Event Title
Conversations on Digital Transformation
Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
29-5-2020 11:00 AM
End Date
29-5-2020 12:00 PM
Description
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"No Going Back to Normal"
Making the most of this opportunity to reform your church
As churches digitalize in response to covid-19, leaders have discovered that members are open to and accelerating many transformations that would formerly take decades to implement. Instead of simply “going back to normal” when physical spaces can be reopened, how can we lean into the ways God wants us to change for the Kingdom?
In this discussion, Pastor Laurie Brenner and technologist Chris Lim explore the story of how one church went virtual and the transformation it produced in leadership, decision making, service, spiritual formation and more. They describe the new challenges and opportunities that are surfacing as a result of this transformation and the changes in mindset and culture needed to make the most of this opportunity to reform the Church during and after the pandemic.
Laurie Brenner, Pastor, West Side Presbyterian Church
Pastor Laurie Brenner is a Pacific Northwest native. Laurie has served churches in Seattle, Vashon Island, Scotland and Paris. After completing her Ph.D. in New Testament Studies at Durham University (England), Laurie returned to the classroom, teaching at Seattle Pacific University and Fuller Seminary until the fall of 2018, when she accepted the call to be Senior Pastor at West Side. She and her husband, David, love walking their dog in West Seattle, travelling, reading, and especially spending time with their grown kids (Emma and Jeremy) and many nieces and nephews.
Chris Lim, Project Consultant and Founder of TheoTech
Christopher Lim is founder of TheoTech, a company using technology for the Gospel, developing apps such as Ceaseless (for praying for everyone on earth) and spf.io (for real-time captioning and translation). Chris has spoken internationally about the digital transformation of the Church, culminating in a talk on “A Second Reformation,” and has provided consulting for local churches, missions agencies, and denominational bodies. Most recently, he has been hosting a series helping churches respond to COVID-19 on the TheoTech Podcast.
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“Digital Equity and Privilege during the Pandemic”
Rev. Derick Harris, Rev. Lisa Ishihara, and Rev. Paul Kim will explore the ways biases, digital inequity, and privilege may arise in congregational worship during the COVID-19 global pandemic and offer several key considerations communities of worship will do well to examine as they navigate communal worship in a digital landscape.
Derick Harris, Director of Seminary Administration, Seattle Pacific University
Rev. Derick Harris earned his Bachelor of Arts from Northwest University and his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is the Director of Seminary Administration at Seattle Pacific University and the Director of Discipleship at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship.
Rev. Derick Harris not only believes he can make positive contributions in the lives of others; he believes he has a spiritual and moral obligation to do so—he believes this is the appropriate response to the grace God has bestowed on him.
Lisa Ishihara, University Chaplain, Seattle Pacific University
On August 1, 2018, Rev. Lisa Ishihara became the University chaplain for SPU after a nationwide search.
Director of chapel programs at Biola University for the past 10 years, Ishihara has done extensive speaking and teaching, and she recently contributed to a new book, Diversity Matters: Leading Change Through Diversity in Spiritual Development.
She is also an ordained clergyperson in the Pacific North West Conference of the Free Methodist Church and so, says Dr. Jeffrey Van Duzer, “she understands both SPU’s Wesleyan heritage and the changing dynamic of the student body on our campus.” In her new role, Ishihara will lead University Ministries.
Rev. Ishihara received a BA in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from California State University at Fullerton, as well as an M.Div. and Masters in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from the Talbot School of Theology.
Paul Kim, Minister of Church and Community Connections, Office of Ministries, Seattle Pacific University
Paul Kim is the Minister of Church and Community Connections in the Office of University Ministries at Seattle Pacific University. In this role, he seeks ways to bridge campus and church communities towards support of campus and community spiritual development.
Prior to his work at SPU, Paul was Special Assistant to the President at Union University of California, which provides online access to theological education to under-resourced global communities. As an ordained clergy person, he was pastor of several congregations and currently serves as the Parish Associate at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church in the diverse community of Burien, WA.
Paul is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, architecture and history) and Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv).
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“The Robloxian Christians: Reflections in Virtual Ecclesiology”
Due to Covid-19, churches were forced to quickly find new ways to be the church. In the rush to adapt to new platforms and overcome technological challenges, few church leaders had time to consider the deeper theological implications and questions of what it means to be the church when we are not together in-person.
This conversation led by Associate Professor of Theology, Mike Langford, and online church leader, Daniel Herron, will explore some of these questions through the perspective of The Robloxian Christians. TRC is a youth-led online church that has led virtual church services on the Roblox video game platform since 2011. This conversation will begin with a brief demonstration of The Robloxian Christians virtual space, and continue in a dialogue between Daniel and Mike.
Daniel Herron, Project Consultant and Founder of The Robloxian Christians Online Church
Daniel Herron is the founder of The Robloxian Christians online church and a junior at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. He has also served as a Sunday school teacher and as a young adult advisory delegate to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Mike Langford, Associate Professor of Theology, Discipleship, and Ministry, Seattle Pacific University
Mike Langford's research, teaching, and ministry lie at the intersection of the church and the academy. Trained in both doctrinal theology and practical theology, Dr. Langford has published work in both fields and has research interests that theologically address such diverse areas as youth, disability, ecology, technology, and vocation. As a teacher, Prof. Langford has taught classes in theology, ministry, and spirituality at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and regularly speaks at national conferences. As a minister, Rev. Langford is an ordained Presbyterian pastor, and has served for several years in church ministry, predominantly in youth and family ministry. He is also Executive Director of Immerse Youth Discipleship Academy.
Mike, his wife, and four children live in the Seattle area and are active members of Bethany Presbyterian Church.
