Media curation is the professional practice of aggregating media content from multiple sources.
Someone sorts, categorizes and presents the assembled content to create a unique experience for the end user.
What is Christian media curation?
In aggregating and curating Christian media, the content is tied to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Christian media professionals often create content platforms because of a conviction to facilitate communication of historic, traditional, Christian views.
Faith-based media content aggregators may also adopt “doctrinal statements,” require content providers to have a statement of faith, or hold membership in national organizations to maintain high standards.
Christian broadcasters have been successfully curating media for decades.
They have organized content from the most distinguished and gifted teachers and preachers in the nation. Christian broadcasters exist to work alongside the church in meeting the spiritual needs of non-believers and believers alike.
Because broadcasters perfected 20th century business and ministry models, they have been able to perform this service at no cost to the end user.
Why will Christian media curation be important in the digital world?
Like it or not, technology has fundamentally and irreversibly changed media distribution in the 21st century. The Internet has made it possible to find and access religious content from a variety of sources. You can have it delivered via your email inbox or smartphone.
The ability to do this is powerful, when you know who or what you are looking for. Or, you have been equipped to determine the theological legitimacy of content from sources you are unfamiliar with.
But… What about the millions and millions of people that don’t know where to go, or who to turn to for spiritual guidance? What about those who don’t yet know what “truth” is, much less “sound doctrine?”
The large and unwieldy volume of religious content being created and pushed out can overwhelm mature believers. For a person outside a Christian frame of reference, the idea of trying to determine what online sources can be trusted on spiritual matters can be a nonstarter.
Worse, with false teaching from cults and world religions as accessible online as the true gospel, seekers can stumble down the wrong road as easily as the right one. Many unsuspecting people will be lured into potentially dangerous influences.
A few of the largest ministries and churches may be able to advertise as a means of breaking out from under the avalanche of deceptive religious content online. Not many though. They need help.
Five ways media aggregators will serve the mission of the Church
They will:
1. Build critical mass awareness for those who have established the credibility and trust for proclaiming the true gospel of Christ.
2. Make it possible for users to easily find and access reliable content on the web, in the cloud, everywhere.
3. Leverage technology to manage the volume of excellent Christian resources with search, tagging and sharing solutions.
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:36
4. Provide experiences tailored to people unfamiliar with church and, through human touch, help them take relevant steps toward the Savior.
5. Develop new business models, so the Good News that sets captives free will remain free for all God brings to it in the digital world.