The Changing Landscape of Mission |
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by Chris Heckert |
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New World Outlook, September/October 2009 Not long ago, I participated in a training event in Uganda. Participants in the training came together from five different countries in East Africa. I have stayed in touch with a few of them; we share pictures, audio recordings of the training sessions, video, and links to news stories via email discussing events in our respective countries. In short, some of the relationships I made during that two-week training session have lasted longer and become more significant than I would have imagined. Although the scenario of people meeting and staying in touch is nothing new, the nature of our correspondence has changed in significant ways. We are becoming accustomed to "instant messages," communicating over long distances in a digital instant and expecting a reply just as quickly. Our communication can be enhanced and extended by blogs ("web logs"--frequently updated internet sites on which people post entries such as their personal journals, commentaries, or trip logs), and social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, or UMCommunities. Participation in the rapidly changing technological advancements of the world is becoming more difficult to avoid every day. New forms of communication have come to dictate the way we function, literally changing the world around us. Whether or not we choose to own a cell phone, subscribe to a high-speed internet service, or do our banking online, our lives will still be affected by these services. Changes in technology are altering the way in which we do business, travel, and even make decisions. My wife and I were having dinner at a restaurant when we decided to go to a movie that evening. Using my iPhone™ (digital mobile device, Apple Inc.), we were able to find 10 theatres in our vicinity that were showing the movie. I was also able to order and pay for tickets. When we arrived at the theatre, we discovered the show had been sold out shortly after we booked the tickets. The cell phone I carry is much more than a device that connects to voices from a distance. It allows me to instantly send and receive messages from around the world, manage my schedule, read newspaper articles, play games, access reviews of local restaurants, and even tune my guitar! This simple device has not only made my life more convenient, it has changed the way I live. Although I have many fond memories of my father reading the daily newspaper after dinner, I never picked up the practice. While I've avoided subscribing to local or national newspapers, I would venture to say that I am better informed on daily events than my father was. I receive the New York Times for free on my phone and read the same articles that others receive in print. I can do so with quicker access and from anywhere I happen to be, whether or not a newsstand is nearby. Of course, advertisers and subscribers who pay for the print edition actually provide this "free" service. They pay for the reporters, photographers, editors, designers, and web technicians that make the online service possible. As more and more people opt out of paying for print, the problem of how to sustain these communication networks has yet to be resolved. I remember how I received the news that Michael Jackson had died. I was driving to New Jersey. I knew the moment it was public because I received a text from CNN, a service that alerts me to breaking news. I didn't read the news in a newspaper, hear it on the radio, or watch it on TV first, though many others did. I received it through one of the many portals of communication that work best for me. A number of influences are coming together in our world today, urgently pushing us to embrace technology in our daily lives. The cost of travel has made video and internet conferencing a must for many businesses. Environmental concerns have prodded us to consider whether cutting down the world's forests is necessary anymore to produce our many print resources. A Broken World Technological advancements are changing the world, yet many of the problems society faces have not changed. In fact, new technologies have given rise to new types of crime, while the "old issues" that have plagued us still persist at the core, such as injustice, corruption, the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities, and exploitation. Today, the bullying that used to be confined to the schoolyard can now take place over the internet, invading a child's home. The reality is that while many things in society change, the brokenness of our world does not change. The need for individuals to experience God's love remains constant. It is important for us to remember that engaging in the use of various forms of technology to communicate is not an endorsement of a way of life or an approval of the more shallow aspects of our culture. We can simply choose to use a new channel to communicate the gospel's consistent message. Utilizing various forms of technology can become the means of fulfilling the church's mission in a changing world. While access to technology is far from equal, out-of-date computers and slow internet connections do not necessarily keep people around the world from utilizing a service like Twitter to tell their story. (Twitter is a free social messaging utility accessible by text messaging.) It can be argued that technology has, in many ways, given voice to those who have been marginalized. This has been seen recently in a number of different instances involving political turmoil, particularly in Iran and China. