This fall I took a course about digital ministry. The course was good but spent far more time talking about AI than I was expecting. It did however make me think more about the role of digital and hybrid ministry in the life of a congregation. If I were to take a sabbatical again that is the area I would take time to explore.
At any rate, the presenter/instructor of the course intrigued me so I went looking at the books that had been suggested for Further Reading and decided to read
this one. Panzer lives in both worlds, he has an MDiv and a career in IT, so is very well situated to lead these discussions.
I liked what he had to say about the cultural change that is happening and ideas of how the church which is rather notorious for being behind when it comes to cultural changes) could respond. Panzer is clear that the way to do and plan digital ministry is about far more than simply signing on to a bunch of different platforms or tools. Like any other ways of considering new directions in ministry it means careful deliberation and discerning what is the best fit for your context. I also really appreciated that he gives high- medium- and low-tech options for how the ideas presented in each chapter could be played out.
Panzer talks about a variety of topics that address the philosophical foci of this new tech shaped culture. they are: Questions, Connection, Collaboration, and Creativity. I think it could be argued that the church as a whole has a mixed history of effectiveness on all four of those points. It is not just about the technology, it is about how people want/expect their communities to work. The technology is a tool (or a set of tools) to help us do ministry in a changed and changing culture.
This was a good read. It has things I need to ponder more. Now I am contemplating getting this book also by Panzer.
