Annual tech conference highlights need for connectivity, engaging content
A greater commitment to the design of Web technology and use of social media will yield more effective results in the ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the denomination's Communication director said at a technology conference last week.
Williams Costa Jr. urged the church to increase its financial commitment to the design of information-sharing through the Web, as well as for administrators to further embrace the two-way communication that is offered by social media, which has become an industry standard.
"It's better for leaders to be prepared for interaction," Costa said on June 3 at the Global Internet Evangelism Network forum, an annual world conference designed to enhance the church's use of technology.
"If you want to be heard you need to hear. Corporations are listening because it's the essence of communication today," said Costa, the forum's organizer.
This year's event drew nearly 100 participants from six continents to Montego Bay, Jamaica, June 1 to 5. Most presentations and discussions centered around connectivity and information-sharing and less on Web technology as an end to itself. Many focused heavily on content-sharing through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Several participants acknowledged that the discussion on social media has progressed: instead of questioning its use, more Adventist administrators are increasingly incorporating social media into ministry. Doing so may increase vulnerability, but also honesty and relevance, they said.
In Central Jamaica, the administrative conference is using Facebook as a key communication forum among members and church leaders -- this despite administrators being against the idea at first. Now the group has 1,000 members, many of whom offered suggestions that were later incorporated into the conference's strategic plan.
"Members appreciate being consulted," said Kemar Douglas, Communication director for the Adventist Church in Central Jamaica.
Some attendees said administrators slow to incorporate technology are often part of a generation gap between technology users. One participant said a challenge is sometimes just educating church leaders that technology doesn't necessarily detract from interactive relationships.
"Understand, the virtual environment is a real environment," said Arnolfo Ardilla, a media producer from Venezuela.
One speaker put the onus on forum participants in leading change. "I think it's up to us to develop examples [for administrators] of how social media can benefit the church," said Bryan Collick, an employee of Twitter, based in San Francisco.
The forum delivered overviews of technologies blended with ministry. One presenter, John Beckett, director of the Office of Global Software and Internet, offered training for netAdventist, the world church's website management platform.
Some had hoped to see demonstrations of even newer emerging technology. "Facebook and Twitter aren't really new," said Chris McConnell, associate Communication director for the church in the Mid-Western United States.
Still, the church is using standard social media effectively in some regions. In Spain, Communication Director Pedro Torres has converged all church initiatives into Facebook, where people can share content across ministries with one click. In England, Kirsten Oster-Lundqvist, a pastor at the Newbold College Church, said Facebook often lends itself to personal discussions with teens who otherwise might feel uncomfortable talking with a pastor about some issues. Other churches, including Forrest Lake in Apopka, Florida, United States, have already invested to create a substantial online presence.
But at the same time, the church is lagging in some regions of the world. Catherine Nyameino, Communication director for the Nairobi-based East Africa Union Mission, said it's often a challenge to obtain funding approval for even basic technology needs, such as a new camera.
"We have pockets of hope in some areas of the world where work via technology is happening, but it needs to be more widespread," said Nigel Coke, Communication director for the Adventist Church in Jamaica. "Hopefully this forum can be the one that brings it about," he said.
Costa, the church's Communication leader, said the church would examine the possibility of holding more local forums in addition to the annual conference.
This year's site was chosen for its central location in the Americas. Jamaica is also home to roughly 250,000 Adventist Church members.
The next four annual meetings are scheduled for 2012 in Hong Kong, 2013 in Athens, 2014 in Bangalore, India, and 2015 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The forum also marked the presentation of the 2011 Adventist netAwards, which recognize contributions to the denomination's online ministry. This year's recipients were:
-Jose Romero, information technology director for the church in Inter-America, for his contribution to fostering the use of technology and Internet in the territory.
-Andrew Daryl Gungadoo, global resource engineer for Adventist World Radio in England, for leveraging technology to empower AWR's global operations.
-Kenneth H. Suanzanang, former Communication director in Myanmar, for using technology to address spiritual needs in the Burmese language.