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, and the ability to get messages out in real time through Twitter have allowed people without access to a free press to share their pictures, tell stories, and garner support--reaching an audience outside their government's control. In the same way, technology gives voice to growing churches and faith communities. They can share stories of what God is doing within their local settings. This form of grassroots communication can serve as a counter to colonialism--allowing indigenous songs, liturgies, testimonies, and concerns to be shared among many peoples. Although the problems of our hurting world--hunger, poverty, disease, and injustice--remain, we are called to offer the grace of God to all. A Mission Update While the mission of The United Methodist Church remains unchanged--to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world--there are an infinite number of ways for us to carry out this mission. We are to alleviate human suffering and seek justice for the world, but how we fulfill this calling opens up a wide field of possibilities. In the 21st century, the church must engage these goals through all means possible. We Twitter. We set up sites on Myspace--not because the church strives to be relevant by keeping up with the latest fads, but because we need to reach people through whatever avenues work for them. The way the church fulfills its mission can and should be influenced by technological advances that improve communication, make information more readily available, and give wider access to resources, such as books, magazines, articles, the Bible, images, and databases. In our changing culture and climate, we are called to be good stewards of the resources available in God's world. We have the ability to claim God's goodness, tell our stories, keep in touch, sing each other's songs, and pray each other's prayers. A church that embraces its mission without fear is a church that is willing to claim new forms of technology as channels for communicating God's grace. When we participate in God's mission, we are not simply carrying out a service--doing something for someone--we also open ourselves to be transformed by our interactions with others. God uses moments of service, worship, and sharing to transform groups, individuals, and congregations. This is true for those who are served and those who offer services. Although using the internet may involve hours of sitting alone in front of a screen, the communication it enables defies isolation. Once we post information onto the internet, it can be searched and accessed, unfettered by the barriers of geography, race, or religious affiliation. While serving a congregation in New Jersey, I set up a group webpage for a team I was leading for a mission volunteer trip to southern India. After posting our trip agenda, a list of items that group members needed to pack, and random thoughts about the tasks our group would attempt to accomplish, I was surprised to receive invitations from a number of churches in India out of the blue. They asked us to visit them and support their ministries. Members of their congregations had found our group's website on the internet. This experience made me realize that anything that is posted publicly online can, and will, be viewed by more people than we think. The global nature of the internet reminds me of the global nature of the church. Web technology can be an amazing resource to connect with, and learn from, our sisters and brothers around the world. Our current efforts to utilize technology can surely be expanded across the denomination. At Christmas time last year, for instance, the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference invested in billboards in the Pittsburgh area, inviting people to text the word "believe" to a phone number. Those who tried it received an uplifting message and the conference was given an opportunity for further dialog in return. A local newspaper reported that the conference received an average of 100 texts per day. While such a creative campaign may be too costly for individual congregations to employ, it provides a good example of how popular methods of communication can be used for ministry. Missionaries have also discovered new ways to communicate with one another, families, and even supporting churches. In Virginia, the Bon Air UMC regularly communicates with Claudia, a missionary in Mozambique with whom they have a covenant relationship. They use Skype, an online video-phone service. Through Skype, members of the congregation can see and talk with Claudia, sometimes during their regular worship service, and she can see them. Congregation members express their care and support while hearing about the many ways their church is in ministry through Claudia's work in Mozambique. God With Us in New Ways The challenge for our churches is to utilize technology in its various forms to continue to do what the church should be doing. New forms of technology can change the way congregations communicate with members, distribute messages, hold Bible studies, connect with members of other churches around the world, and communicate the joy of the good news of the risen Christ. Discussion centered around technology certainly isn't anything new for the church. It is a subject of debate that encompasses how worship is set up, how a church communicates with members, and how congregations reach those outside their church doors. Many congregations have figured out how to fully utilize multiple channels of communication, while other congregations rely on a paper culture to communicate and do ministry. My own annual conference has mandated that all churches need to provide internet service for their pastors. Even though some congregations may not have permanent heating or cooling systems in their sanctuaries, pastors are guaranteed connectivity via the internet to carry out their ministry. Such a requirement acknowledges the conference's recognition of the rising importance of communication technology for the church. I am periodically impressed by the way some churches use technology as a viable and effective channel for ministry, but I also encounter resistance in congregations. Perhaps this resistance can be attributed to a lack of training, resources, or access to internet culture. Or there could be an overall hesitation by churches to conduct church business using a medium that has seemingly injected popular culture with moral and ethical ambiguity. Yet in this constantly changing world, people still need to experience the love of God. The church has the opportunity to make creative use of technology, not to be hip, relevant, or cool, but rather to claim these media as effective new tools for communicating God's grace. Many individuals and congregations around the world are acting as good stewards of technology to minister to others. Pastors blog, missionaries network, worship teams develop projects. Yet we still have far to go, and technology is not an end in itself--it merely provides us with many more ways to reach beyond ourselves to others. With each new development in technology, we are presented with profound opportunities to connect, learn from one another, share in each other's witness, and claim who we are as followers of Christ. The Rev. Chris Heckert is Global Ministries' Associate General Secretary, Mission Communications and Marketing.
Date posted: Sep 01, 2009 |
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The Mission Magazine of the United Methodist Church
