Ministry 2.0

Radio has been a preferred media format for spreading the Gospel for more than 100 years.

Indeed, the first-ever radio program--conducted on Christmas Eve, 1906 by a scientist named Reginald Fessenden--broadcast the song "O, Holy Night" and passages from the Bible to ships off the Massachusetts coast.

In our own age, we've seen television become another medium used effectively for ministry. Some channels exist solely to spread the Gospel, and many church congregations purchase airtime to broadcast worship services and sermons to reach a wider audience.

But in this, the first decade of the 21st century, we are seeing a radical shift in how Christian organizations use media to tell others about Jesus. That's according to The Non-Profit Times, which reported in its January 15 issue that some ministries are moving all of their multi-media operations to the Internet. An exerpt (read the entire story here):

"The Internet and innovative technological advances are rapidly changing how people consume media. With radio, people will either hear the broadcast or not. Online audio gives the users the power to access programs whenever its convenient for them and ministries are tapping in."

Examples include:

• Desiring God, the ministry of Dr. John Piper, has dropped radio entirely. The ministry's multi-media content is now exclusively online, and its page views have risen 356 percent. Donations to the ministry are also up.
• Living on the Edge, a teaching ministry in Georgia, moved its operations onto the Internet and saw the average age of its users go from 44 to 38; more than 30,000 people signed up for LOTE's online community.

"A lot of folks think of the Web site as a project that we work on and then finish," Chris Larson, executive vice president of Ligonier Ministries, told The Non-Profit Times. "Web sites can't be approached like that. They are organisms that need to be continually nurtured and fed. Web site development is a project that just matures over time. It's never a project that's finished."

Here at Union Mission, we recognize this paradigm shift--and welcome it with open arms. We intend to use this technology that God has gifted us with to glorify Him through serving His children. We Feed People...it's what we do. And we'll use whatever tools God has given us to do it.

• In what ways can Union Mission utilize the Internet to help the homeless in West Virginia?
• Is being able to interact online with Union Mission make you more likely to volunteer your time and finances to the West Virginia ministry?

Share your thoughts!