Church Comms. Digital Theology. Online Church

[commsguymatt]

🤳 What can Paul's letter to the Ephesians teach us about our social media presence?

📝 My latest blog for Premier Digital

https://www.premierdigital.info/post/what-would-paul-say

[commsguymatt]

💻 NEW WEBINAR

"There are people online who are hungry for spiritual nourishment."

Social media tips and techniques for churches based on a session I delivered to St Padarn's Institute.

➡️ https://youtu.be/spCwQvHPwd4

[commsguymatt]

📚 BOOK REVIEW

More Change: Navigating Change With An Unchanging God by Sarah Yardley

A short, sharp shot in the arm of useful advice for navigating change.

In this uplifting book, Sarah Yardley reaches for the Bible to explore ways we can embrace and manage change in our lives. No matter how big or small that change might be, the grace of God can help us manage life's ups and downs.

Each chapter explores our response to change, looks at what the Bible teaches us and ends with a prayer. A truly uplifting reading experiencing.

[commsguymatt]

Let's stop chasing perfection 👏👏👏

https://link.medium.com/vTyzNBRSWgb

[commsguymatt]

Myself and Bishop of Llandaff June Osborne presented at Church in Wales Governing Body about our five year vision to revitalise Diocese of Llandaff.

I talk about church communication as an extension of mission.

Watch "Where Faith Matters: Diocese of Llandaff presentation to Church in Wales Governing Body 2021" on YouTube

[commsguymatt]

Loved working on this Online Pilgrimage project with Diocese of Llandaff, Church in Wales.

We used Google Earth to create an Easter Stations of the Cross visiting some of Wales' most beautiful churches along the way.

The Digital Pilgrimage project - Matt Batten https://www.premierdigital.info/?wix-vod-video-id=3dc0b4ffa5fc4cf88c9c666784e06558&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-knabd0q2

https://www.premierdigital.info/?wix-vod-video-id=3dc0b4ffa5fc4cf88c9c666784e06558&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-knabd0q2

[commsguymatt]

Episode 3 of the Good Conversation by The Good Conversation • A podcast on Anchor

The Rev'd Dr. John Gillibrand, host of the Good Conversation podcast, in conversation with Matt Batten, Director of Communication and Engage

Enjoyed being a guess on The Good Conversation Podcast. Talking about online church and digital ministry.

[commsguymatt]

Missio Dei in a Post-Covid World - fantastic webinar for those interested in online church. 

“We need to shift towards deploying ministry, finances and people in order to benefit the Kingdom of God rather than the past.”

[commsguymatt]

Tim Hughes: How Covid-19 is changing the way we worship

Tim Hughes: How Covid-19 is changing the way we worship - Premier Christianity

The songwriter says its time to kill our "obsession with excellence"

"I think that there’s a real encouragement that needs to happen around: “Don’t just sit back and watch.” Y’know, you’re not watching Downton Abbey! This isn’t a chance just to consume. "

[commsguymatt]

❤️ Loved being interviewed on All Things IC Rachel Miller's Candid Comms podcast.

Have a listen ⬇️⬇️⬇️

https://www.allthingsic.com/podcast-being-candid-with-matt-batten/

[commsguymatt]

In this episode of Wrapped In Media we’re joined by Dr Matthew Tan, Senior Lecturer in Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Aus

"Digital culture flips a lot of our tradition conceptions of what it means to be the body of Christ "

Super interview with theologian Stephen Garner and Dr Matthew Tan.

[commsguymatt]

Exploring Online Liturgy

Does digital mediated Christianity represent a break with the past or a continuation of liturgical practices?

[commsguymatt]

5 Things "Ready Player One" Can Teach Us About Online Church

Matt Batten writes: Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One (2018) is a love letter to 80’s pop culture - a theme inherited from Ernest Cline's original book with the same title. At its heart are questions about authentic relationships and our dependence on new technology. Themes that churches are grappling with today as m

Blog I wrote for Premier Digital... 

“We have an opportunity to use tech in a way that helps people become closer to God and to live out Christ’s commandment to love one another. In a tech obsessed world, the church can be counter-culture - calling people to back to a relationship with God where authentic relationships matter and tech is used as a tool for discipleship. “

[commsguymatt]

Ashes to Ashes

Today, Ash Wednesday, is the start of Lent. This is beginning of forty days of reflection about the Christian story with lots of Lent Courses and reflections available. Premier is offering three free courses which you could join even now! But today is a day for repentance, humility, and an awareness of our own fragilit

Church of England’s Instagram filter for Ash Wednesday caused a bit of a stir! I loved it... Here’s blog from Revd Dr Pete Phillips, from Premier Digital, talking about Ash Wednesday

[commsguymatt]

BLESSED IN LOCKDOWN

BLESSED IN LOCKDOWN

Yesterday, we held our latest webinar supporting the church through the pandemic. We were discussing discipleship online. We had 600 people

"24/7 discipleship online means that you can see how others are performing their faith, living out their faith, authenticating their faith by their prayers, actions, witness."

[commsguymatt]

I was interviewed on Premier Christian Radio about the Netflix documentary Social Dilemma.

Do I think we should delete our social media apps?

Not at all. Instead, I encourage people to pray before they post. What would Jesus post?

Have a listen and let me know what you think!

"Have you noticed on your social media feed that friends are leaving Facebook and Twitter - after watching a film called The Social Dilemma?

The Netflix documentary-drama reveals how many online platforms are fuelled by what they call Surveillance Capital - making money out of personal data - and as a result, many former users are opting out.

So would we all be better off deleting our apps?

Social Media Expert Matthew Batten has been going through the pros and cons of online platforms with Premier's Esther Higham."

The Pros and Cons of Social Media - Friday 16th October 2020 02:32 pm

Have you noticed on your social media feed that friends are leaving Facebook and Twitter - after watching a film called The Social Dilemma?T

[commsguymatt]

I wrote this last year when churches reopened for private prayer after the first Covid-19 lockdown.

Still valid. Churches need to teach people how to pray. Many people don't know where to start.

"As churches begin their health and safety risk assessments, I hope they create a Spiritual Health Assessment and add “Help People Discover Christ Through Prayer” to the list of things to do before reopening. New and life-long Christians alike will benefit from understanding the basics of private prayer."

https://link.medium.com/c6q7pjZQwdb