Rev. Aisha Bascom, BroadcastFaith Senior Editor
1. Optimize your ministry’s website for the mobile screen. Many of us find ourselves connecting to the web via cell phones to consult a navigational system, check email at a stoplight, or order food en route to a destination. “Analysts at market intelligence firm IDC claim that more than a billion mobile devices will be connected to the Web by the end of 2010.” If members and casual viewers of your ministry can search your website as easily as they can navigate a social networking site like Facebook, you can organically develop your site into a thriving community portal.
2. If you’re looking for something more practical that could possibly commence as early as tomorrow, simply start a devotional text ministry. In order to opt in, members text a message to a five-digit number provided by you and every week a leader sends a brief (and I do stress brief) scripture-based text that is both thought-provoking and edifying. Prophetess Kimberly Daniels, founder of Spoken Word Ministries in Jacksonville, Fla., and spiritual mother to Super Bowl history maker, David Tyree enables her site’s visitors to type their numbers into a platform from her home page. It’s a convenient way to consistently disciple and evangelize to large groups that you previously had very little access to outside of Sunday service.
3. Organize a mobile Bible study group. Olivetree.com is an excellent site to purchase Bible software for your iPhone, Blackberry, or Android. Imagine how useful this could be to a campus pastor during midterms. Challenged with the daunting task of getting his preoccupied congregants to crack open a Bible or attend a midday prayer meeting, traditionally he’d be forced to reschedule his meetings and privately pray his studious believers through another stress-crazed season of exams and research papers. But, with this feature he could minister and encourage his members remotely. Students could read, meditate, and study the assigned scriptures on their respective cell phones as their schedules permit, which could be during a few stolen minutes on a long lunch line or during a stroll from dorm to library. And, via Skype the group could meet “face-to-face” to hear the leader expound upon the timely Word purposed for rebuking fear, invoking strength, and building faith without anyone having to leave the comfort of their studying holes.
4. Lastly, there’s “the call.” A church with a strong prayer team and the finances to furnish key people with cell phones could offer an emergency prayer hot-line. Members can be on call 24/7. This is an excellent way to serve the pariahs of your community that may never step foot into your church building. Many of these people are in desperate need of prayer, counseling and support but are isolated because they don’t have access to intercessors or ministers after five o’clock. A 24/7 cell phone ministry would enable volunteers to be on call for extended periods and reduce the need for increased staffing. For the street-dweller, preteen runaway, depressed closet alcoholic, or local suicidal pastor–this could be their only life line!
Our strategy at Broadcast faith is twofold; inreach and outreach. We believe that all external innovations within a ministry should be employed with the sole goal of affecting internal change. Let this be a year of innovation for your ministry, but more importantly, may God bless your house by bringing your congregation to deeper depths and higher heights in Him!
