Time to Update is the book to let ministry leaders and communicators know they’ve already started and how to move forward to share the greatest story ever told to a world of littles and bigs who need it. Thank you Brittany Nelson for putting together a guidebook of small steps and giant leaps for digital discipleship in Time to Update: 7 Areas to Integrate Digital Discipleship into Your Children’s Ministry Strategy. I’ve been waiting for a resource like this for years and she’s put it in one place. Thank you, Brittany!

Discipleship is the process of making disciples of Jesus. Discipleship is THE JOB we have in the local church. Digital Discipleship is the process of making disciples through digital methods. We are not talking about live-streaming children’s church or watching a video on a screen to create or share content. Rather, “a digital approach to children’s ministry involves intentionally using technology to enhance and improve various areas within the ministry, from administrative tasks no one ever sees to communication with families to teaching Bible lessons on Sunday mornings.” (pg 3)

The goal of making disciples has not changed, yet our learners have. Digital is what our littles and bigs know; digital makes for faster information sharing; dependence on technology is not going away; digital is how our little disciples are now wired to learn. There was a time when a radio was enough. Television came around and having only the sound on was not gonna cut it now that visual images were involved. The same thing goes for the families we are trying to reach with the gospel. This is where our congregation lives. Why would we not want to go where the people are?

Just because YOU may not be on social media, our families are. A lot! Digital information is at our fingertips. The greatest search engine for the littles we serve is no longer Google, but YouTube. Our families are locating, shopping, driving, ordering, alarming, posting, scrolling, friending, and communicating with the digital devices in their hands. So how do we start leveraging digital resources to make disciples beyond placing Amazon orders?

Brittany clearly lays out chapters dedicated to policies and procedures; evaluating your church’s website (or at least your ministry page); partnering and communicating with parents/caregivers; recruiting, training, and retaining volunteer leaders; how to grow healthy relationships through social media; even using technology to aid in your administration tasks. Each chapter ends with several Action Steps and a ton of bonus tools and ideas.

The title reads ‘children’s ministry strategy’, but this book really is an all-skate. If you are in ministry with and for people for Christ, this resource is a guide for you. Weekday Preschool, Recreation Ministry, Youth Ministry, Family Ministry, Women’s/Men’s Ministry, Christian Education, Hospitality, etc.

There is so much to capture in this book that I’ve decided to lead an online book discussion in October. We’ll read 2-3 chapters each week and chat on Wednesday mornings 9-10:30am. Want to join in? Sign up at https://forms.gle/4ZMw8C41kgHL7qVx9 

“He said to them, ‘Go into ALL the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'” Mark 16:15 (emphasis mine)