Developing a deeper digital community
Ambrose prof helps churches pivot
WHEN COVID-19 forced churches to shift to digital platforms the move was surprisingly successful for many. However, there’s still work to be done.
Bryce Ashlin-Mayo, lead pastor of Westlife Church in Calgary and a teacher at Ambrose University and Seminary, studies how culture, technology, faith and ministry are interconnected. He watched as churches experienced an initial surge in online engagement, followed by a disheartening plateau.
“My observation is that the Church made a fast pivot to online ministry, but didn’t really think about what they were doing, how they were doing it, how it fits into their vision and mission, how the media really does shape the message and what effective online ministry looks like,” he explains.
Through Ambrose, Ashlin-Mayo launched a three-part online workshop in August entitled Effective Online Ministry: Understanding, Creating and Launching Ministry Online to help support and enrich the digital efforts of ministry teams across Canada (www. Ambrose.edu/Effective-Online-Ministry).
“Digital culture is different. We live in more of a tribalized world in digital. We develop really close relationships where we decide who we listen to, who we give authority to. So building that community is intensely important.”
While Ashlin-Mayo commends the extraordinary efforts made by churches so far, he offers three suggestions on where to go from here. “Number one, don’t give up. My greatest fear for the Church is we miss our moment to embrace a shift for long-term digital.
“Second, I want pastors and churches to be encouraged. Often the initial foray is overwhelming and people are a bit disillusioned, so we as pastors need to find encouragement where we can. “Third, lean in. Dive in a little deeper, learn about the culture you’re engaging in and how community is formed online, how authority is understood online.
Embrace the story of God online. The future of ministry will be a hybrid approach.”
Ashlin-Mayo’s new book Digital Mission: A Practical Guide for Ministry Online launched in October (Tyndale Academic, 2020) and his workshop ran again in the fall.