MMF 2011 Consultation Executive Summary

Opportunity

Never before in human history has there been a technology as highly personal, rapidly deployed, and universally embraced as the mobile device. In late 2011, the number of people living on earth passed seven billion, while mobile phone subscriptions may surpass seven billion by the end of 2012. By 2015, the majority of all Internet access will be through mobile devices. The mobile device presents a unique, two-way communication channel that represents the most important technology available for kingdom advancement.

Overview

50 mission strategists representing 40 organizations* participated in the second Mobile Ministry Consultation sponsored by the Mobile Ministry Forum (MMF). Presentations and discussions addressed a wide variety of issues critical to the use of mobile devices in ministry (see the topic list below). Collaborative outcomes of the consultation include plans to develop training resources to equip ministries and local believers to implement mobile ministry, publish online courses in “feature phone” formats, develop a taxonomy for mobile ministry, develop a Smartphone app for SMS crowd-sourced broadcasting, and a hold “hack-a-thon” competition to develop an evangelistic app for mobile devices.

The Mobile Ministry Forum

The Mobile Ministry Forum (MMF) is a coalition of ministries working towards the goal of giving every unreached person a chance to encounter Christ and His kingdom in a compelling, contextualized fashion through their personal mobile device by 2020.

Content     (Follow the links below to to learn more about the consultation)

Slide Show.  A one-minute slide show from the consultation.

Notes.   The detailed, crowd-sourced notes from each session on Google Docs.

Visual Notes.  A link to a downloadable PDF of Antoine Wright’s visual notes from the consultation.

Schedule. The detailed program flow.

Success Stories  An initial list of stories showing how mobile devices can be used.

Mobile Ministry Course.  A four-week mobile ministry course (online).

Presentations

• Top Ten Reasons for Mobile Ministry (Brad)
• Seven Key Mobile Trends (Ed)
• YouVersion: Past, Present, Future (Brian Russell)
• Visual Story and Mobile Ministry (Keith Williams)
• MAF and Mobile Ministry (Brian Ward)
• Discipleship in the Digital World (David Rogers)
• Tablets and Mobile Minsitry (Antoine RJ Wright)

Workshops

• Mobile App Development for Ministry (Brian Burton)
• Enabling Open Collaboration in a Mobile World (Tim Jore)
• Mobile Evangelism – KISS! (Eric Celerier)
• Instructional Strategies for Mobile-based Training (Brian Ward)
• Reaching the Masses with non-Smartphones (Alex Kerr)
• SMS/Texting in Ministry (Courtney Roes)
• Remote Access Issues – Training the Global Church to Use Mobile Ministry (John Edmiston)
• Tablets (Antoine Wright)