Our present global crisis demonstrates the need for the School of Kingdom Writers more than ever.
Many churches are turning to online media in order to minister to their members in this time of isolation.
In many cases, despite their best efforts, ministries are not seeing results right now, they’re simply not connecting well. The situation is showing us that many churches and ministries are woefully behind the ball when it comes to connecting with Americans via the media.
Instead of being in a position to say, “Let’s lean into our proven media ministry right now,” so many churches are saying, “We need a media ministry that actually works right now, how are we going to do that?”
Here’s the problem: Coronavirus or not, the media is where Americans are.
According to Crowdtap, the average millennial consumes more than seventeen hours of media per day. More than 17 hours per day. If we want to connect people with Jesus, the church needs to have a strong presence in the media Americans are consuming, whether there’s a global pandemic or not.
It’s typically not the tech side of things that present challenges. It’s a cultural challenge.
The tools for posting on social media are not difficult to learn. Understanding how to bring real value through these mediums is a different challenge.
This isn’t just true for churches, and it’s also a real challenge for small businesses and organizations of all types.
Every media platform has a unique culture. Users behave differently on each platform. They have different expectations. They respond to different types of messages.
We can’t simply transplant church as we know it to social media and expect to reach people. We can’t expect to “advertise,” as we’ve come to think of it, and see impact either.
It’s the same as foreign missions. If you go to a church in India, it’s different than a church in America. The values and theology are the same, but the expression is a little bit different. The same is true with digital media.
We need ministers who are native to these platforms. We need ministers who understand the culture of different social media outlets and have been specifically trained to make the pieces fit. We need ministers who understand how to reach the present body of Christ while effectively opening the door to non-believers.
This is fundamentally what the School of Kingdom Writers does. We train writers who are called to the media as the primary battleground. That includes social media and digital outlets.
Many of these writers will produce work independently—books, blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, and social media content.
But a fair number of these writers will also find a home with existing churches and ministries. They’ll bring skills and experience to bridge the gap and make these ministries effective in the media. They’ll go into these churches and ministries and teach them how to craft content that will connect with Americans.
Coronavirus really hasn’t changed anything. The audiences are out there. Americans are connected to the media, and the church should be too. Coronavirus has simply forced us to take steps we’ve been putting off, and it’s shown us how far behind we are.
Let’s invest in programs like the School of Kingdom Writers now so that we’re taking the gospel to Americans where they are, whether there’s a pandemic or not.
Because we invest today, the next time something like this happens, the American church will be excited for the opportunity.
We are developing our campus for the School of Kingdom Writers now. You can make a difference. Please invest in this mission and help us reach Americans with the gospel, whether there’s a pandemic or not. Learn more here.
