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CCDA  Agenda

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years, 5 months ago

CCDA Conference Report

by Neil Cox, re 'New Media' and Other Insights

from CCDA Conference in St. Louis, Oct. 2007

 

 

 

My Objective #1...   Collect Inputs re using 'New Media for Urban Change'... notably Social Networking for Impact...

  • Enroute... and our return-trip... with Hosea Baxter & Walt Willett... (discussed & concluded... it's obvious that everyone needs partners who also read widely and can provide info & sharpen info... even CBC faculty.  No man is an island.  New media is a great set of tools for collaborating.)
  • From CCDA Plenary Sessions & Workshops...  We facilitated tagging all the CCDA articles, photos & live-blogging and created a 'CCDA 2007' photo-pool.  As a result, we were able to tap into all the keen insights of others who wrote compellingly about the value of urban ministry... and to share them ever-more-widely, facilitating learning via the internet.   We also helped disseminate tons of great Research links as a result of Heidi Unruh's workshop.  Tronn Moller's workshop: 'Changing Systems' was perfectly suited to the topic as he encouraged us to approach root-issues impacting Christian community development.  As providence would have it, my small group was challenged with the case study re poor 'information system'... and thus a mother & children were evicted for lack of information in the neighborhood.  [Notice, that's a problem we're addressing every Saturday morning at 'Ask Anything Saturday'.]   Jeremy Del Rio's workshop on 'Neighborhood Relocation Goes Online' highlighted key research related to the 72-hours of digital inputs our youth get every week... with most of the proceeds building corporate types like Rupert Murdock of News Corp.  Did you know he owns the NIV Bible rights?  Here's a quote from Jeremy... ""Average American teenagers who consume 72 hours of digital media every week digest that media digitally.  21st century youth ministers who hope to engage this digital generation cannot do so effectively until we utilize new media strategies wisely."  One solution-strategy might be for us to help proliferate a gentle move to Facebook which is considerably less objectionable.

     

  • Networking with others at CCDA... Observations about the power of social-networking... Matthew Anderson, a facilitator of GodBlogCon heard of all this via Facebook and came down for some interaction over coffee, etc.  Likewise, we were able to collaborate with Jeremy Del Rio, Kim Roth, Andrew Sears, Robert Smith, Ron McConico, David Apple, Glen Kleinknecht, Matt Shenk and a number of other new media folks.   Similarly, our Indiana regional networking session cross-pollinated another 20 people, from Ft. Wayne to Greater Louisville.  And we were able to alert them to a followup meeting in Indy on Nov. 16th as we debrief from CCDA and continue drawing a plan for the way forward here in our city.   Matthew Anderson shared with me that he often pays a college student to monitor his 250 RSS-feeds in order to prioritize the most important information for him to know on a daily basis.  There's an example of 'new media' employment even!  Also, Andrew Sears spoke of the importance of using ChristianVolunteering.org to post NEEDS... and connected hands & hearts for those needs.  We also discussed the importance of a SAVI-like GIS interface (eg, IndyChristian.Net proto-type)... ie, community-map and overlaying social-assets & vulnerabilities.  The greatest value of meeting while AT CCDA though, is the ongoing encouragement throughout the next year... and the team-building, city by city.... and learning from other cities throughout the upcoming year.  Importantly, CCDA types could greatly influence the Facebook generation.

 

 

My Objective #2...  Collect Inputs for 'Center For Urban Innovation'

  •  
  • Unfortunately, we were NOT able to obtain feedback re the C4UI from Dr. Perkins.
  • Research -- great links provided by Heidi Unruh, Researcher... including Knoxville's model... "Salt & Light Guidebook".
  • 'Encyclopedia for CityReaching'
  • [See New Media & social-networking items above] 
  • We could provide our New Media curriculum to UrbanMinistry.org. 
  •  

 

 

My Objective #3... Draw Conclusions For Our City:  What Are The Big Takeaways?

  • Question:  Here's a leading question from a CCDA blogger... "I am curious how are you, if you have not already begun, going to put the words of the conference into practice?"
  • Questions:   Here's Eldon's list of questions for those of us going to CCDA...   Your high point of the conference – the one best thing that made the conference worthwhile.  What difference is it going to make in your ministry / city?  What can we do as friends of the ministry to promote unity thru CCDA & Transform Indiana.  Bring your insights to our Nov. 16 meeting.
  • 'Coincidentally', another set of inputs was occuring during CCDA week... but back in Indy... as a case-study was unfolding re how slow the wheels turn to find/refer/help a family in need.  We the Church lack an effective system of discerning/screening needs and then meeting them.  Perhaps some new media solutions could come alongside the struggling 'Church Care' system... via our 'Ask Anything Saturday' wiki and via ChristianVolunteering.org.  We'll discuss at the Nov. 16th debrief.
  • Reaffirmed:   An urban Christian cafe model with internet access is a much-needed ministry for the city, as a connecting & communicating point.  But more, we need to continually ensure it's not just a comfortable meeting place to invite people to, but rather a place from which to be doing active ministry out in the neighborhood.
  • Reaffirmed:  Continue promoting our various CCDA ministries, providing connections from suburban Christ-followers.  (eg... my own church, getting involved via small groups).
  • One greatly-lacking element in our city (IMHO) is the reverse-relo effect... moving urban 'missionaries' into suburbia.  Suburbia needs a radical call to the gospel -- suburban pastors may be too close to the issue without realizing it, or too invested in the status-quo, and cannot lead their flocks to radical change alone without helpful 'outside' influence.  One example how that might work could be a CCDA-type of Sunday School class which could also be suitable for small groups in suburban churches & neighborhoods.
  •  
  • Personally, Dr. Perkins' Bible study exhortation hit me hardest...

    "Has God called you to organize Christians to do the will of God in your city?"

     

  • My biggest tactical takeaway... Make CityReaching Research readily available to our city's Christian leaders.   Example:  Refer our Indianapolis leaders to Knoxville model, and see what ideas &actions result.   Also, rename our cityreaching wiki, to what it really is (becoming)... "Encyclopedia for CityReaching".  As Wayne Gordon & Dr. Perkins put it... "The knowledge-base of CCDA is out THERE... with all of you.  It's why we call it an association, not an organization."  So a collaborative wiki encyclopedia approach could be helpful to everyone... and perhaps especially those who are NOT the experts, but want to learn.  Sure they could read any of the many books, but how would you know which to choose?

     

     

 

 

 

[comments are very welcome.] 

 

 

 

 

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