David Bourgeois offers a step-by-step guide for discerning and implementing a digital strategy in your ministry. Presenting Christianity itself as a grand communication event, he helps Christians see that the advent of electronic media is truly good news for the world.

This book outlines digital discipleship principles for building an online community and provides practical instruction for how to do it no matter how big or small a local church may be. There are more than 2.3 billion professing Christians in the world and more and more new churches launching globally, yet statistics show that in-person church attendance is declining or plateauing in every nation. Although social technology has been around for more than two decades, church leaders have long bristled at the idea of church online, ranking it as the last concern on their minds in Barna's 2020 state of the church report published February 3, 2020. And then, three weeks later, COVID-19 closed the doors of every church on earth and suddenly forced them entirely online. Nona Jones, a globally acclaimed thought leader on leveraging technology for ministry, had been leading a movement and sounding the alarm for several years to make digital discipleship a central part of every church’s ministry approach. In From Social Media to Social Ministry, she outlines her digital discipleship principles and provides practical instruction for how to do it no matter how big or small a local church may be. There are plenty of books to help churches build a social media strategy, but this is the first book of its kind that goes beyond digital marketing to digital ministry. Readers will leave this book with: Clarity on what discipleship truly is The data that underscores the urgency for digital discipleship Understanding of the resources required to do it well A step-by-step guide on how to implement digital discipleship into ministry plans Knowledge of the differences among and purposes of the most popular social platforms, as well as the tools best positioned for digital ministry

This timely guide provides insight and tools to address the challenges and opportunities in leading ministry in a new hybrid world. While churches have long since used technology to reach broader audiences, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a huge, sudden shift in the ways in which congregations were able to gather. This book explores the role of digital technology in faith-based communities in the future, serving as a guide for church leaders to expand their digital ministries beyond a broadcast model. The author compiles a variety of useful resources that provide insight on the challenges associated with using technology in faith-formation teaching contexts, as well as the advantages and opportunities that arise in a hybrid environment. Topics include hybrid leadership, the role of technology during disruptive circumstances, digital technology in faith formation and mission, the metaverse, and steps in integrating digital media in lifelong faith formation, among others. This guide also addresses digitally enabled strategies in faith formation events. Church leaders will find this book to be a valuable resource to learn about the latest topics and address the changing needs of their congregations and gain greater competency in digital ministry.

"Provides essential knowledge, practices, and skills to guide pastors, ministry leaders, and faith formation leaders in Christian churches in creating digitally integrated ministry and faith formation in their churches"--

Online groups aren't new. After all, I started my first online small group in 1994 on CompuServe with a dial-up modem. While they're not new, online groups are next.Apart from the technology, there are many commonalities between online small groups and offline small groups, yet they are not exactly the same. With online groups people are not gathered in the same room and in some cases, they're not even in the same state, province, or country. Online groups are portable. Snowbirds can stay connected whether they're in the North or the South. Online groups break down many limitations. Time of day, distance, and travel no longer deter online groups. Whether the group meets by video, audio, or asynchronously (and even occasionally in-person), online groups provide flexibility to both make disciples and engage spiritual seekers.Leading Online Small Groups is a complete guide to online groups and is adapted from Leading Healthy Groups by Allen White. Whether you are leading your very first online meeting and are unsure of how to navigate the software to handling childcare to navigating group dynamics and special situations, Allen draws from his over 30 years of ministry experience to guide you every step of the way.Online group life certainly involves meetings to study God's Word, but it involves so much more in becoming a healthy, dynamic small group. In this book, you will learn how to: Chapter 1: Start Your Online Group, if you're leading for the first time.Chapter 2: Connect with Your Coach (or even find one).Chapter 3: Plan Your First Online Meeting (step by step).Chapter 4: Develop Your Group Members.Chapter 5: Make Disciples.Chapter 6: Navigate Online Group Dynamics.Chapter 7: Set Group Boundaries (so you don't burn out).Chapter 8: Launch Others into Leadership.Based on his own experience with online small groups as well as his general experience with small groups, Allen guides you through the complexity of online groups and relationship in general.

David Bourgeois offers a step-by-step guide for discerning and implementing a digital strategy in your ministry. Presenting Christianity itself as a grand communication event, he helps Christians see that the advent of electronic media is truly good news for the world.

What do you need to lead a special needs ministry? Leading a Special Needs Ministry is a practical how-to guide for the family ministry team working to welcome one or 100 children with special needs.