Education: BS, Symbolic Systems, Stanford University, 1993; MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2001; PhD Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2010.
Conversations on Digital Transformation
-
"No Going Back to Normal"
Making the most of this opportunity to reform your church
As churches digitalize in response to covid-19, leaders have discovered that members are open to and accelerating many transformations that would formerly take decades to implement. Instead of simply “going back to normal” when physical spaces can be reopened, how can we lean into the ways God wants us to change for the Kingdom?
In this discussion, Pastor Laurie Brenner and technologist Chris Lim explore the story of how one church went virtual and the transformation it produced in leadership, decision making, service, spiritual formation and more. They describe the new challenges and opportunities that are surfacing as a result of this transformation and the changes in mindset and culture needed to make the most of this opportunity to reform the Church during and after the pandemic.
Laurie Brenner, Pastor, West Side Presbyterian Church
Pastor Laurie Brenner is a Pacific Northwest native. Laurie has served churches in Seattle, Vashon Island, Scotland and Paris. After completing her Ph.D. in New Testament Studies at Durham University (England), Laurie returned to the classroom, teaching at Seattle Pacific University and Fuller Seminary until the fall of 2018, when she accepted the call to be Senior Pastor at West Side. She and her husband, David, love walking their dog in West Seattle, travelling, reading, and especially spending time with their grown kids (Emma and Jeremy) and many nieces and nephews.
Chris Lim, Project Consultant and Founder of TheoTech
Christopher Lim is founder of TheoTech, a company using technology for the Gospel, developing apps such as Ceaseless (for praying for everyone on earth) and spf.io (for real-time captioning and translation). Chris has spoken internationally about the digital transformation of the Church, culminating in a talk on “A Second Reformation,” and has provided consulting for local churches, missions agencies, and denominational bodies. Most recently, he has been hosting a series helping churches respond to COVID-19 on the TheoTech Podcast.
-
“Digital Equity and Privilege during the Pandemic”
Rev. Derick Harris, Rev. Lisa Ishihara, and Rev. Paul Kim will explore the ways biases, digital inequity, and privilege may arise in congregational worship during the COVID-19 global pandemic and offer several key considerations communities of worship will do well to examine as they navigate communal worship in a digital landscape.
Derick Harris, Director of Seminary Administration, Seattle Pacific University
Rev. Derick Harris earned his Bachelor of Arts from Northwest University and his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is the Director of Seminary Administration at Seattle Pacific University and the Director of Discipleship at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship.
Rev. Derick Harris not only believes he can make positive contributions in the lives of others; he believes he has a spiritual and moral obligation to do so—he believes this is the appropriate response to the grace God has bestowed on him.
Lisa Ishihara, University Chaplain, Seattle Pacific University
On August 1, 2018, Rev. Lisa Ishihara became the University chaplain for SPU after a nationwide search.
Director of chapel programs at Biola University for the past 10 years, Ishihara has done extensive speaking and teaching, and she recently contributed to a new book, Diversity Matters: Leading Change Through Diversity in Spiritual Development.
She is also an ordained clergyperson in the Pacific North West Conference of the Free Methodist Church and so, says Dr. Jeffrey Van Duzer, “she understands both SPU’s Wesleyan heritage and the changing dynamic of the student body on our campus.” In her new role, Ishihara will lead University Ministries.
Rev. Ishihara received a BA in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from California State University at Fullerton, as well as an M.Div. and Masters in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from the Talbot School of Theology.
Paul Kim, Minister of Church and Community Connections, Office of Ministries, Seattle Pacific University
Paul Kim is the Minister of Church and Community Connections in the Office of University Ministries at Seattle Pacific University. In this role, he seeks ways to bridge campus and church communities towards support of campus and community spiritual development.
Prior to his work at SPU, Paul was Special Assistant to the President at Union University of California, which provides online access to theological education to under-resourced global communities. As an ordained clergy person, he was pastor of several congregations and currently serves as the Parish Associate at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church in the diverse community of Burien, WA.
Paul is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, architecture and history) and Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv).
-
“The Robloxian Christians: Reflections in Virtual Ecclesiology”
Due to Covid-19, churches were forced to quickly find new ways to be the church. In the rush to adapt to new platforms and overcome technological challenges, few church leaders had time to consider the deeper theological implications and questions of what it means to be the church when we are not together in-person.
This conversation led by Associate Professor of Theology, Mike Langford, and online church leader, Daniel Herron, will explore some of these questions through the perspective of The Robloxian Christians. TRC is a youth-led online church that has led virtual church services on the Roblox video game platform since 2011. This conversation will begin with a brief demonstration of The Robloxian Christians virtual space, and continue in a dialogue between Daniel and Mike.
Daniel Herron, Project Consultant and Founder of The Robloxian Christians Online Church
Daniel Herron is the founder of The Robloxian Christians online church and a junior at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. He has also served as a Sunday school teacher and as a young adult advisory delegate to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Mike Langford, Associate Professor of Theology, Discipleship, and Ministry, Seattle Pacific University
Mike Langford's research, teaching, and ministry lie at the intersection of the church and the academy. Trained in both doctrinal theology and practical theology, Dr. Langford has published work in both fields and has research interests that theologically address such diverse areas as youth, disability, ecology, technology, and vocation. As a teacher, Prof. Langford has taught classes in theology, ministry, and spirituality at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and regularly speaks at national conferences. As a minister, Rev. Langford is an ordained Presbyterian pastor, and has served for several years in church ministry, predominantly in youth and family ministry. He is also Executive Director of Immerse Youth Discipleship Academy.
Mike, his wife, and four children live in the Seattle area and are active members of Bethany Presbyterian Church.
Education: BS, Symbolic Systems, Stanford University, 1993; MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2001; PhD Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2010.