An IPOD Generation Church

Posted by the ‘eMinister’

The following quote is a statement that should be embraced by every Ministry.

“We must recognize that this generation is no longer the generation of the 8-Track, but of the IPod. So we must provide relevant ministry that meets the needs of our congregation.” - Dr. Walker.

As Dr. Walker’s statement suggest, the church must continue to use Ministry to meet the needs of the people.

OVerall, the Church has consistently failed to keep up with the pace of Technology as a Ministry tool. As the needs of the Church changes, the strategies used in Ministry must also change. A church that uses old methods of Ministry cannot be effective in today’s society and fails to meet the needs of this generation. Some ‘church’ folks would say, “it’s not about keeping their attention; it’s about spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ”. My point exactly!! Meeting the needs of the people is Ministry which in turns nurtures their spirit for the Word of God and allows the Church to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Picture this: we have the Church standing on one river bank preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have the people of this generation on the other river bank attempting to listen to, hear, and understand the message. But its one-way. The Church preaches, they listen.

Technology is the tool that can bridge the gap between today’s generation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It allows the message to be two-way; interactive where the listener can become part of the message.

In the Bible, Jesus journeyed to various places of Ministry and met the people where they lived. He in a sense, carried the gospel to a place where the people could be exposed to the Truth and interact with Jesus. People want to be involved with the message.

Our Youth, Young Adults, and Older Adults have incorporated Cell Phones, the Internet, IPods, MP3 players, Video Players, E-mail, RSS Feeds, Blogs, Social Networking and other technology tools into their everyday living. As we minister to the world, we need to reach them through these present communication avenues.

This generation is looking for something more than a Sunday Morning experience. How can we, the Church, give it to them?

By embracing the devices and tools used on a daily basis by this generation and developing Ministry strategies to incorporate these devices. Making the ‘Word’ available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week will have more impact than a once a week Sunday morning experience. We live in a mobile society. Access to the Word is a crucial element in any Ministry. Being able to discuss, reply to, and interact with the Ministry is also important to this generation.

Your Ministries eStrategy should include some of the following ‘ipod’ techniques: 1) Online Audio Sermons 2) Online Video Sermons 3) PodCasting 4) RSS Feeds 5) Blogs 6) Mobi 7) Online Donations and Social Networking (Twitter, MySpace, Facebook).

Each of these techniques will be address individually in future blogs.

PodCasting Made Simple

I recently came across this video posted on YouTube. It gives an Excellent explanation of one of the most Important and Useful Ministry tools available: PODCASTING.

What is PodCasting?

The word ‘Podcast’ is a mix of the words ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast’. This has lead many people into believing that you need an iPod to be able to access podcasts, but they would be mistaken. You do not need an iPod - nor any other MP3 player - to podcast, or listen to a podcast for that matter. All you need is some audio-playing software on your computer and speakers. Using an IPod or MP3 player is an option.

The majority of people have both speakers and some form of audio-playing software - step one accomplished.

Podcasting is a type of online media delivery, but different to any that have existed previously. Put simply, podcasting allows you to download files via a feed (such as RSS) onto your computer and MP3 player. These files can be music, talk shows, interviews, discussions, news… the list is endless. However, there is more to it than that: The significant characteristic about podcasting is that you can subscribe to a series so that it automatically downloads on to your computer and MP3 player. Many believe that it is for this feature that podcasting became so popular in 2004.

Why is it so popular?

Podcasting, in effect, allows you to create your own personalised radio station. The main use of podcasting is in conjunction with MP3 players - people want to listen to their favorites on the move, whenever and wherever they wish. Say you were going to have a busy and miss your favorite sermon. Podcasting allows you to download them all (automatically) so you can listen to them when it is more convenient for you. In fact, you can compile all you favourite music, film reviews, sermons, news stories and so on… in effect creating your own personal radio station to listen to.

How can I do it?

If you want to listen to individual shows, you can usually download them from the site of your choice. If you want to subscribe to a series, then you need to download some free ‘podcatching’ software. Some examples of this software are iTunes, iPodder, Odeo, PodNova and Feedburner. You can use podcatching software to subscribe to your favorite podcasts, which will then be automatically downloaded for you.

Where can I find PodCasts?

There is a huge amount of websites that offer their own podcasts; it is just a matter of finding which one you like. If you’re not sure where to begin, then try taking a look at podcatching software. More often than not, they have a list of the most popular podcasts or categories of different podcasts. Not only does this software allow you to track down podcasts that may interest you, but some can also be used to create your own podcasts. It has become quite a trend among webmasters to start doing this, and the podcasts tend to be incredibly popular with regulars to the website.

Impacts to the Church

It is now becoming more popular for Ministries to offer Podcast as an additional method of sermon delivery. Image, once a user subscribes to a podcast, your latest message can be downloaded for listening whenever the user connections to their computer. Podcasting makes the Word of God ‘portable’ and available 24/7.