Week 11: Apps as mediators of online and offline church experiences

This week you are asked to reflect on the theme of change and stability by looking at how church's use media technology to connect online and offline communication, experiences and relationship.  You are asked to do this by analyzing the Apps for the respective church you are studying. (Except if you are studying The Block church, in this case you will study their Facebook page). Play close attention to the following attributes:

-How is the app organized & designed in comparison to the website?

-What interactive elements do they offer? What ways do they provide to communicate with leaders or members of the church?

-Is the mission of the church shared on the app similar or different than the one on the website?
-What new information is shared on the app not present on the website?

-How does the design and experiences offered on the app frame your understanding of the mission of the church and what it does offline?

After noting your observations related on these questions please write a paragraph that summarizes what you found with concrete examples to illustrate these claims.

Next you are asked to reflect on these findings in relation to our class discussion on the extend to which church and technology can be seen as creating a bounded, bridging, blending and/or blurring experience. For a further reminder of our discussion of these 4 categories please refer to the document  Online and Offline Relationship between the Church and Digital Media/Culture which is found on the class blackboard site under the assignments folder.   In a second paragraph please respond to the following questions.

In your study do you see a bounded, bridging, blending and/or blurring of offline and online church practices and relationships?  In what ways does the church technology use and media create a space that is bounded, bridged, blended and/or blurred?

 Supporting questions used to help reflect on this theme:- What kind of experience or encounter are the app creators facilitating for people with the church?- How does app design inform the style and communication of the church’s mission?- How do you see the relationship between their church and digital culture communicated through the app?