The fundamentals of Christian Media haven’t changed and sit on solid ground.

But the shifting sands of technology and digital media make it a challenge for many communicators to keep up.

Here is what I believe could be a few interesting trends for Christian Media professionals to capitalize on in 2015.

Direct-to-audience audio/video solutions will become more important for media ministry. Commonly called online video and audio platforms (OVAP’s), these are fee-based, software-as-service online content solutions that enable content owners, content managers, and content distributors to transcode, store, manage, protect, publish, syndicate, track, and monetize online video and audio.

OVAP’s that can help manage and generate funds with digital media assets can be a tremendous help to media ministries, especially the small-medium sized operations, that are wrestling with the complexity of customizing, creating, and delivering digital video and audio online.

Podcasting will grow stronger as a medium of Christian communication. Low cost of entry and creative freedom are drawing a bevy of new entrants to the medium. I expect more voices to come online in 2015. There is a lot of opportunity for consolidating these “talk” programs into channels and networks that will provide creators with greater visibility and accessibility to larger audiences. The starting of these networks will compound the return on ministry investment for everyone involved.

Websites will be outfitted with software platforms that work more like mobile apps. A “Web App” is an Internet-enabled app that is accessible via the mobile device’s Web browsers. Web apps do not need to be downloaded onto the user’s mobile device in order to be accessed and can be saved to the home screens of any device. Web apps will function as prominent portals to Web content and are much less costly and complex to develop and maintain.

More true partnerships will form to share ideas, technologies, and resources. We have long-held at the blog that cooperation and collaboration are kingdom-advancing ideas worth pursuing. We live in an age of massive unpredictability. I believe the urgency of the times will lead more organizations to explore, form, and operate technology and media-based partnerships for accelerating the work of the gospel. These partnerships will share knowledge, technology systems, and funding tools. They will also work together on new systems and solutions for reaching people everywhere in every language for Christ.

In 2015, Christian digital media, like traditional Christian media before it, will not be known for just doing good stuff. It will be embraced as something God prepared for such a time as this, “so that all nations will hear the gospel; & then the end will come.”