Newly formed Digital Priority Round Table needs your help 

A ‘Round Table’ group of Baptists is forming to take the digital priority forward - and it is hoped four working groups will now be formed enabling discernment and discussion which will be fed into our Core Leadership Team

When Baptist Union Council identified the digital revolution as a key priority area back in 2018 it was a prophetic moment for our movement. Since then, there have been huge developments in digital technology and our use of it, notably how Covid and its accompanying lockdowns moved us into running online church. But as Lynn Green has said, hosting such services is only ‘the tip of a very big iceberg… Grappling with issues about developing digital mission and the massive theological issues of what it means to be human in a world of AI all lie before us.’
 
Now, like in other areas of national discernment such as Children, Young People and Families and Young Adults, a ‘Round Table’ group of Baptists are forming to take the digital priority forward. This Round Table aims to contribute to the delivery of the Baptists Together digital revolution priority – of not only building our own digital capacity, but also reflecting on the implications of the digital revolution on mission, ministry and society. This will be explored through fours areas:
 

• Digital as broadcast – helping existing churches to enhance their activity by using digital resources well.
• Digital as community – creating new churches and congregations that inhabit the online space.
• Ethics of digital engagement – being a Christlike presence online, including issues such as safeguarding and accessibility.
• Theology of digital ministry and mission - reflecting theologically on our online encounters and experiences. 

Digital as broadcast
During the Covid lockdowns many Baptist churches experienced the opportunities and the challenges of using digital tools for ministry and mission. Some were able to build on existing digital foundations, for others it was their first major foray into the online world.

What are the lessons that are being learned? This area will explore how social media, video platforms and other technology might be used to enhance the mission and ministry of the local Baptist church.

 
Digital as community
What does church look like when the 'congregation' choose to meet entirely in the digital space rather than a physical location? What might mission amongst those who spend much of their time online look like? How might digital platforms be used to form entirely new ways of being and doing church? 

This area will gather together those who are creating new churches that only exist online.
 

Ethics of digital engagement
What are the dangers inherent in the digital space, and what policies do we need to ensure this type of engagement is safe? How might digital engagement contribute to, or perhaps help to tackle, injustice and exclusion? What does being Christlike look like when we are participating in online communities and digital communication?

This area seeks to identify, think through and advise on the ethics of digital engagement.    
 

Theology of digital ministry and mission
Is it possible to genuinely celebrate communion in the online space? What happens when people in a digital church want to get baptised? Is an online avatar a help or a hinderance to authentic relationships? Is the Holy Spirit at work in generative AI?  Can a chatbot be an evangelist?

This area will engage with the theological discussions around the new questions the digital revolution is causing us to ask.   
 

It is hoped that four working groups will be formed enabling discernment and discussion which will be fed into our Core Leadership Team. Do you have a passion for one of these areas and could commit to gathering online to discuss several times a year? If so, please email our National Communications Manager and member of the Digital Priority Round Table Mike Lowe.

Chair of the Digital Priority Round Table, Alice Cheeseman says, 'With the world seemingly getting darker but progressively becoming more connected together online; we are hearing the call from God like never before to go out and introduce people to Jesus using the internet as a new way to do so.

'But we can't do this alone; we need you! So if you are interested, feel called or just want to see where the conversation goes? Let us know and together we can partner with God to be a light online.”
 
And Alice also shares this message on YouTube.