Digital Mission Consortia
Commitments
Preamble
Throughout its existence, the Christian church has pioneered at the forefront of technological innovation. From the Roman roadway system to the printing press, radio, and television, Christians have historically led the way in adapting emerging technologies for the sake of our gospel mission. With the advent of the internet, Christians worldwide have charted new and disruptive pathways to reach unimaginable numbers and communities with the gospel. As the digital age dawns, this wave of innovation marks a new era in mission and evangelism as every individual believer is equipped to reach the world.
As our world becomes increasingly interconnected and peoples’ lives simultaneously digitally and physically present, opportunities exist for the Church to establish a fresh paradigm for its mission. Emerging from a season of digital ministry at the periphery of church life, we are moving rapidly towards an era where digital environments and tools are at the very center of how we participate in God’s mission in the twenty-first century and beyond.
Faced with such immense opportunity, it is incumbent upon ministry leaders to unite behind shared commitments that reflect our common values. Recognition and adherence to these commitments by ourselves and the ministries we represent contribute to the health of the whole Church, uphold the dignity of humankind as God’s image bearers, and improve our missional effectiveness. We, and the organizations below, also hold that these common commitments seek to accurately reflect our work to those who invest their resources into the missional work we do and displays a stewardship excellence and moral integrity that is a witness to the world.
Commitment 1: We commit to steward data ethically.
We recognize that in the information age, data is of the utmost importance. We commit to the ethical stewardship, chain of custody, and secure and legal sharing of data for the purpose of advancing common ministry initiatives. We reject unrighteous stewardship of data that disadvantages particular people groups and cultures, commodifies human beings as purely consumers, and overlooks a right to privacy. We commit to prioritize data as a foundational ministry tool, the ethical sharing of data-driven insights as a baseline for our ecumenical collaboration, and a gift to be stewarded in a way that upholds God’s design for human flourishing.
Commitment 2: We embrace a shared mission between Christian ministries, the local church, and the individual.
We affirm that the Church, as God’s missionary people, is called to minister both in physical and digital environments, inviting everyone to reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. Recognizing the shared responsibility of this mission, we commit to prioritize the collaborative efforts of local churches, Christian organizations, mission agencies, Christian entrepreneurs, and digital missionaries alike. We believe in the power of digital tools to facilitate evangelism, discipleship, and community, view these to be integral to our collective mission in the digital age. Our approach is rooted in the principles of mutual respect and partnership, acknowledging that each entity or individual brings unique strengths and insights to our common goal. In this spirit, we prioritize developing digital ministry strategies that emphasize relational community building over mere content distribution, aligning with the broader vision of fulfilling the Great Commission in a spirit of unity and collaboration.
Commitment 3: We commit to initiative-oriented collaboration.
We recognize that the diversity of Christ’s Church is a strength and that he has called various ministries, churches, and Christian digital citizens to a host of unique forms of missional participation while also commanding us to work together as one body. In an age of networked decentralization, we uphold that initiative-based forms of collaboration between ministries, churches, and digital entrepreneurs and missionaries provides an ideal opportunity for collectives of Christian entities to collaborate for a time around common purpose and outcomes for the sake of gospel advancement. These sorts of collaborative efforts allow multiple ministries to collectively leverage their unique resources and expertise without limitless commitment or a need to compromise on their theological or ecclesiastical distinctives. As Christian groups and individuals seek to collaborate, it is necessary to forge common commitments around ministry definitions, language, and models in order to avoid confusion and maximize ministry effectiveness. It is also necessary to find inroads to share data-driven insights between organizations, prioritize organizational agility, and possess a commitment to godly innovation to continue developing missional strategies in a rapidly changing global society.
Commitment 4: We cultivate digital pathways for spiritual growth.
We recognize that the practice of identifying various stages in a person’s spiritual growth is as ancient a practice as the Church itself (e.g. 1 Cor. 3:2; Heb. 5:13-14). At each stage of spiritual growth––from preceding a person’s commitment to Christ to training them to be mature, engaged participants in mission––the spiritual needs of a person vary. Therefore, we prioritize ministry strategies in digital environments that recognize these pathways, seek to identify the various stages of growth in the groups to whom an organization or church ministers, and develops missional strategy to walk alongside people on their journey toward and with Jesus. We acknowledge that different phases of spiritual maturity and relational development with other Christians may require different digital environments to best foster spiritual health and vitality in the lives of individuals to whom we minister and seek to be attentive to those holistic needs in how we cultivate digital ministry.
Commitment 5: We prioritize the effective use of metrics.
We recognize that metrics and measurements are a key factor in measuring effectiveness in progress in Christian organizations and churches and we prioritize the use of metrics data to ensure that alignment with ministry goals, achievement of outcomes, the proper stewardship of ministry resources, and the truthfulness of our public reporting. We reject the improper use metrics, or the employment of vanity metrics that serve to overinflate effectiveness or otherwise obscure a truthful account of reality to our congregations, ministry stakeholders, donors, and to an onlooking world. We prioritize a continuous effort to improve how we assess and measure ministry effectiveness, spiritual transformation, reach, and more. We uphold the value of both quantitative and qualitative forms of measurement in our reporting and seek to capture both in an effort to give a faithful and accurate account of ministry realities.
Conclusion
We hold that the whole world deserves to know the transformative power of Jesus Christ and his gospel, and that God commissions all of his daughters and sons to participate in his mission wherever they live and to whomever he sends them. The Church is strengthened as we use digital technologies to establish points of missional collaboration to reach the world with the gospel together. We also believe that there is no greater time in Christian history to equip and send God’s people as the priesthood of all believers––both through digital technologies and in digital environments where they cultivate relationships, create innovative resources, and bear the image of God to an onlooking world.
Digital ministry goes beyond mere online presence, it's about purposefully and authentically sharing the Gospel across every digital frontier. In just the past three years, I've witnessed thousands of young people come to Christ through these efforts. Where our feet cannot tread, digital media reaches the 'ends of the earth,' bringing the hope of Jesus to those once considered unreachable. Nothing is impossible for God. We must not overlook the powerful tool He has entrusted to us.”
We believe that we are living in special times, to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are big chances to reach people, but we cannot do this alone. We need to do it together. Therefore we underline the essence of collaborations and align as organisations. The Digital Mission Consortia is the best way of joining force to reach people in this special time-period. All together for Jesus!”
In a rapidly changing world, ministries must uphold the unchanging gospel while innovating to meet spiritual needs. By embracing these Digital Ministry commitments, we can ensure that the global Church works together effectively for the Great Commission.”
