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A Mission Statement for New Media Communications
January 1994
New Media Communications came into being as an expression of my calling
to provide resources for church ministry through technology. My electronics
skills and aptitude throughout my life history, and my passion for being
an enabler of the church in its mission to "be present" in a
very significant way in the world have brought me to this "incarnation"
of these forces in my life.The tradition about Paul is that he
was a "tentmaker", a profession that enabled him to supplement
his itinerant lifestyle. I have a home electronics installation company
("The Cable-izer") which provides some "tent-making"
income for me. But I also feel I can offer valuble " services to
church people from which I can receive some income as a part of my mission
through New Media Communications (to be an enabler for the church in utilizing
new technology). I am seeking to find support in the church and its agencies
for the work of New Media Communications, so that I might be able to devote
full-time energies and time to this work.
The specific work of New Media Communications
I hope to build several small "consulting" services within
New Media Communications that help the church in its task to utilize technology
most efficiently, and to teach its members how to improve the quality
of information they use and manage to carry on their
personal tasks as well as the task of every member of Christ's body to
communicate the gospel in our day. One of these "mini-consulting
services" is
making myself available at a low cost to church people to tutor in computer
application usage. With the rising costs of computer support for all the
software and hardware vendors, there is a high level of end-user frustration
about the operation of these new tools. I hope to be able to be used as
an "enabler" in this sense. I see in this kind of ministry a
similarity to the ministry many churches have provided in giving literacy
training to those who need it. Computer literacy is being increasingly
recognized as important to the future of our children (and even ourselves,
fopr purposes of tapping into the vast wealth of information that has
begun to flow like never before through that vast "information highway"
out there.I am also involved in producing a magazine/newsletter which
focuses on the latest news in technology, and how this can be of significance
for the church. The newsletter is in development as a series of postings
to the Ecunet system I describe in the brochure. The Ecunet system itself
provides one kind of model for using Computer mediated communication for
important contact with others involved in local church ministry, communication
efforts, and denominational or ecumenical organization. I have been online
for over a year and have found this "online community" to be
a constant source of postive challenge, motivation, and new friends (most
of whom I've never met face to face). There is of course, along
with the good and useful, "darker" purposes and content in existence.
But I am here to help point to the positive, community-enabling resources
available. The "information highway" is like the world. There
is nothing to be gained from total seclusion from all its contents. Just
as we must look upon the world with discerning eyes , it is no different
on the information highway. Already there are numerous resources for the
faith community available online somewhere, and thousands of Christians
are "meeting" new friends in message systems that are springing
up everywhere to broaden the scope of community within the church. Yes,
it is very different from face to face, "in the flesh" communication,
but there many advantages as well as disadvantages. I am excited about
the possibilities.
I hope to build a local system in Cincinnati where we can put together
an experiment in using a BBS (Computer Bulletin Board System). I hope
that you can put me in contact with any in your congregation who would
be interested in exploring what we could put together for use by churches
in Cincinnati. With computer storage growing larger and more affordable,
there really are few limits to how many groups can participate and utilize
this system. Please have any interested contact me at 825-8439. This project
is also my student project in a Doctor of ministry degree program through
United Theological Seminary (United Methodist) in Dayton, OH. In this
program, my "peer group" is focused on "Ministry through
Technology:". We all have to put in writing a description of our
"context of ministry" (who and where we are serving). My context
is the Greater Cincinnati area churches, and I am seeking to utilize my
education in theology (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, MDiv. 1981),
and communication (United Theological Seminary, Master of Arts in Religious
Communication, 1991), and my "skills" in Computer technology
to help build a ministry which enables us to derive the best possible
benefit for our ministry. Last but not least, I am very intrigued
with the possibilities for theological education via computer, or the
use of computer networks for the resourcing of theological education,
whether it be traditional classroom type, or carried on via computer and
phone lines. United Seminary and others across the country are beginning
to look at this "channel" for doing research, linking theological
leaders , teachers, and students, and building databases that act as theological
libraries that can be accessed from around the world.
With all these possibilites, I call upon the people of the church, many
of whom are already thouroughly immersed in the world of computer communications,
to seek the best ways this community of Christ can utilize these technology
tools. We can beat these "swords into plowshares", taking technology
tools that have often been used as instruments for destruction and use
them for enabling the work of building community.
Dale Lature,
New Media Communications
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