Connecting 'offline' people to 'online' conversations. Help needed!

One of the tasks that I help with in preparing for the next Lausanne Congress on world evangelization, that is taking place in Cape Town in October 2010, is the social media strategy.

I have a small team with which I work to try and connect people and issues - in particular I try to give a platform to people who are doing stuff, or developing theology, around the concerns of Lausanne.  I also try to make sure that some of the great content that is produced by top notch Christian leaders and theologians becomes accessible to as many people as possible.

In order to do this we make use of some of the traditional 'social media' tools.  Basically, there is only one tool - create relationships with people!  But we use a few platforms to do this.

We have a twitter feed, a facebook page, blogs (here and here), and a fantastic website.

This is all great, and we get quite a lot of interaction around the issues and the content.  At the end of the day I know that we would rather connect people with passion around the stuff they're already doing, than trying to create a passion for some of the stuff we want to do (that they're already doing in their own ministries).  Connection is key!

However, ministry and theology (particularly global ministry and global theology) requires a much more significant level of awareness and connection!  Some of the great mistakes of ministry organisations and theologians come from not understanding contexts other than their own.  In some contexts proclaiming truths about God's love may work, but in other contexts people will not accept such propositions of truth until they have an experience of love.  For example it is difficult to say that God is just when you encounter people who have only every experienced injustice - working for justice may be one of the most powerful 'sermons' you could preach without using a single word.

So, here's my problem, as with most of the theology and strategy in the global Church, those who have 'voices' and 'access' are heard most clearly and loudly.  How do we connect people from the offline world to people from the online world?

I have an idea that the pervasive nature of cell phones may be a key (see this post from Tony Whittaker, and see this great mobile website platform for ministry and evangelism from Crux). 

I know that email is more accessible in some parts of the world than internet access, so that may be another key (i.e., creating a to and fro engagement between the West and the South via email - when I was the Dean of John Wesley College in Pretoria we had quite a bit of success with this when we connected our students in South Africa with students at Duke Divinity school).

Then of course there is real world connection (sending visitors and receiving visitors from various parts of the world).  But, this is costly!

Have you got any ideas how one could connect people across the 'digital divide'?  It's for the sake of the whole Gospel to the whole World!

Please leave a comment or some insight below!

Comments

[Grant]

This may not help but it is at least something to look at. The http://thegospelcoalition.org/ have an online area for people to network here it is https://tgcn.onthecity.org/

[Ian Anderson]

Hi Dion, I would like to talk to you about this, as our company (CyberAfrica) has been researching a specific technology, and have stumbled upon a solution. It has been extensively researched as a business model, value add tool/application for Africa or developing countries. We have been collaborating with key role players in ITC in South Africa and Nigeria at this stage about . This mobile sms solution is designed to reach critical mass, but takes many dynamics into account:scalability,future changes in mobile technology, user access to telecoms,lowering barrier of entry, lowering cost of access based on economies of scale, social, geographical demographics and what is now called Social informatics - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_informatics

There is also an empirical study which is been done in this area at Stellenbosch University.

Kind Regards,

Ian Anderson

CyberAfrica International
T: +27828016973 (ZA)
T: +2348133229445 (NG)
T: +2348136647309 (NG)
F: +27(0)866001308 (ZA)
F: +447053433300 (Int)
E: ian@cyberafrica.co.za
W: www.cyberafrica.co.za
Skype: ian_g_anderson
http://za.linkedin.com/pub/ian-anderson/5/18/833

[Dr Dion Forster]

Hi Grant and Ian,

Thanks for the comments guys. Grant, I'll have a look at the links you've sent through! Please keep your eyes and ears open for anything else you may see on this subject.

Ian, it would be great to connect! I would love to see the study you refer to! Of course, as with so many ministries, our bottleneck comes in the fact that we don't have a budget to spend. So please do keep that in mind.

Blessings and thanks!

Dion

[Alice Jawan, Malaysia]

Connecting to the world - not everyone would have access to internet or email or cyber; and I feel that the best links to connect to those outlside the network is still by written mail through the churches/conferences around the world for distribution. If the target group is clearly identified, the churches/conferences would somehow get the people for you! Hope that help!

[Dr Dion Forster]

Hi Alice,

Thanks so much for your comment. I agree with you! Relationships (meeting people in person) is the best way to connect with people, and then writing letters or sending printed information is very effective for people who do not have access to the internet. I am also considering that we could make DVD's and Videos available in some parts of the world that have some technologies.

Thanks so much for your comment! Please continue to Prayer for Lausanne and visit the Lausanne web page at http://www.gdop2010.com

Please also visit me here again when you get a chance.

God bless!

Dion