Mission Research Paper: Digital Mission

Best Practices for engaging in Digital Missions Ministry

Presented to

Dr. Charles Cook

Ambrose University

In Partial Fulfilment

of the Requirements for MI503

by

Jamila Johnson

Student ID: 026915

Date Submitted: March 23, 2022

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Introduction

The global pandemic of Covid-19 in early 2020 shoved the world into the digital deep end

of the online engagement pool. Overnight, school classes moved entirely online, employees

abandoned offices to work from home, and online shopping exploded in popularity.

Congregations were forced to react rapidly, moving online as physical gathering restrictions came

into effect. Every church leader and pastor moved ministries online. They tried things, but they

ended up exhausted, disappointed, and discouraged when their ministry methodologies failed to

make the digital transition.

One of the most emerged questions in the Covid-19 pandemic is how we keep our people

on a mission when the default setting is online. Digital ministry requires new forms and methods

of teaching, preaching, and pastoral care. This paper aims to ponder some of the best practices

that can help us effectively engage in digital missions.

Digital Mission

Digital Missions is equipping missional people with digital resources that extend the reach of the

Gospel in all its fullness to every tongue, every tribe, and every touchscreen accessible to the

global church through a myriad of digital platforms. It is about ultimately having a presence in

our world through the various digital spaces at our disposal to accelerate the communication of

the good news of Jesus in ways that resonate with the hearer. It has become more prevalent with

the advancement of technology that has opened new pathways and opportunities to engage in

mission. The rise in Covid-19 and the resulting inability to meet in person and travel has served

to fast-track the move to online ministry. Increasingly, digital ministry is becoming a common

way to conduct a global mission.1 In her book Online Jesus, Angela Lynne Craig writes, "The

opportunity to build God's kingdom online every day is enormous. Not only can an online church

be the front door to faith for millions, but Church can also be the lifeline to Jesus for its members
1
Charles A. Cook, “Digital Mission,” MI503 – Mission in Global Perspective (class lecture, Ambrose University,
Calgary, AB, February 5, 2022).
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and local community during this time of world crises. Imagine how different the world would be

if the hope and love of God permeated every post, every video, and every online chat."2

Best Practices to Engage in Digital Mission Ministry

SITY Worshipers in India has been involved in youth ministries since 2006, conducting youth

camps, discipleship training, worship events, and counseling. Every year, June is so important for

SITY Worshipers as everyone waits for this month to have the Annual Youth Camp for three

days. There would be around 500 to 600 youth from different states of India and Nepal. It would

take us months to prepare for this camp, but on 18th March 2020, everything changed with one

news that India will have a complete lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We had to move

everything online like everyone else on the globe. The team had to put much effort into making it

successful. We praised God that we could reach the youth online to different nations except for

India and Nepal. Initially, youth were interested in conducting Sunday service, discipleship

training, and Bible study, but slowly we found that the numbers were declining. We could not

keep it going for long. We failed, and this disturbed us, and even today, we struggle to conduct

youth activities online effectively.

Online Ministry is a great opportunity to reach people no one else is reaching and

introduce them to the life-changing love of Christ. It may seem intimidating or awkward at first,

but it can be massively effective with the right tools and strategies in place! 3 Here are some best

practices to keep in mind when doing ministry online:

Let Love be Your Filter: We all use filters online when posting to Instagram, other image-

based sites, and social media platforms. While there are many places to get the best filters, like

VSCO and Lightroom, there is one filter you should use on every piece of content you put out

online: the filter of love.

2
Angela Lynne Craig, Online Jesus: A Guide to Community, Discipleship, & Care Online (Self-Published, 2020),
10-11.
3
Life Church, “Best Practices for Online Ministry,” Life.Church Open Network Blog, 01 April 2020,
https://openblog.life.church/best-practices-for-online-ministry/.
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The best thing you can do, above all else, is to be light to a dark world and to point
people to Jesus and His great love. There is no greater calling for the Church than to
share the Good News of Jesus and to live our lives in light of His love!

There is so much darkness in our world today, and the internet is no exception to housing

this darkness. The online world is full of fear, hatred, negativity, and bleak despair stories.

However, we are called to be light-bearers in a dark world. We are compelled to show the world

who Jesus is and what He has accomplished for humanity. The Church should not be just another

voice of hate and fear - we should be a voice of love and hope. When conducting ministry online,

everything we do must be rooted and grounded in the love of God. Every word we speak, every

sermon we preach, every video or graphic or post we share must be saturated with the love of

Jesus Christ. Our digital teams should be extremely conscious of the motivation behind every

ounce of content they create and put out. That means no argumentative attitudes, no selfishness,

and no hate. When it comes down to it, the mission of the Church does not change whether it is

online or in-person. Although our method may be a bit different online, the message - to show the

world the love of Jesus - remains the same!4

Creating a Culture of Innovation: Digital mission simply builds on a long, rich heritage of

innovation that has enabled the Gospel to make inroads into new spaces created by technology

down through the centuries.5 Innovation will be a core competency as the Church moves into the

new terrain of online ministry. We will need to increase our competencies in resource innovation,

crowdsourcing, and seeing opportunities in times of crisis. Launching into new forms of ministry

is difficult. Learning anything new is hard. The process demands persistence and moral courage.

We need to retain the underlying conviction that this journey is meaningful because online

communications will only become more important in the future. These creative innovations or

4
Clint Rogers, “Best Practices for Online Ministry,” Digital Fire University, accessed 21 March 2022,
https://www.digitalfireu.com/posts/best-practices-for-online-ministry.
5
Cook, “Digital Mission.”
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changes often could not go too far, but we need to keep one foot in the Church's purpose and

mission while extending the other courageously into the digital culture.6

Most church leaders have no unique ability to predict future events, including global

pandemics. However, they have the capacity to create a culture of innovation and creative

thinking to respond to trends and crises that affect the lives of our communities. Our work will

challenge us to seek innovative and creative solutions as God has gifted us with this inmate

capability. The Church is filled with people made in the image of our creator God and endowed

with the ability to create and to innovate. The task of innovation is inherent in our identity,

purpose, and mission.7 Move forward in creativity and confidence that our God is leading a

creative church to accomplish His kingdom's purposes.8

Mission Beyond Cultural Confines: We all sense that international mission and attitudes about

mission are shifting in our digital world. Congregations must learn to adjust to new terrain.

Globalization has made our world smaller, making it easier to travel (prior to Covid-19) and to

connect using digital media and technology.9

Today, with social media and technology, we can go to any place without actually being
there in person. Churches and ministers can preach in one location and deliver that
message to other nations using technologies like video or audio streaming and live video
on social media. Older technologies like television and radio needed many expensive
infrastructures like satellites, cameras, broadcasting equipment, and editing, but today
you can podcast, vlog, blog, and live stream the Good News right from your smartphones,
and people form all over the world can access it without leaving the comfort of their
homes.10

The opportunity for mission has never been greater. Yet we are profoundly divided and

suspicious of one another. We have built physical and social walls to separate ourselves from

others. The Church, from its inception, used technology for mission beyond its cultural confines.

6
Bryce Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission: A Practical Guide For Ministry Online (Toronto: Tyndale Academic Press,
2020), 144-45.
7
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 132-33.
8
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 145.
9
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 90.
10
Natchi Lazarus, The Connected Church: A Social Media Communication Strategy Guide for Churches, Nonprofits
and Individuals in Ministry (Scotts Valley, Cal: CreateSpace, 2017), 68.
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The early Church used the technology of Roman roads and shipping lanes that connected various

parts of the empire. They facilitated the travel of apostles between cities and the sending of letters

to nurture new congregations. In the past two centuries, supermarkets, modern highways,

railroads, airplanes, and now, digital technology, allowed people to connect, interchange

products, share ideas, and enter into each other's lives. The process has both positive and negative

features.11

Church leaders will be challenged to consider tested principles of missiology in a digital

setting. There are dangers of developing into a form of digital colonialism where we impose our

values and cultural practices on others who join us online. This is one of the major risks of our

digitally connected world. We need to be aware of cultural differences and biases that may create

misunderstanding and negatively impact our thinking about other people with different cultural

backgrounds. Ignorance here is not bliss; it is blindness. One of the ways the Church can protect

itself from digital colonialism is to use the internet to learn about people from other cultures and

explore ways to educate the broader congregation.12

Build a Team: Most pastoral leaders will need a team of people to help their congregation

employ social media effectively. They are advised to select creative individuals who can be

trusted and empowered. It is essential to provide team members with clear policies and

guidelines. The team must understand the priorities of using social media for listening and

engagement. Members of a social media team should see their roles as cultivators of digital

community rather than simply disseminators of content and information.13

David T. Bourgeois says that the team should also include at least one person from the

ministry with decision-making authority. Do not make this an all-volunteer team! This team

should help set direction and review the progress of the digital ministry in comparison to its goal.

11
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 90.
12
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 91.
13
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 107.
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The best practices report supports this: 52 percent of ministries that had a team responsible for

planning were successful, compared to 31 percent for those that did not.14

Conduct Team Meetings: Healthy congregations have good leadership practices. Leaders need

to meet regularly to discuss important matters and issues that arise. Most leaders would agree that

meetings are challenging both in-person and digital space. In online ministry contexts, most

meetings use video conferencing (examples are Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams). There

are a few important things to consider. First, the micro delay can be frustrating. Recognize it and

adapt accordingly. Keep your online meetings short and use video sharing and the chat feature to

show the agenda and keep the meeting on track. Second, be sure your lighting, video, and audio

quality will facilitate the meeting; poor audio or video can create frustration if people are unable

to hear or see others effectively. Third, adapt the meeting style to the number of people who will

be in attendance. The following are some of the best practices for meetings with the team:

 Front load the meeting with casual conversation. Digital communication often neglects

this aspect of communication. Use digital ice breaker questions to get the pulse of your

leadership team. Intentionally foster relationships among them.

 Closely follow an agenda. People will appreciate this, and it will keep the meeting on task

and within time restraints.

 Allow people the freedom to mute (hide) their video. It will help them focus without the

distraction of wondering how others view them.

 Have people use the chat or similar feature in the video conference software to pose

questions or express a desire to speak.

 When appropriate for prayer, discussions, or brainstorming sessions, use smaller breakout

groups.

14
David T. Bourgeois, Ministry in the Digital Age: Strategies and Best Practices for a Post-Website World
(Downers: Intervarsity, 2013), 58.
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Team leadership can be challenging in digital space. Pastoral leaders and chairpeople will

need to check in with others frequently and intentionally. This is much more difficult in digital

space than in physical space, where we get to see people, read their body language, and notice

changing participation levels. Make this a habit. Ask for any uncertainties that are arising. You

can stop and ask the group; Are we doing okay here?15

Discover Your Social Media Tools & Set Goals: We are called to share the love of Christ with

all the world (Matthew 28: 18-20). Throughout history, if there has ever been a greater tool to do

this than the internet and specifically, social media. We cannot take this opportunity lightly. 16

Natchi Lazarus writes, "Today, one of the best ways to establish your presence where the people

are is by being present on social media."17 Social media is perhaps the most accessible tool to use

for digital missions because it is something you are already using for other purposes. You can use

that social media time to make Jesus known with some prayer and intentional strategy. (Class

notes) Without social media, it can be challenging to enter into conversation and experience the

beginning of a relationship with the people in the house. Social Media function as entrance points

to the structure created by digital technology.18

While all social media platforms engage users in similar ways, each will appeal to a

slightly different audience. Finding a good fit for your ministry involves thinking strategically

and then making strategic choices. "We need to use social media because everyone else uses it" is

not a strategy. Social media in and of itself is not a strategy. Social media is a tool that must be

selected and used with purposeful thought. There is no getting around this if you ever hope to get

specific messages to specific audiences to inspire specific actions to generate specific results. 19

15
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 110-112.
16
Nils Smith, Social Media Guide for Ministry: What is it and how to use it (Illinois: Group Publishing, 2013), 8
17
Lazarus, The Connected Church, 39.
18
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 103.
19
Meredith Gould, The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways (Minnesota: Liturgical Press,
2015), 39-40.
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Get familiar with the dominant social media platforms; discover how they work and if you are

comfortable using them. If you are not and the platform will work for your audience, turn the

management of it to someone else and then get out of the way! Do this important prework and

wrestle with these core issues before setting up institutional accounts:

 Who do we most want to reach?

 What do we want to happen as a result of using these tools?

 What do we want people to know or learn about us?

 How will we know we have succeeded?20

It is important to think through your organization and what your goals are. Set a strategy for

how often you will post, what various types of content you will share, and some growth metrics

that you desire to reach. Set aside 15 minutes a week to review insights from the past month and

restructure your strategy and goals for the coming month. Put limits on yourself as you get started

and set realistic goals for posting and interactions.21

Crafting Tactics (When and How to connect): Since social media operates 24 hours a day, you

cannot assume that all your online users are only within your city, state, or time zone. Therefore,

you must adjust and adapt your social media strategy to a 24-hour schedule. This does not mean

that someone must be up at 2 a.m. for posting. Post at least two to three times each day,

preferably in the early morning, early afternoon, and evening. Those times are most ideals. If you

can generate more posts, then you fill the overnight and early morning slots.22

You will also need to figure out how to connect with your audiences. Your audiences are

using multiple platforms at different times and so different reasons. Complete planning involves

factoring in this reality before choosing – or – ditching – social networking platforms. Planning is

incomplete if you fail to discover tactics from strategy. When crafting tactics, ask:

20
Gould, The Social Media Gospel, 40-41.
21
Smith, Social Media Guide for Ministry, 55.
22
Jason Caston, The iChurch Method: How to Advance Your Ministry Online (Dallas: Caston Digital Books, 2012),
128-29.
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 Where does our audience hang out online?

 When do our audiences spend time online?

 Do we have or are we willing to develop resources for social media management?23

The Numbers Game: John Wesley's statement, "I look on all the world as my parish," has often

been cited as a paradigm for online ministry. Because online contacts are easy to count, it is

tempting to use these as a measure of effectiveness and assume that the more people are in

contact with the project the better, with more contacts means more success. The opposite is more

likely to be true – although it feels counter-intuitive, a project which attracts large numbers in the

short term may stretch its resources far too thinly and fail to live up to user expectations,

providing an unappealing experience of Christianity, something which is ultimately counter-

productive.24

Numbers are a good measure of how many people we are reaching, but they should not in

themselves become the aim of our ministry. 25 Numbers reveal something about the health of a

congregation. However, they do not say everything. As you decide what you will count and how

you will evaluate success and failure based on numbers, be sure to focus on engagement rather

than just the quantity of views. Have consistency. Determine what you will regularly measure.

Track and compare these measurements over time, watching for trends. Do not settle for

mediocrity as you analyze the numbers. However, you need to be balanced and realistic in your

expectations.26

Set Boundaries: Social networks do not sleep, but you will need to. Establishing boundaries for

your and your team will be essential for the longevity of your online ministry. Here are some

practical ideas:

 Turn off notifications to social networks.

23
Gould, The Social Media Gospel, 43-44.
24
Pam Smith, Online Mission and Ministry: A Theological and Practical Guide (London: SPCK, 2015), 44-45.
25
Smith, Online Mission and Ministry, 45.
26
Ashlin-Mayo, Digital Mission, 114.
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 Set your phone to "Do Not Disturb" during Bible study, family time, and while you sleep.

 Create a schedule. Schedule specific time during the day and week to post and respond on

social media.

 Do not compare. Do not be tempted to do something just because you see others are doing

it. Begin where your people are already gathering. In most cases, this will be Facebook.

 Simplify! Social networks are replacing blogs and websites. The less time you spend as a

social media administrator, the more time you can be with your people.

 Protect you, your team, and those you serve. Consult your legal counsel to create a social

media checklist/ contract for you and your team to sign.

 Update your insurance: Connect with your local insurance agent to make sure your policy

covers your online ministry and protects you, your team, and your board from personal

liability.27

Uphold Authenticity: The term "catfish" is used to describe someone whose online identity is

quite different from their real-life identity. These people deceive others by projecting a false

narrative of who they truly are through a perfect online persona. So, they will post a perfect

profile photo and smooth-talk, when, they are painfully awkward and the farthest thing from a

supermodel. If we are not careful, churches can unintentionally "catfish" their online audience

and portray an image that is far from the truth. The best way to avoid "catfishing" your target

audience is by upholding authenticity. Being authentic, especially online can be extremely

difficult when representing your true self to a digital world. Tack onto this trap of comparison

and living up to standards in church culture, and you can have a very hard time letting your

Church's identity shine through.

To overcome these obstacles, you need to fully understand what makes up your Church's

identity. What are your values, your beliefs, and your mission? When you live and breathe the

mission of your church community (which is ultimately the mission of Christ - to seek and save
27
Craig, Online Jesus, 66-67.
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the lost), it becomes much more natural to let your true character shine through. People value

authenticity. Younger generations especially will see right through a phony persona and will call

you out on it without a second guess. People are over perfection and a flawless aesthetic - they

want the real thing.28

Conclusion

Digital technology has transformed our everyday lives and impacted every part of society,

including how people understand and practice their faith in their personal lives, within the

Church, and in pursuit of God's mission. Connecting online can never replace the unique

opportunities that face-to-face interaction gives, but we need to keep moving forward to build the

kingdom of God with a hopeful vision for digital mission. The digital mission is filled with

possibilities. It is not something to ignore in fear or abandon willful ignorance. Tim Alford says

that keep going, do not give up, because what you are doing is important. Move forward in

creativity and confidence that our creator God is leading a creative church forward on the

redemptive mission of the kingdom. In the ever-changing digital world, what will not change is

the person and nature of Jesus, his ministry of healing, his teaching of God's love, and his death

and resurrection. While we have those, we have nothing to fear.

28
Rogers, “Best Practices for Online Ministry.”
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Bibliography

Ashlin-Mayo, Bryce. Digital Mission: A Practical Guide For Ministry Online. Toronto: Tyndale
Academic Press, 2020.
Digital Mission book provides practical insights amid digital eruption. It is important to
understand the nature of digital technology to use it effectively in pastoral work and
outreach. This book is designed to help the church leaders to stop, observe, and adapt
thoughtfully and purposefully to understand the impacts of digital technology, its the
possibilities for the church, potential problems and risk factors and how congregational
leaders can plan effective online ministry initiatives and move beyond simply transferring
ministries online.

Bourgeois, David T. Ministry in the Digital Age: Strategies and Best Practices for a Post-
Website
World. Downers: Intervarsity, 2013.
David T. Bourgeois offers a practical, step-by-step guide for discerning and
implementing a digital strategy for ministry. He provides an overview of how Christians
can use technology and communication media wisely with concrete ideas for churches
and nonprofit organizations.

Caston, Jason. The iChurch Method: How to Advance Your Ministry Online. Dallas: Caston
Digital
Books, 2012.
This book is designed to help ministries advance the kingdom online and take the gospel
to the world. Caston takes a technical and strategic approach to help organizations using
The iChruch Method, a five part approach of websites, multimedia, ecommerce, social
media and mobile.

Cook, Charles A. “Digital Mission.” MI 503: Mission in Global Perspective. Class lecture at
Ambrose University, Calgary, AB, February 5, 2022.
Digital missions refer to the importance of equipping missional people with digital
resources that extend the reach of the Gospel in all its fullness to every tongue, every
tribe, and every touchscreen accessible to the global church through a myriad of digital
platforms. It is about ultimately having a presence in our world through the various
digital spaces at our disposal to accelerate the communication of the good news of Jesus
in ways that resonate with the hearer.

Craig, Angela Lynne. Online Jesus: A Guide to Community, Discipleship, & Care Online. Self-
Published, 2020.
The opportunity to build God’s kingdom online every day is enormous. Angela Lynne
Craig provides guidance and straightforward tips in Online Jesus book to efficiently and
effectively utilize social media to enhance your ability to serve God and love others in
your community and beyond.

Gould, Meredith. The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways. Minnesota:
 14

Liturgical Press, 2015.

Gould provides an easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide to digital ministry for those
wishing to embrace new technologies to build community and deepen faith. She focuses
on some of the key topics for effective church communication.

Lazarus, Natchi. The Connected Church: A Social Media Communication Strategy Guide for
Churches, Nonprofits and Individuals in Ministry. Scotts Valley, Cal: CreateSpace, 2017.
We are in a new era of communication. The Internet and social media have changed the
way we connect and communicate with each other. As a body of Christ, it is important
that we understand these changes to serve other effectively. This book helps us to
understand these global, technology-enabled changes and how they impact church, non-
profits, and individuals in ministry.

Life Church. “Best Practices for Online Ministry.” Life.Church Open Network Blog, 01 April
2020. https://openblog.life.church/best-practices-for-online-ministry/.
Online Ministry is a great opportunity to reach people no one else is reaching and
introduce them to the life-changing love of Christ. It may seem intimidating or awkward
at first, but with the right tools and strategies in place, it can be massively effective. In
this article author mentions some best practices and some handy tips to help you
implement them in your church community.

Rogers, Clint. “Best Practices for Online Ministry.” Digital Fire University. Accessed 21 March
2022. https://www.digitalfireu.com/posts/best-practices-for-online-ministry.
Clint spent the first part of his career in overseas missions work and creative church
evangelism, seeing thousands of people come to Christ. He is the founder of Pro
MEDIAFIRE and Pro WEBFIRE where his focus is helping churches and ministries with
creative strategy and digital evangelism. His vision is to ignite church growth by
speaking the language of culture through media and digital.

Smith, Nils. Social Media Guide for Ministry: What is it and how to use it. Illinois: Group
Publishing, 2013.
Social media can feel a little overwhelming to a busy pastor or ministry leaders. This
book is help us to learn about the most popular social media platforms, how to utilize
them, and the difference social media can make in the ministry.

Smith, Pam. Online Mission and Ministry: A Theological and Practical Guide. London: SPCK,
2015.
There are no experts in online ministry – it is a field where practitioners need to keep
learning all the time. This book is more an encouragement to those who are interested to
dip their toe in the water. It is also useful to those who are already involved in online
mission and ministry. Pam Smith offers an excellent guide to the theological and practical
concerns of online worship, fellowship, and spiritual direction.