DON’T REINVENT THE INTERNET

DON'T REINVENT THE INTERNET

This is part 3 of a 10-part blog series on HOW TO GET YOUR MINISTRY ONLINE. You can follow the DIGITAL SKATEPARK tag or go back to the intro post for links out to the rest of the series.

< See the previous post in the series

DON’T REINVENT THE INTERNET

Sometimes people with tech-know-how propose big plans for getting ministries online. While I don’t want to stifle original, creative online ideas, the good thing with the Internet is that you don’t need to reinvent it. It already exists and there are plenty of free (or relatively inexpensive) and flexible tools that you can use today and more to come in the future.

The other good thing with online tools is that you don’t need to be an expert. You don’t need a tech department or an IT Crowd! If you are able to switch a computer or smart phone on and send and receive email, you have enough skill to get your youth ministry online.

One of the key principles is to utilise and leverage technologies that your community are already accessing. This will be explored further in future posts.

See the next post in the series >


This series forms the basis of a chapter I wrote in a forthcoming Youth Ministry book to be published by Anglican Youthworks. The rest of the book is written by Scott Petty (Youth Minister from Christ Church St Ives) and is published here with permission.

ONLINE COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTES TO OFFLINE COMMUNITY

ONLINE OFFLINE

This is part 2 of a 10-part blog series on HOW TO GET YOUR MINISTRY ONLINE. You can follow the DIGITAL SKATEPARK tag or go back to the intro post for links out to the rest of the series.

< See the previous post in the series

ONLINE COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTES TO OFFLINE COMMUNITY

Let’s assume that your youth ministry meets two times per week, a larger youth group meeting and smaller bible study groups. Unleashing the Internet and mobile devices will give you an opportunity to have an impact into young lives every day of the week. Some might think that’s too much! But it doesn’t need to be overwhelming for youth or youth leaders.

Continue reading “ONLINE COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTES TO OFFLINE COMMUNITY”

THE DIGITAL SKATEPARK // GET YOUR MINISTRY ONLINE

DIGITAL SKATEPARK

This is a 10-part blog series on HOW TO GET YOUR MINISTRY ONLINE. It is written with a primary application for youth ministries but a more general church or other ministries application should be obvious enough. You can follow the DIGITAL SKATEPARK tag or come back to this post for links out to the rest of the series.

  1. THE DIGITAL SKATEPARK
  2. ONLINE COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTES TO OFFLINE COMMUNITY
  3. DON’T REINVENT THE INTERNET
  4. SOCIAL MEDIA SOAP OPERA
  5. CREATE AN OFFICIAL “HEADQUARTERS”
  6. MINIMAL IS BETTER THAN MAYHEM
  7. NOBODY LIKES STALE BREAD
  8. CREATE MEDIA STREAMS
  9. ALL STREAMS FLOW INTO THE SEA
  10. MAKE SOME NOISE!

DIGITAL SKATEPARK

In 1990s youth ministry, one way to connect with teenagers was at the local skatepark. This is where lots of them hung out, so this was a good place to connect socially with teenagers who were already part of your youth ministry and their friends.

Continue reading “THE DIGITAL SKATEPARK // GET YOUR MINISTRY ONLINE”