Ministry in the Digital Age: Strategies and Best Practices for a Post-Website World

by David T. Bourgeois

Publisher:

IVP

, 2013

Overview

Viral videos and retweeted posts fill the air around us. In the midst of constant news feeds and mobile alerts, ministries have unprecedented opportunities to connect with people yearning for community with others and God.

But how? In this post-website world, it?s no longer enough to have a static website and hope that people find it. If you want to get your online content in front of your audience, you need to have a digital presence in the streams where they're already active.

David Bourgeois offers a practical step-by-step guide for discerning and implementing a digital strategy for your ministry. He provides an overview of how Christians can use technology and communication media wisely, with concrete ideas for churches and nonprofit organizations. Discover how you can make the most of every opportunity to extend your ministry?s electronic reach and impact.

Key Features

• Provides a guide to developing an effective digital strategy
• Explores how to develop a personal strategy for success using digital tools
• Seeks to inspire and encourage readers to take its specific steps for digital ministry

Contents

• What Hath God Wrought?
• Getting in the Stream
• Creating Change
• The Digital Ministry Framework
• Planning Your Digital Strategy
• Implementing and Running Your Digital Ministry
• Privacy and Security Considerations for Digital Ministry
• Conclusion
• Appendix: Digital Tool Categories
• Appendix: genesys11 Research Report: Best Practices in Internet Ministry
• Appendix: Church web usage survey

Top Highlights

“We need to understand that the Internet should first and foremost be about creating relationships: relationships between individuals, relationships between groups of people and relationships with God.” (Pages 19–20)

“Simply put, a stream is the flow of digital content that our potential audience puts in front of themselves every day.” (Page 26)

“Many churches and ministries have been reluctant to change because they are concerned about moving away from what has made them successful in the past.” (Page 41)

“I believe that God will be using digital technologies as the primary tool for accomplishing this.” (Page 14)

“If you want to get your content in front of your audience, you must go where they are.” (Page 25)

Praise for Ministry in the Digital Age

Ministries come to Five Q to be successful on the Web. Often the missing ingredient isn't technical skill or design chops. What is lacking is a clear definition of success and a thoughtful strategy to achieve effective online ministry. Ministry in the Digital Age clearly reveals how people, processes and technology must work in concert to be successful. With helpful insights and penetrating questions, Dr. Bourgeois provides a framework that anyone involved with digital ministry can apply for creating a strategy that will result in kingdom growth. I highly recommend Ministry in the Digital Age to any ministry seeking to lay a strong foundation for a growing ministry in the digital age.

--Chad Williams, CEO, Five Q Communications

Ministry in the Digital Age is a timely and practical playbook every nonprofit leader must read. You'll find the critical 'what you need to know now' for establishing a digital footprint in this post-website world. Bourgeois elegantly frames the landscape, develops a case for urgency, and illustrates how the right strategy amplifies kingdom impact. Read this book and you'll understand, be inspired and be ready to accept your digital responsibility to reach the ends of the earth for Jesus Christ!

--Tami Heim, president and CEO, Christian Leadership Alliance, coauthor, @stickyJesus: How to Live Out Your Faith Online

Although the Internet has been with us for nearly 20 years, there are surprisingly few books explaining how to use it for ministry and evangelism. And titles published even a few years ago may now be out of date. In fact, considerable collective experience and wisdom about this area does exist, but online--piecemeal across thousands of blogs, webpages or recorded conference sessions. Many ministries waste time and money attempting to integrate the Internet into their work without understanding the nature of this new medium or being aware of evidence-based best practices. There is a big need for an integrated overview--and here it is. In this book, Dr. Bourgeois offers a framework of collated understanding that will help any ministry team.

--Tony Whittaker, InternetEvangelismDay.com

Product Details

• Title: Ministry in the Digital Age: Strategies and Best Practices for a Post-Website World
• Author: David T. Bourgeois
• Publisher: IVP
• Print Publication Date: 2013
• Logos Release Date: 2021
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Church work; Computers › Religious aspects--Christianity; Information technology › Religious aspects--Christianity; Pastoral care
• ISBNs: 9780830859962, 9780830856619, 0830859969, 0830856617
• Resource ID: LLS:9780830859962
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-06T21:07:33Z

About David T. Bourgeois

David T. Bourgeois (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University), is director of innovation and associate professor of information systems at Crowell School of Business at Biola University. He has worked in information systems at Fortune 500 companies in such roles as systems analyst, programmer, project leader, trainer and consultant. Bourgeois has been researching and consulting on the use of digital technologies by churches, ministries and other faith-based institutions for the past several years. He has a passion to help these organizations use digital tools to more effectively love God and love others.