say that its always possible to resolve life’s situations in-person, but as usual, technology as it is given does speak to ways that we can miss out on the subtle and needed aspects of interpersonal relationships.
The other side of that is that one can use video calling (at least in terms of Apple’s FaceTime) to other Apple iPhone device users to keep in contact with one another over distances, saving on international rates and possibly even as a means to extend missional relationships once the physical presence time is no more.
And so, there are some of the reflections of the new iPhone 4 and what it looks like at this intersection. It’s not the total of opinions, and won’t be the last here or elsewhere. But, in light of what’s possible with a $199-$399 device (after contract) that has a ton of media attention, we shouldn’t just take the marketing terms and call it good. We should take into account the possibilities and accept that just because we can do it, doesn’t make it the best course of action (according to Galatians 6:1-10, this is our opportunity to do things just a bit different).
Perspectives to Mobile
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010There are several ways to think and talk about mobile. And normally speaking, what’s relevant to one group may not be as rerevant to another. In respect to mobile in ministry, these distinctions often bring up engaging discussions, and sometimes even, unappreciation to the depth that is mobile.
The Outreach Perspective
For example, there’s one type of perspective to mobile that I’ll simply call an outreach-mentality. Here, the use of mobile technology is filtered through the lens of pushing information out to audiences in innovative, fast, and engaging ways. Within this view, we see those people who are media creators who are looking for ways to get their content into the hands of others.
The Needs Perspective
With this view we see mobile defined as the technology that is enabling people and communities to meet some kind of felt need (community development, education, etc.). This viewpoint to mobile can be the most divisive because defining need rarely reaches equally across regions, but has specific contact points of relevance and purpose depending on the group’s needs.
The Additional Screen Perspective
There’s also the viewpoint that mobile is seen as an additonal screen. This viewpoint takes more of a root and use in cultures where mobile competes with other technologies for attention and wallets. It is within this view that mobile is seen more as a push-communications media than its seen as an enabler, and at the same time, its noted for its ability to be relevant at that point because the communication is so targeted.
Many Views, One Served
These are just a few of the noted perspectives that’s seen throughout content that comes through MMM. Interestingly enough, each audience served (the three noted aren’t MMM-specific audiences) wants to better understand and manage mobile, but not within all the potential viewpoints.
Some time ago, it was noted that the benefit of gifts is noticed best when each person with that gift recognizes theirs, and recognizes the gifts of others. In mobile, its vitally important that if you are going to take advantage of its abilities, that you not just understand it within your perspective, but also understand it within the counter-perspectives… doing this, you can avoid the short-sightedness that causes use and innovation, and therefore unity, to falter.
Local Engagement with SMS and Mobile Web
Monday, May 31st, 2010A common question posed to myself here at MMM has been the idea of local engagement. That is, what can churches/ministries do on a local level to engage their communities by taking advantage of the mobile technologies that are becoming more commonly used around their communities. An experience that I had yesterday points to a few ways towards making this possible.
I was invited to Remedy Church by some friends for service this past weekend. The friend and I communicated the entire matter via SMS. He did the noble thing and sent me the address of the church, I promptly looked up the address within the mapping application on my mobile, and got two sets of directions to get there.
I wanted to get a small feel for the church before getting there, so Sunday morning before departing I took a look at their website using my mobile. I browsed through every page of their site, and thankfully, my mobile had the ability to view all aspects of their site. I did have trouble finding the address information – as it was embedded into a picture rather than as HTML text – but other than that found everything that I’d wanted to know before hand.
Using Ovi Maps, I was directed to Remedy and then just made my way into speaking with several people. They are really a nice and youthful community. I even spotted a person using an iPad during service. One of the things that I really liked is that they are doing Scriptural memorization as an entire community. They passed out a card and both sides were presented with passages in 1 John 2 that they were setting to remember. The pastor made the mention that it wasn’t a requirement, but it was something they were doing to help facilitate maturity in speaking the Scriptures within and outside of their community.
The message was on point. The person preaching was not the usual pastor, but a member of the community who has stepped into the calling to be a church planter. His message was not just very direct (re: convicting) but also packed with several references outside of his main passage in Luke 9:57-62. This too was very good to hear as the person stayed very close to the text in interpretation, and kept the application relevant to the listening community.
As the service ended, there was another card to fill out (since I was a visitor). This was the normal connection card asking for name, email, address, and having a few check boxes for a few other items and comments. All in all, the same and nothing too different – except the entry and managing points of all of that information.
So here are a few points where mobile, SMS, and mobile web can be points in this story:
- Instead of sending a person the address for a venue, send them the address from your web or mobile mapping application – which will come to a person as a SMS with a URL link, or MMS with a picture of the map location
- Making sure that either your church has a mobile-friendly website or is at least accessible to mobile devices for key content such as address, phone numbers, and primary contact persons
- If your community is a bit techie, make an announcement of this characteristic just in case visitors have an aversion to using modern devices in service
- Encourage actions such as events, Scriptural memorization, etc. to be shared by as many media realms as possible. Go as far as taking a photo of flyers and sharing that via MMS with others
- Use interactive biblical tools such as YouVersion to not just share the Scriptures, but also the outlines and the commentary that your community shares over messages and subjects.
- Encourage folks to share reflections of the message on your community blog (use moderation as needed, and communicate those policies)
- Don’t just rely on handwritten forms for visitor engagement, use online forms, Twitter, and other social media tools to also acquire that information and then to reconnect with others
This is not a critique of Remedy or other churches who use these methods. It is a look at where technologies such as mobile and web intersects and it doesn’t cause any more administrative concerns than what currently exists.
Do tread slowly. Don’t try to go so far and so fast with these tools. But, do take a look at what you have in your communities and hands, and think creatively. Then engage locally.
What I Wish My Pastor Knew About: Responsible Engineering and Technology – from Ministry Theorem
Sunday, October 30th, 2011Read the rest of What I Wish My Pastor Knew About: Responsible Engineering and Technology (Gayle Ermer) from Ministry Theorem.
This has been sitting in a window/tab to read on my iPad for a few days and (at the time of writing), I’ve still not gotten to reading the entire piece. Still, the subject and initial paragraphs have been intriguing enough to just poke my mind enough in the direction (again) of wondering how technologists can do a better job of relating to non-techincal fields the Godly value of what we do. I mean, we shouldn’t need God to speak on our behalf all the time (ref Exodus 25 as God making out an industry for certain types of engeineers, craftsmen, and tailors), but it sure does feel like that’s the only way that these two groups would come together for the glory of God and benefit of the entire Body.
~ via John Dyer; paragraph breaks inserted into the blockquote for readability
Tags: Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Communication, engineering, Gayle Ermer, innovation, John Dyer, Ministry Theorem, relevance, tech
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