wfn.org | New ministry directions for Mennonite Media

[Beth Hawn]

Microsoft Mail v3.0 (MAPI 1.0 Transport) IPM.Microsoft Mail.Note
To:  Worldwide Faith News
Date: 1998-06-17 12:06
Priority: 3
Message ID: E53EB828D205D211AAB0006008075ABF
Conversation ID: New ministry directions for Mennonite Media

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 17, 1998

HARRISONBURG, Va. (MBM) - "What would an Internet web ministry look   
like?"

That topic caught the imagination of people evaluating the ministry
potential of various forms of media for the Mennonite Church, according   
to
consultant Diane Zimmerman Umble in a report to the Mennonite Board of
Missions Board of Directors for their June 11-13 meetings here.

Umble, chair of the communication and theater department at Millersville
(Pa.) University, highlighted results of board-initiated research that
Mennonite Media conducted with  14 consultations with representatives of   
   

agencies, conferences and congregational leadership groups last fall.   
 The
research sought to determine to the importance of prophetic witness   
through
the media on behalf of Mennonites.

After receiving the report from Umble, the board authorized Mennonite   
Media
to continue to produce public media on behalf of the Mennonite Church,
including the development of a new ministry-driven web site.

The research asked three primary questions:
1. Do you affirm Mennonite Media continuing to be active in public
 media/prophetic witness ministry for and to the Mennonite Church?
2. What vision do you see for this work?
3. How can it be funded?

In recent years, Mennonite Media has created public-service radio and TV
spots (aired free by stations), produced "prophetic witness" videos such   
as
the Beyond the News discussion videos, and distributed the Another Way   
print
column among other activities.

Umble reported a clear and almost universal "yes" coming from the
consultations. "Those consulted saw a value in public-media witness, and
feel that it is an appropriate activity for a missions agency," she told   
board
members. Some issues discussed by participants were:
* Should the primary role for church media should be prophetic witness
 or identity?
* How prophetic can we be in the marketplace? How radical can we be?
* Who speaks for Mennonites?
* Is the stance one of leadership and vision or that of a resource   
provider?
* How local or global must the messages be?
* How do we measure effectiveness?

Participants in the consultations expressed much appreciation for the
quality of media created in the past, and suggested themes to work at in   
the
future, including family life, marriage, Christian nurture, hope and
healing messages, consumerism, Bible study and peace.

The report encouraged Mennonite Media to keep using a variety of media to   

reach different audiences, and to stay message- and audience-driven,
using the medium that is most appropriate for a particular audience. For
instance, use the Internet to reach younger audiences.

When board members asked whether MBM can afford to do media in light of   
vision
for new projects in many areas of MBM work, and whether using media is
compatible with our message, Umble said, "My personal perspective is that   

we can't afford not to. It demonstrates that you [the church] exists,   
that you
have a presence in the media, and raises an Anabaptist voice. I don't   
think
we want to abdicate our presence in the media just because the technology   
can
be inconsistent with the message. The media touch people in a way that is   

unprecedented."

Virgo Handojo, a board member, is pastor of the Jemaat Kristen Indonesia
Anugrah (Grace Indonesian Christian Fellowship) in Pasadena, Calif.,
which has a web site <www.fica.net> of its own. He noted the vast
opportunities via the Internet, where his church's web site built   
awareness
of persecuted Christians in Indonesia, and posted photos of churches   
burned
in recent months. "There are a lot of people who are loosely connected   
with
Mennonites, newcomers who may be attending a church, but are not clear   
about
what Mennonites believe," he said.

"On the Internet you can offer information, prophetic messages, and also
connect people with Mennonite churches."  He encouraged staff to consider   

adding discussion groups to the web site, "It's like a big conference   
call
everyday. Only a few people go to the web, but everyone checks their   
e-mail,
and want to see the latest thing being said in a discussion group,"   
Handojo
said. "We even  planted a church in Australia with a pastor we became
acquainted with through e-mail and raised the funds for the project
through e-mail."

Board member Michael A. Chandler, pastor of Community Mennonite Church in   

Lancaster, Pa., said he affirmed the directions for media.  But since the   

nature of the Internet is so individualistic, "I would affirm a strong   
and
clear message regarding the centrality of the gathered community; that is   

where the spirit is discerned, that is where we do our theological   
thinking."

Over lunch, about 30 local pastors, Eastern Mennonite University
professors and Virginia conference leaders joined the Board to receive
a report on different media activities.
* Saw a pilot demonstration of Mennonite Media's "Third Way Caf‚" web   
site
 <www.thirdway.com>, despite the fact that at 11 a.m., two hours before   
the
 demonstration, many web and telecommunications users in the northeast
 United States were cut off when a cable in New York City was   
accidentally cut,
 according to reports by The Associated Press. The computer equipment   
which
 "serves" the Mennonite Media web site out to the public Internet was one   
of the
 businesses affected. Staff had allowed for emergency glitches and web
 designer Jerry Holsopple demonstrated the site from the hard drive of   
his
 computer instead of from the Internet.
* Heard stories (see related article) from people already seeking
 information from other Mennonite web sites -- questions that come to
 Mennonite Media staff to answer.
* Gave a blessing to John Bomberger on behalf of the Choice Books   
operation,
which had been a program of MBM and began operating as a limited   
liability
company on Jan. 1, 1998.  Bomberger reported that Choice Books sold 1   
million
books in the first five months of this year.
* * *

Melodie M. Davis             PHOTO AVAILABLE