The recently unveiled Sow 1 Billion evangelistic initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to reach 1 billion homes around the world in the next 18 months will have an integrated approach on the Internet. At a Nov. 17 meeting in Las Vegas, the Adventist-Laymen Services and Industries technology committee endorsed a plan to develop a comprehensive Web application to maximize the initiative’s objectives.

“We are particularly excited about the Sow 1 Billion initiative and how technology and the Internet can be utilized to respond to the requests from around the world for Bible studies,” said Dan Houghton of Hart Research Center, Chairman of the ASI Technology Committee.

The committee discussed the logistics of making the project a success and met with representatives of the Voice of Prophecy Bible Correspondence School whose “Discover” and other Bible lessons, available in 66 languages, have been popular around the world.

In order to achieve the anticipated results, the initiative will rely on the global availability of Bible study guides in the languages represented by the church. The use of the Internet will be one of several response options available to the church in its evangelistic activities. The Web application for Sow 1 Billion will aim to coordinate the availability of Bible courses currently offered by the church in nearly 135 Bible correspondence schools internationally.

The goal of Sow 1 Billion is to distribute 1 billion special brochures, or “tracts,” inviting people to study the Bible with an Adventist pastor or layperson, or through an Adventist Bible correspondence school. Church leaders say the far-reaching project will require cooperation and participation at all levels of the world church.

“The mission of the ASI technology committee is to bring together a group of bright minds to consider ways to harness technology more effectively for the sharing of the gospel around the world,” Houghton says.

“One of the major benefits of the committee is learning about initiatives that are in progress and how various ministries and organizations can coordinate efforts for maximum benefit for the mission of the church,” he says. 

Houghton further explains that the committee’s interests include developing specific applications for evangelism, online Bible Study, language translation and the distribution of written materials around the world, online education initiatives, and maximizing the use of the Internet. “Our committee also evaluates the latest tools and inventions, and lately we have become interested in seeing how to establish infrastructures for distributing content in a PDA format across the Internet,” he adds.

According to Houghton, the international Web site of the Sow 1 Billion initiative will be ready by September 2003.