Overview
Overview
The digital revolution has dramatically expanded available forms of and opportunities for religious praxis, offering people significantly more freedom to practice their faith where and how they choose. As this trend continues, religious leaders will increasingly be called upon to provide leadership across diverse digital media. If the theological academy is to adequately equip future leaders, it must find ways to incorporate digital praxis into the curriculum. This need is greatest in practical theology and its subdisciplines, because these are the areas where students develop the knowledge and skills to guide praxis. However, little work has been done thus far to address the digital gap in theological education. Taking Mainline Protestant Christianity as the primary context for analysis, this paper presents a rationale and framework for incorporating theology and skills for digital religious leadership into practical theology classrooms. The presentation will illustrate pedagogical recommendations using digital tools developed by the author. Principles presented are generalizable across a variety of traditions.
Background
Over the last 25 years, a growing number of scholars and clergy have begun to explore digital forms of religious praxis. This trend emerged in response to several factors, including increasingly interactive and immediate digital media (Web 2.0 and beyond); decreasing participation in in-person religious communities, particularly among younger generations; and the prevalence and normalization of digital ministry during COVID-19 lockdowns.
The trend will likely continue to expand. Consequently, those who aspire to be religious leaders need to be equipped to facilitate religious praxis both in-person and online. The best place for this preparation to occur is in the practical theology classroom.
Mainline Protestant Context
Within Mainline Protestant Christianity, most churches began offering some forms of digital ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many continued to offer hybrid ministries. For example, many congregations livestream their worship services, hold meetings via videoconferencing, and use videoconferencing to allow people to participate in Christian education both in-person and online. There are also a growing number of fully digital church communities.
As such forms of ministry proliferate, it will be incumbent upon pastoral leaders to ensure that digital ministries are not merely available, but that they are effective. For example, effective digital worship should facilitate the embodied and communal experience of worshipping the divine. Effective mission and evangelism should present the gospel in a way that is relevant to digital generations. Effective faith formation should result in discipleship, fostering the transformation of hearts and lives.
Unfortunately, few clergy have received training in digital praxis. In order to design and lead effective digital ministries, pastors need knowledge and skills relevant to digital contexts. These skills include concepts such as how to form meaningful community and design meaningful experiences online, as well as some understanding of the technology they may need to use in ministry.
Pedagogical Responses
Theological schools can begin educating students in this area immediately by incorporating digital content into existing practical theology courses. For example, students in Master of Divinity programs may take courses in worship, preaching, spiritual care, religious education, mission and evangelism. Worship courses can include a session on designing or adapting worship for online contexts. Preaching courses can include a session on digital preaching. Spiritual care courses can include a session on providing care via videoconferencing, including both ethical and logistical considerations. Religious education courses can include a session on using digital media for faith formation. Mission classes can address the digital inculturation of the gospel, while evangelism classes should discuss effective communication of the gospel via digital platforms. All courses can also give students the option of using digital media for term projects.
Of course, faculty may not feel knowledgeable about digital praxis. However, there is a growing body of literature addressing each of these aspects of digital ministry. Faculty may also consider inviting guest speakers from other academic departments and/or ministry professionals. For example, faculty in psychology or social work could share their experience with telehealth counseling to inform a discussion of digital spiritual care. Faulty in communications departments are knowledgeable about designing effective content that could be applicable to both preaching and evangelism. Furthermore, pastors who are engaged in digital ministry can be invaluable resources for sharing what they have learned about bringing various ministry activities into digital contexts. In the absence of local experts, guests can often join a class via videoconferencing to provide a digital window into their work.
Devoting some time to digital contexts in practical theology courses provides a valuable opportunity for students to begin thinking creatively about online and hybrid ministry. However, to foster a holistic theology and praxis of, schools should consider offering at least one course devoted entirely to this topic. The following are a few of the goals and benefits of such a course:
- Ecclesiologically, the church is a community of people. Therefore, leaders of digital ministry require the skills to foster meaningful community among people via technology. One of the best ways to learn about online community is to participate in online communities. Schools should offer digital ministry courses as synchronous online classes so that students experience and reflect on digital community through their shared participation in the community of learners.
- Professors can model skills for building community, facilitating discussion, and designing shared experiences in the digital classroom context.
- Students need some familiarity with available technology, even if they end up serving a community where staff or volunteers manage technological operations. A course specifically on digital ministry can incorporate workshops introducing students to tools such as video editing, podcasting, using artificial intelligence, and designing interactive virtual environments. Guest presenters can be especially helpful in leading such workshops.
- Throughout such a course, students can be invited to reflect together on how effective various experiences and techniques are at cultivating a formative learning experience.
This paper will incorporate discussion and experiential digital content to allow participants to more fully conceptualize the pedagogical possibilities for incorporating digital religious praxis into practical theology education.
The digital revolution has dramatically expanded available forms of and opportunities for religious praxis, offering people significantly more freedom to practice their faith where and how they choose. As this trend continues, religious leaders will increasingly be called upon to provide leadership across diverse digital media. If the theological academy is to adequately equip future leaders, it must find ways to incorporate digital praxis into the curriculum. This need is greatest in practical theology and its subdisciplines, because these are the areas where students develop the knowledge and skills to guide praxis. Taking Mainline Protestant Christianity as the primary context for analysis, this paper presents a rationale and framework for incorporating theology and skills for digital religious leadership into practical theology classrooms. The presentation will illustrate pedagogical recommendations using digital tools developed by the author. Principles presented are generalizable across a variety of traditions.