The Technical Language of Ministry and Missions

Ben Kelley, Ph.D., P.E.ECS Professor & Dean

ECS Scholars Day, 1-Feb-08

2

Technology Influences History

Fire Wheel Bronze Age Industrial Revolution Internal Combustion Digital Electronics …

Statement of Fact

3

Technology Influences the Church

Fishers of Men Water Wells Gutenberg Printing Press Circuit Riders Radio Sermons Televangelists …

4

ECS’ers Have a Vocabulary

IEEE, ACM, ASME, SWE, NSBE

ΧΣ, ΗΚΝ, ΤΒΠ, ΠΤΣ,

VLSI, ASTM, LVDT

Moore’s Law, Wolf’s Law

Coulomb, Watt, Maxwell, L'Hôpital, Pascal Newton, Doty, Gaitros, Thompson, Farris

My favorites: Franklin & Edison

, ABET

5

Baylor, ECS, and the Church

Judge REB Baylor BGCT, BSM, RUF, FBCW Chapel Christian Scriptures; Christian Heritage Engineers with a Mission Appropriate Technology “…with a Christian worldview.”

6

Technology Affects Our Lives

iPod

iPhone

FaceBook

MySpace

YouTube

And so also the church

7

We Are Technology

We Are The Church

Technology is a part of the Church

8

e-Commerce, e-Mail, e-Learning…

e-Missionaries– Coined by Saddleback’s Rick Warren– Access to dangerous regions– Communications through e-mail, web sites…

e-Discipleship– Bible study course online– Self paced; Advantage of web attributes

9

e-Everything/Anything…

e-Bible– Searchable online bibles– Available for mobile devices– eBible Teacher adds PowerPoints & SS lessons

e-Vangelism– or Internet Evangelism– Reach un/underserved populations

10

Cyber…

CyberSitter (internet filter)

CyberAngels (virus protection)

CyberDefender (anti spyware)

CyberShot (SONY camera)

CyberCheck (remote PC control)

CyberGuys (online hardware and software)

CyberErotica (movies)

Seven of NineSpecies: Human; Cybernetic

11

Cyber…

CyberChurch

– Virtual church

– “Meets” in cyberspace

– Members minister to each other

– Takes advantage of internet (geocities, yahoo, MySpace, Second Life, Cell/Smart phones…)

– Operates across vast physical/geographic platforms

12

Cyber…

CyberMissions

– Taught in seminaries

– “front-line use of computers and the internet as tools in achieving the Great Commission.”

– “reaching the next billion internet users that will come online in the next three years.”

13

Cyber…

CyberEvangelist– First as non-Christian term promoting www– Significant portion of ministry is online– Position held by Jeremy Ciaramella at Portland

International Church of Christ

CyberMinistry– The activities Of a CyberEvangelist– Lots of community/connection advice on internet

14

Other New Staff Titles

Pastor of Technology– The individual who decides what “… technology

investments are essential to achieving our goals of communicating the Gospel.” Tyndall Wakeham, Ecclesia Church, Houston

PastorPreneurs– Entrepreneur pastors often involved with church

plantings and transformations and that have responsibilities for managing many elements of the church business and ministry.

15

Other High-Tech Vernacular

MegaChurch– 2,000 or more weekly worshipers– Some simulcast to branches– LifeChurch (20k members, 11 locations)

Online Outreach– Al-Anon– Newsletters, web casts, blogs

Web Missions– Examples are exhaustive & some robust

16

“Academic” Conferences

ICCM– International Conference on Computing & Missions

AC4

– Association of Christian Computer Centers

IMC– Internet Ministry Conference

CEEC– Christian Engineering Educators Conference

17

Interesting Thoughts

Risk Management: in dangerous regions

By 2010 internet evangelism will represent majority of decisions for Christ – Campus Crusade

One-to-many and one-to-one

Asynchronous and Archived

Wide geography; Low cost

Particular niches; Seeker driven

18

Other Vernacular Quips

The Geek shall inherit the earth.

Give me that on-line religion.

Christianity is not a theory; its a life.

19