Wikiklesia #19 : Missions Transformed
Steve Knight is the Communications Co-ordinator for Serving in Mission (SIM), and his chapter is an adapted and expanded version of a piece written for the Lausanne site.
Steve's point is that, if we define 'technology' fairly broadly, emerging technology has always been at the forefront of mission initiatives - and actually should be!
I believe one of the greatest impacts on the world of missions will be in the realm of communication, as new media transforms both how the message of the Gospel is proclaimed and how stories from the mission field are reported. The still camera and slide projector are out. The mobile phone camera that records digital video and uploads directly to the Internet is in. And the task of “describing God’s mighty acts” (Acts 2:11) is no longer just the realm of the trained professional.
The theme of 'describing God's mighty acts' is the strapline of Steve's blog and is clearly a driving passion, as the ongoing mission of impact global culture with Christ continues to utilise the diverse forms of media and technology that are increasingly available to us.
On one level there are practical methods, such as mission partners in the field being able to upload photos to web sites of supporting churches 0r - going to the next level - connecting with supporting churches via MP3 podcasting or Skype technology. In this way there is obviously a speed advantage - an up-to-date photo or report is so much easier to deliver virtually than by old, slow, snail mail! But there is something more subversive going on too - the way in which the legions of bloggers and on-site 'witnesses' are able to tell the real stories of what is happening in places where the Government would really rather the rest of the World didn't find out. I've already seen reports here in the UK about the prominent role that bloggers in Iran, Iraq and Syria have had in helping to shape public perception of life in those countries - Steve cites Zimbabwe and Niger as other recent examples.
there are simply more stories of God’s redemptive work in the world than the professionals alone will be able to tell. That is why it is exciting every day to see more and more men and women in ministry using new technology to describe “God’s mighty acts” (the magnalia Dei) in words and images. As citizen journalists and citizens of the kingdom of God (Luke 17:20), these new pioneers of communication and mission are really “kingdom journalists
One area that wasn't covered in this chapter, and I was a bit disappointed that it didn't get at least a mention, is the vexed question of the significant majority of the population of the Third World that doesn't have access to the Internet and - presumably - to quite a bit of the other latest tech stuff. According to this site, whilst just under 70% of North America and 40% of Europe has Web access, the figure drops to 3.5% in Africa. Clearly, there are a great number of 'witnesses' who are not able to tell their stories. What will be the role of the church and mission agencies in trying to give a voice to the voiceless?
Paul Walker
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Reader Comments (3)
Although calls to bring computers to the developing world has been met with great excitement in the domestic technology community, I'm not sure its receiving the same reception overseas where often deadly disease and government corruption are nearly ubiquitous, the mobile option seems to provide a superior return in terms of ameliorating poverty. Great post, great work.
Thanks for reading and reviewing my chapter from the Wikiklesia book! When you first posted this, I was just getting back from a trip to the UK, so I wasn't able to respond to it, and then it slipped through the cracks in my brain, until now! I finally came back to it and read it again.
I agree there are definite disparities in the world in terms of information haves and have nots. I do think it will be interesting to see how things like the "One Laptop Per Child" program will democratize information even further in places like Africa. And the question you pose at the end is a very good one. I tried touching on that in my meditation on the word "witness" and the justice component that is built into that. I think that's going to be one of the great challenges for us as followers of Jesus around the world -- something I hope many will wrestle with in the days (and years) to come. And hopefully my contribution in this book will help spark some of that discussion.
Shalom,
Steve K.