Technology and Ministry During a Time of Pandemic

Three years ago—in Fall 2018—we (Dale Lemke and Sharon Short) agreed to serve as guest editors of a Christian Education Journal issue focused on the use of technology and social media in the nonformal educational ministries of the church. At the time, we were envisioning ways that electronic media might support, supplement, and enhance the work of church and parachurch ministries. However, by Spring 2020 this topic gained unexpected urgency as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated. Suddenly, technology-based experiences became the primary delivery system for Christian worship and formational activities rather than a supportive auxiliary element. This unanticipated proliferation of media-based ministry efforts offered an unparalleled opportunity to investigate our assigned topic. In response to this unforeseen opportunity, we narrowed the focus of our special issue and began to solicit articles addressing the theme “Technology and Ministry During a Time of Pandemic.”Wewere interested in discovering answers to questions such as the following: