Spring 2020 pushed the church right off the diving board into the deep end of Digital Ministry! Most of us have gained some Digital Ministry skills and learned to navigate the virtual space with in-person ministry.
This course is designed to help us take a step back and consider not just HOW we are doing ministry online, but WHY. It is both practical and theoretical.
Who are we trying to reach with the Good News of God’s love? What tools are we using to do it, and how we can engage those in our own community, and the wider world?
This course is a broad, conceptual look at both Digital : platforms, equipment, tools, best practices, etc. and Ministry : how we think about translating what we do in-person to what we do in the digital space.
Students will be introduced to this framework and consider how to rethink church in new ways, using today’s technology. There are 12 videos (plus Intro, Conclusion, and a few bonuses) that offer both practical tips and ‘translation’ exercises, and these are accompanied by downloadable resources and ‘try this at home’ suggestions.
The final project is to take ONE aspect of Digital (e.g. a platform, tool, piece of equipment) and engage in ONE Ministry with it (preaching, prayer, spiritual practice, service, study, etc). It can be something new (live streaming, podcasting, opening a new social media …) or an improvement on the Digital Ministry you are already doing.
The learning goal is for students to gain both new skills and new ways of thinking about ministry.
Instructor: Fr. Cathie Caimano
The Rev. Catherine Caimano (‘Fr. Cathie’) is celebrating her 20th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. She graduated from the General Theological Seminary in 1999, and served parishes in New York City, Durham, NC, and Wichita, KS, before joining the staff of Bp. Michael Curry when he served as the Bishop of North Carolina. Since 2016, Fr. Cathie has been a Free Range Priest – helping clergy and congregations navigate the 21st century church and world, reimagining sustainable part-time ministry and creative online ministry. She is a teacher, coach, and consultant to clergy, congregations, dioceses and denominations