This week in my MIS class we discussed some of the main points in Thomas Friedman’s book The World Is Flat. This book discusses the changes in technology that have occurred in the past few years that have brought about a change in the way the businesses and peoples in the world interact. Using these “flattening” technologies, power is shifting from countries and corporations to individuals and small groups. The book addresses these changes and then gives its prescription for Americans and American businesses.
In thinking about this new “flat” world we live in, I begin to wonder what it will mean for Christian ministry. Some questions to ponder, for now:
– should the priority of using the Internet, in all its various forms (web sites, podcasts, mailing lists, etc.), rise in churches and ministry-related organizations? And does this translate into larger budgets for Internet-based projects?
– should Christian ministries “offshore”, that is, hire people or organizations outside the US to manage their web presence, in order to save money?
– because the Internet is global, should a church use the web primarily as an evangelism tool? A missionary support tool? Or should the focus be on the local congregation?
– what level of Internet or web literacy should be required of missionaries or pastors as part of their training?
If you have opinions on these, feel free to comment. Or to add more questions to the list!
Lessons From Babel 