In our November Congregational meeting, I unveiled our vision for the next few years, which we are calling “Bridging the Gap.” Here’s the statement for that vision once again:

    Over the next seven years, we envision a church that builds meaningful connections across generations, using technology to BRIDGE THE GAP and reach our community. Through these relationships, we will plant seeds of the timeless Gospel, trusting God to bring forth His harvest in the right season.

    Last month, I wrote about why we aren’t calling another DCE right away. This month, I want to answer another question that I’ve heard about this vision statement: Why are we focusing on the internet? Good question. Here’s the two main reasons why. 

    The first reason has to do with demographics again except, this time, it’s not the demographics of Mt. Calvary but the demographics of Indianola. A large group of people in Indianola are characterized as “Digital Dependents.” They spend more time online than offline. They are active in “chatting, blogging, surfing, texting, and tweeting.” (If you don’t know what those things are, ask your grandchildren.) Just know that these are means of communicating. Digital Dependents don’t get information on paper; they get it on their phones.  Where you and I may remember listening to talk radio, this group listens to podcasts, which are usually informational shows that they can listen to on-demand. (No waiting for the right day and time to tune in.) Even though they talk to each other digitally, they can still form deep relationships in this virtual world. I’m not native to this world but I have dabbled a bit and I’ve seen the friendships that can form through shared on-line experiences. 

    If all this talk of digital, on-line media is making your head spin, that’s even more reason that we need to be involved in it. Many of us shared a tract or a pamphlet or cut out an article from a paper or magazine to share it with a friend who needed it.

These Digital Dependents send “reels” and “posts” to each other to do the same thing. They are looking for on-line content, and they’ll share it with their friends in two clicks. The problem is… we don’t have any of that kind of material to share. We have a Facebook page (that isn’t used as often as it could be) and a YouTube channel (that only shows the recording of our services). We have raw material to make these reels, posts, and podcasts; we just need the know-how and strategy to do so.

    And don’t think this is just for people “out there.” This is not a “church vs. the world” issue. This is a division of generations and we’re feeling it in our current members, too. This is the second reason for making this change: our younger members are communicating this way, already.

    Right now, there are three major means of communication at Mt. Calvary: The Shadow of the Cross, our newsletter, Calvary’s Current, our weekly announcements, and our Wednesday e-mail. Two of these are paper-based and e-mail is becoming increasingly outdated and archaic. Also, if we rely on the weekly Calvary’s Current and after church announcements to get our message out, we will reach less than 24 percent of our membership each week and we will reach no one outside our church. Digital media and content allow us to give our message a wider reach, possibly even reaching people who don’t have a church home or a saving faith. I’ll admit, it’s a bit like putting a message in a bottle and tossing it in the ocean hoping someone will find it; the chance of connecting can be slim. But the chances are zero if we don’t put the message out there to begin with. It’s a way for us to share our message with our younger members who may not attend frequently and a way to connect with people who don’t attend at all… yet.

    During His high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus asks the Father: “I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.” There’s a great temptation to stay out of the world and keep doing things the way we like them done. We can sit back and turn up our noses and shake our fists at the world as it passes us by. Or we can try to learn how to send information in the way that the world chooses to receive it. All I’m asking is that we try the latter and see what happens.

                                                                                     In Christ,

                                                                           Pastor Tom Vanderbilt