One of the more significant challenges that comes to the mobile ministry (#mobmin) world is the search for any non-English Christian content. And depending on the conversation – that hunt for Christian content comes with that preface of good, quality Christian content. Its been said to us directly that of the Christian content that is available – more than 80% is English only – which leaves thousands of languages to be served by a meager rest of what’s left. That leaves ministries and organizations with a dual purpose of not just being there for a spiritual gain, but also an educational one – trying to bridge a gap that literally could have been taken care of if we thought of our neighbor during this information explosion.
What’s even being asked for when we use a phrase like “non-English Christian content?” Are we talking bibles? Are we talking music? Are we talking pastorial helps? Are we talking health, marketplace, and legal information? Well, we’re actually talking about all of these – hence the challenge. Its not just making content available (translation/transliteration of existing resources), but its also the creating of services and processes which enable language groups to make their own (regardless of the English-speaker’s view on what’s quality and what isn’t).
Bibles/Biblical
This might be the easier one to tackle. Groups such as SIL, Wycliffe, Faith Comes By Hearing, TWR and others have been at this for a long time. While working with the Kiosk Evangelism Project, I was exposed to the fact that there are over 4000 languages and dialects worldwide. The persons working in these and similar ministries are literally tasked with doing that work of text, video, and audio translation – and building the systems which support this (information technology, discipleship/education practices, etc.). Amazing stuff, and this is just that which is biblical.
Music
Music is regarded as a universal thread for all people groups, hence the challenge here. You can’t make music that speaks to a culture without having some inside knowledge of that culture. Again with the Kiosk Evangelsim Project, I was exposed to many people who have been working in the spaces of worship music, trans-culture production, and academia who’s mission it is to find and build that bridge. Some of the challenge here comes down to a disconnect between the music and the technology (you’d be surprised how many people don’t know about the simple recorder app in their mobiles). Some of that is because of the need (want?) for some more high quality that what can be done at the time. Its a challenging space to say the least – but when you do hear the outcome, that praise/worship/adoration of God through that culture’s musical capacities – wow… the idea of new heaven/new earth takes on a powerful perspective.
Pastoral Helps
Its one thing to have content which leads the individual believer to mature, its another thing to have a suite of content built to enable/empower the shepards over those groups. I’ve been really impressed at how this aspect of non-English content has been addressed by Door 43 and Cybermissions. As with music, there’s that aspect of making things available, but then you’ve also got the component of teaching people how to use it – in their language! That said, its not enough – more partnerships need to happen between those on the ground w/non-English communities who leave leaders in place when their missions time is done, and those persons who are able to catalyze lesson delivery systems for continued growth of those leaders.
Health, Marketplace, Legal
If you look at the common thread to every miracle Jesus did, they all had a very simple and profound thread: every one of them (including the resurrection) served to add time to the life of the recipient, literally adding to their ability to be reconciled to the Father. When we look at avenues to expand the impact of the Gospel, this is the thread in which we need to live. Non-English content that’s able to address matters of immediate health, economic opportunity, or even just legal processes do like Jesus’ miracles in respect to adding time to the lives of those who (rightly so) should be aimed with a clear message of the Gospel. The problem here is that to make these kinds of efforts to extend time means that a lot of time has to be used (many times without short-term, positive ROI).
These avenues are being looked at, but not usually from a primarily Christian perspective (not a bad thing IMO). Where the disconnect happens is when no attempt is made to take a wealth of opportunity (for example, don’t just build a well, but how do you train locals to become their community’s engineers) and make it contextually relevant to all. Its in this suite of content that “Christian” content is most missed, and could be for sometime – the wall is on our side, not the side of non-English persons.
We’ve said a few times before that an app isn’t a strategy, and that in this space that you’d be well to think about opportunities outside of “how to read the bible.” Here are some areas that need the most attention. Specifically if you are doing non-English content. If you are working in this space and have some openly available content – do let us know. We’d like to get up a listing of those content streams as well. Perhaps with a focus on every nation and tongue, we add to the works of those groups already trying to close that gap in hunting for non-English content that serves the global Body.
These two innovative approaches to mobile learning have come across the screens lately. Both would be useful for increasing your skills and abilities to peruse mobile ministry endeavors:
This past Monday, I got a chance to present at the 7Ms meeting in VA Beach. Its always a pleasure to connect with and hear the stories of what is happening around the world from missionaries who are in and out of the states, and this meeting was no different – even with us having the space to present about MMM.
That said, I do encourage you (and your ministries) to check out Taylor University if you have an interest in computing and mission. They are one of the more impressive educational settings that I’ve seen for this activity, and don’t see them slowing down any time soon.
Cybermissions has 
From the Perspectives of Teachers
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011Yet OliveTree and others showed very well that while they might not always be the preferred tool for creating sermons and studies, they were no less capable than “full” software packages commonly found on pastor’s desktops and laptops. This year’s SBL Bible Software Shootout reintroduces the mobile component – especially because of the popularity of the iPad – and gets an additional curveball in some responses towards using this software not from a company’s perspective, but from an instructor’s perspective.
From this year’s SBL Bible Software Shootout 2: Revenge of the Teachers, Biblical Studies and Technological Tools offers some commentary towards these presentations:
Again, there’s nothing radically new here, unless you look a bit deeper into what’s happening. The SBL Shootout is usually composed of companies skilled to develop towards the tnedencies of academics, not necessarly the most mobile-friendly audiences, and definitley one with a different paradigm towards teaching emthods. There was a heavier emphasis on the presenters here to be led towards applying the text of Scripture, but also demonstrating their methods towards dissecting and interpreting the meaning of the text based on what’s worked in instructor-led settings (languages, cultures, etc.). If you will, you are getting an opinion out of the actual use of the product, not simply the features that the developer wants to most demonstrate (biased towards their marketing/compitence). When you get the presentation of the capability of the software from the perspective of the teacher, you begin to see a bit more how this is used in such settings (wealth and warts) and can start to discern a bit more contexually the strengths of the software versus the stregths of the teacher.
What’s not clear from the commentary is how the reception was from students who engaged instructors that prepared these materials. Were the classes better managed? Or, where there additional challenges getting (some/most) students information in a manner that didn’t just work best for teaching the concepts, but also their devices? Clearly, the software is in a better place. And now hearing the academicly-tuned Biblical/religious community share their lessons-learned is great. The question is how can these persectives be rolled up into something of a working document for best practices for others who wish to have some insight or clarity towards instructing to this depth from a mobile device, connected software, and theological perspective.
I like some of the discussion here about the utilization of Apple’s iCloud. In some conversations with ministers recently, iCloud has come up as something they very much liked because it meant that they were better able to take what they needed from a laptop setting and have that on their mobile or tablet as they went. Again, this isn’t a radical change from what we’ve demonstrated and talked about here (its really syncing, though more than just calendar/contact data as many of you have done via Exchange, PalmSync, etc., without the fun of pushing a button to say so), but the acceptance of the behavior to prepare and be ready to teach a lesson is something to note. On our end, products such as Dropbox and Idea Flight have been quite useful towards instructor-led engagements. Though, simply putting your items on a server and then provoking interaction from that point has also been quite demonstrative.
Read the rest of the commentary about the SBL Shootout 2 from Biblical Studies and Technological Tools and then consider how you are leveraging these technologies to teach clearer or better. It might be that you create something similar to a traditional lecture-based course, or, that you might make something more along the lines of the Cybermission’s Mobile Ministry Training Course which goes towards a different direction of technical competence for instructors. In either respect, going mobile isn’t an excuse for not being able to handle teaching a lesson – the tools are there, are your teaching chops and students up for the rest?
Tags: Accordance, bible applications, bible software, Biblical Studies and Technological Tools, classroom management, Cybermissions, Dropbox, education, iCloud, Idea Flight, instruction, Internet, Logos, methodologies, Mobile in Discipleship/Education, Mobile Minsitry Training Course, Olivetree, SBL Bible Software Shootout, seminary, teaching
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