How has missions changed since the world became flat? Have technologies such as the Internet, cell phones, Skype, or social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace revolutionized the missions world?
When missionaries would once leave for the field, only to return and give their supporters a report every three to four years, modern technologies allowed not only an almost constant exchange of information, but also increased global awareness on the part of the missionary’s champions back home.
So have technological advances changed the face of missions forever? Are these resources helping or hindering outreach efforts worldwide? This month, we’re going to “link together” to discover answers to these questions.
Ready to interface? Then, let’s get started.
Week #1: “Several years ago, many congregations thought a laptop was an excessive luxury for a missionary. Now, it’s accepted as a necessary tool.” Why this shift in ideology?
According to one Barna group study, “consumer technologies—such as cell phones, DVD players, and mobile computers—have generated mainstream adoption and have significantly shaped the lifestyles and expectations of the nation’s population.” This study goes on to note that Americans’ lifestyles are growing increasingly mobile, having access to information and communication tools at just the click of a few buttons.
Missions champions no longer have to wait for their missions team to return from a far-off land to hear how God is working in that country or to know the needs there. All one has to do is go online, Google a phrase like “poverty in Ghana” or “Christianity in Ukraine” to get millions (yes, millions) of links that the champion can research all from the comfort of the local coffee shop.
For missionaries, tasks such as missionary prayer letters or huge posterboard presentations, that may have once been considered cumbersome, can be replaced by more frequent, interactive, and up-to-date ministry reports via e-mail, blogs, or social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace.
Plus, with all these communication tools, picking up your family and moving to a foreign country is not the “leap off the face of the earth” it may have once been. Through regular e-mails, social networking sites, or other online technologies such as Skype, missionaries can be half a world away and still be able to weekly or even daily stay in touch with family and friends.
So have all these changes actually enhanced missions efforts around the world? Do increased communication abilities and availability of information streamline the administrative side of worldwide evangelism?
Your input is crucial to keeping this discussion alive. Please join in and leave your comments.
http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2753&Itemid=120
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/163-americans-on-the-go-lifestyles-and-entertainment-appetites-fuel-increasing-reliance-upon-technology
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment