COMING SOON:

New Technology to Advance God’s Kingdom

From the earliest days of CBH to present-day social media and podcasting, the Church of God has long sought to stay ahead of the curve in the realm of technology. While Church of God Ministries celebrates ongoing wins in communication, networking, and online accessibility, we acknowledge the need for improvement in a few notable areas; we must do better, and we can do better. Working in recent years to build financial stability with the resources the Lord has brought to the organization, Church of God Ministries acknowledges that now is the time to address deferred investment in technology. Thanks to the strategic formation of a collaborative cross-section of pastors, administrators, and skilled professionals, Church of God Ministries is excited to announce the early stages of a major technology upgrade to consist of prominent platform overhauls and the consolidation of resources into a single online portal.

Pastors and churches benefit from Church of God initiatives, programs, and tools, such as CHOG 24-7, Ministry Connector, and Be Bold Academy. Though such resources continue to meet a need, their accessibility and function has declined in recent years as media types shift and technological demands increase at an exponential rate. Church of God Ministries has heard the cry of the Movement to bridge the gap, resolve these issues, and collaborate with leaders across the Movement to imagine what we might build together to equip the church for the future. With the input and expertise of a diverse array of local Church of God pastors, regional pastors, administrative professionals, and IT and communication specialists, Church of God Ministries has begun to design a unified platform built to handle all the functionality of each of the currently separate platforms—all with a single login. In partnership with Wipfli, a well-known, multi-billion-dollar tech company, Church of God Ministries ultimately anticipates the unveiling of a platform that utilizes the Microsoft data stack.

“We are a people who gather,” Natalie Royer, project manager, explains. “It’s a part of our DNA. We’ve gathered for camp meetings and conventions. We’ve gathered to worship together, to grow together, and to advance the kingdom together. Now we’re building a place to gather online. From event and minister registration to Leadership Focus and Ministry Connector and more, we’ll come together and discover again how we’re truly better together.”

Handel Smith, executive director of US and Canada Strategy, shares Natalie’s excitement. “This is truly an opportunity for all of us to experience an advancement of God’s kingdom using technology,” he explains. “Of course, we’re all about the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. This is a ‘great collaboration.’ As the writer of Proverbs says, ‘…in the multitude of counselors there is safety’ (Proverbs 11:14 nkjv). So, in this post-pandemic season of schisms and polarization, God is moving in the hearts of a diverse array of leaders in the Church of God to provide a solution to the disconnectedness of our day. In so doing, we will be more effective and unified in circulating the message of Jesus around the world. Like the mission of the General Assembly, we seek in this major technological upgrade ‘to further the ends of the Church of God: unity and holiness…to follow [Jesus], as he defined his ministry in Luke 4:16–21, anointed by the Spirit to: proclaim, heal, free, and restore.”

Ensuring enhanced synergy and the avoidance of omissions from lack of perspective, leaders from across the Church of God movement have already begun to dream, collaborate, strategize, and plan for the unveiling of this new portal. Though the project is under construction and will be for several months, anticipation is mounting for the resulting product that will serve the Movement in the highest capacity possible. Stay tuned for more details as such become available ahead of an anticipated second-quarter 2022 Phase One launch.

Participants in this effort include:

Amanda Chambers, Florida Church of God Ministries

Lori Fast, Leadership Focus

Michael Guzman, Churches of God of Central California

Ali Hofmeyer, Trellis Churches

Jason Knoll, North Central Region

Jenene Lighty, Indiana Ministries

Clifton McDowell, Church of God of East New York/National Association of the Church of God (NACOG)

Lloyd Moritz, Pacific Northwest Association

Mark Richardson, Church of God in Michigan

Erin Wagoner, Servant Solutions

Heather and Mike Webb, Children of Promise

Tim West, Texas Ministries of the Church of God

Arnetta Bailey, Christian Women Connection/NACOG

Matt Anderson, McDowell Church (Scottsdale, AZ)

Demetrius Booker, Church of God Ohio

Justin Key, Mid-America Christian University

Michael Sanders, Mid-America Christian University

Howard Megill, Missouri Ministries of the Church of God

Rebecca New-Edson, Western Pennsylvania Ministries of the Church of God

Adam Rentas, International Youth Convention

Justin Brown, Monroe City First Church of God (IN)

Deb Winters, Transformation Community Church of God (Huntington, WV)

Chris Bonis, Eastern Canada

Mike Claypool, North Carolina Assembly of the Church of God and South Carolina General Assembly of the Church of God

David Griffith, General Assembly of the Church of God in Eastern Pennsylvania

Eric Livingston, Illinois Ministries of the Church of God

George Lutzer, Western Canada

Carron Odokara, Farmington Hills Church of God

Church of God Ministries Team (J. R. Robbins, Alyse Simon, Karen Ballinger, Rachel Williams, Joe Cookston, Jeannette Flynn, Roz Hency, Jason McClendon, Bob Moss, Ann Brandon)

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