By 2015 there will be WiFi everywhere on the face of the earth,” observed Walt Wilson, founder and CEO of Global Media Outreach during Biola University’s iSummit.
The idea of a communication system that would connect everyone on earth has stirred my imagination for years.
Building the global information and communications network that includes the Internet and other networks has been underway for a long time.
Frankly though, since researchers estimate around 3 billion people do NOT have access to the Net, it’s been a challenge to explain the timetable Wilson presented in his Biola speech.
If completion of the biggest construction job in history is in sight, I reasoned, it had to be in the news. It didn’t take much digging to unearth some eye-popping developments.
Recent developments in mobile web technology
• China will have more mobile Internet users than the entire population of the US (310 million) by 2010. (eMarketer) The number will grow fast to reach a staggering 957 million, and the country will count approximately 1.3 billion mobile subscribers by 2014. (TechCrunch)
• India is set to embark on an ambitious scheme to provide all its 630,000 villages, no matter how remote, with broadband internet access. A deadline of May 2012 has been set for giving broadband access to every village with a population of more than 300 people. (Times Online)
• In places like Kenya, Colombia and South Africa, they’re building cellphone towers to leapfrog past the expense of building wired networks. The number of mobile subscriptions in the world is expected to pass five billion this year, according to the International Telecommunication Union. Cellphones are becoming the truly universal technology. (The New York Times)
• UK-based satellite startup O3b says its project to bring internet access to 3 billion people in more than 150 countries is going according to plan and remains focused in 2010 on sticking to its timetable to launch its first eight satellites.
Technically speaking, I now understand what Walt Wilson, a former Apple executive, meant when he said, “To get mobile devices in the hands of every human being, the distribution problem is not economic, it’s infrastructure. And, we see the infrastructure problem being resolved.”
The completion of the greatest building project in history is within the grasp of the builders. For the Church, the cornerstone of the project is Christ. I can only imagine a day when the work is finished. When everyone has heard the gospel, multiple times. I can only imagine that day when we fully comprehend all the Lord has done and it will be a marvelous thing.
Internet Evangelism: Eight Lessons for the Battle
1. God is creating the global network. Google and company may be paying for the infrastructure but, “All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17)
2. God’s purpose is clear. The gospel and truths of the Bible must be communicated. It’s a reason for connecting everyone on earth that most Christians should be able to agree on. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)
And just to drive home the fact that we’ve reached the opportunity tipping point for the use of cellphone technology to spread the gospel, on April 9, 2010, The New York Times reported this: “The phone has also moved to the center of community life in many places. In Africa, urban churches record sermons with cellphones, then transmit them to villages to be replayed.”
3. The church is not immune from change. Entire industries are being reshaped. It wasn’t that long ago that we listened to music on tapes and then CD’s. Apple’s iTunes is now the number 1 music retailer in the world. It’s time for the church to make an all out effort to understand how the globalization of communication will affect the way evangelism, discipleship and building the church is done.
4. Global is the new local. Technology has made it easier to meet needs and develop relationships anywhere in the world. When people in India, using their high-speed cellphones to search for answers to their spiritual questions, get connected to Christians in Indiana, what does the “local” in “local church” mean?
5. Everyone and every church can get involved in online missions. Churches will continue to send missionaries and partner with congregations overseas. But computer technology has opened the door for people from all backgrounds to be stay-at-home missionaries. “I can tell you that this is one of the most exciting things that I have ever been a part of in my 40 years of ministry. God is inviting us to be a part of something that is simply amazing!” – Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Online Missionary and Senior Pastor of Northland Church, Orlando, Florida
6. Internet evangelism is efficient. One of the biggest challenges for long-term missionaries or short-term missions volunteers has always been the need to raise thousands of dollars in financial support to fund their efforts. Online missionaries are presenting the gospel for 10 cents and a decision runs 65 cents. As Wilson puts it, “The value of a human soul can’t be calculated. But we’re also stewards of the resources God has given to us and 65 cents a decision is a pretty good deal.”
7. A call for global partnerships. There has never been more opportunity or greater purpose for churches, ministries and organizations to work together. Bobby Gruenewald, Pastor and Innovation Leader at LifeChurch.tv said, “If we were truly united, I believe the Great Commission could be fulfilled within our lifetime. The Church has the resources and the connectivity to make that happen if we’re all pulling together.”
8. Building better models requires experimentation. Instead of hunkering down to wait until the storm of change blows over or freezing current ministry models trying to play it safe, future outreach and ministry models will be found through experimentation. Some of our tests may fail, but God will never fail us. We must set sail and let God steer the ship.
THIS IS OUR TIME
We have to get our people out of the pews and into the battle. –Walt Wilson
God has given the church the technology to reach every man, woman, and child in every nation. Eternity is on the line. Right now. Everywhere.
The enemies of the gospel will use all means to stop the movement. Lack of money or staff. Mistrust of technology. Fear. Whatever. This is spiritual warfare. The church will not advance in the online mission field if it holds back. This is no time for standing still.
So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Support Internet Evangelism Day, Sunday, May 15, 2011.