Virtual Ministry Becoming a Reality

In January 2007 I wrote a paper entitled, ‘Ministry in a Web 2.0 Environment.’ Whilst undertaking the research I came across the virtual world of Second Life, where I discovered a global community numbering in the hundreds of thousands and hardly any church presence. This led to me developing an Anglican community, which initially focused on building a virtual Anglican Cathedral. The Cathedral was completed in May and the first service was conducted that same month.

The Cathedral now offers five services a week and the community has grown to more than 300.

As the internet develops, the church needs to be right in the midst of this development, ready to tailor its offering to this new communication medium.

What is Second Life?

Second Life (SL) founded by Linden Lab is a virtual world accessed via the internet. As of January 2008 there are nearly 12 million members with 1.3 million of them participating in the past 60 days. Once you have downloaded the software onto your computer you are able to walk around the virtual, three dimensional world represented by an ‘avatar’. Your avatar can be created to look similar to you or if you prefer, a multitude of creative forms can be selected. The three dimensional world is 100% created by the members. It is full of houses, shops parks and entertainment areas. A majority of the activity is social networking although there is a growing economy with virtual land regularly bought and sold and a range of businesses offering services from virtual clothing to products available in the ‘real world’. Communication is either via text or voice.

The Anglican Cathedral in Second Life

The Anglican Group in Second Life is an international group of 328 (as at January 2008) with around 10 joining each week. The group is governed by a leadership team made up of members from the UK, the US, Australia and New Zealand. In May 2007 the first virtual Anglican service was held at the newly built Anglican Cathedral of Second Life.

Presently 5 services and a Bible Study are offered each week catering for each of the major time zones. These attract around 60 to 80 attendees. Further, throughout the week hundreds of people meet at the Cathedral for fellowship and pastoral care. The make up of the group is a mixture of denominations as well as those who are searching. There is also a number of theological persuasions represented.

The service is a time to gather together from around the world, here the Bible being read, listen to a sermon, and pray for each other. Post the service people gather together for a time of fellowship and support. One person recently shared that he was ‘in tears at his keyboard’ as the community prayed together for his ailing wife. Another relayed how much he appreciated the chance to attend church when he was disallowed in his home country. Another expressed appreciation at being able to attend church when they were mostly home bound.

The aim of the virtual Cathedral is to be church for people wherever they are, whatever their circumstance.

Check out the Cathedral blog by CLICKING HERE

 

So what is the point of this new ministry?

Research clearly shows that internet usage is growing, not just in the western world, but across the globe. The following table was published November 30^th 2007 and displays incredible growth.

(www.internetworldstats.com)

 

Increasingly the internet is becoming a legitimate and effective communication tool. A number of information technology luminaries such as Bill Gates and IBM’s CEO, Sam Palmisano, are predicting the next stage of the internet’s development will be virtual. Renowned independent research company, Forrester has just released a paper entitled, ‘Getting real work done in virtual worlds.’ In it they note,

Within five years, the 3-D Internet will be as important for work as the Web is today. Information and knowledge management professionals should begin to investigate and experiment with virtual worlds. Use them to try to replicate the experience of working physically alongside others; allow people to work with and share digital 3-D models of physical or theoretical objects; and make remote training and counseling more realistic by incorporating nonverbal communication into same-time, different-place interactions.

http://forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,43450,00.html

 

The church and Christian ministries are renowned for being slow to adopt new technologies. A survey completed in America by the Centre for Church Communication showed that only 10% of Christian websites allowed for visitor involvement. And yet a characteristic of most internet users is the desire to be involved.

In not utilizing the latest offerings, and not positioning oneself to develop as the internet develops, I believe the church is limiting the opportunities to fulfill its mission to the world (Matthew 28:19,20).

 

Filed under Social Media/Web 2.0, Web 2.0 | |