I listened to ‘MetaChurch: How to Use Digital Ministry to Reach People and Make Disciples’ on my Audible subscription and therefore this review of the book is based off of my reflections listening to the author reading the book. I’ve been listening to audio books recently and this was my first non-fiction theologically-inclined book that I’ve listened to while exercising, gardening, and doing chores around the house.
Dave Adamson is a very likeable and easy to understand author, it probably helps me that he’s an Aussie and having spent 10 years of my own life in Australia has meant that I understand the mindset and culture a little. My first impressions were that the author was trying to put something quite complex across in a very understandable way. Digital ministry and online church are not new things, but how churches have framed them in the ‘let’s live-stream our services to social media’ and ‘let’s post a few graphics advertising church events’ have become redundant in recent times and maybe always were.
MetaChurch is not a book about being a church in the Metaverse, but rather a re-adjustment of how the church considers itself holistically, but also in the way it approaches digital ministry. The author puts across a vision for how he sees the future of the church and what a “MetaChurch” looks like.
To me it is required reading for any church leader in todays churches. As the Church we are at risk of getting left behind and missing the moment to embrace digital technology as another area of mission field and a vital way of connecting with our churches. And the wider community.
if the Church is going to make an impact in the modern world, we need to move into a new reality by creating strong experiences that connect and engage people on every channel they use to access our content—including physical attendance—so we can encourage full engagement with our church. We need to take the swim lanes out and let people explore our church and our content in their own time and in their own way. If the marketplace is an indicator, doing digital engagement well will lead to increased physical attendance.
A Synopsis of MetaChurch: How to Use Digital Ministry to Reach People and Make Disciples
Digital ministry is complicated and exhausting.
You know there’s more to it than just streaming services and posting on social media. But where do you start?
Dave Adamson was one of the first online pastors in the world, and he draws on this experience to give church leaders a detailed, practical guide to help them develop a church strategy in which online and on-site ministries work together seamlessly. In MetaChurch, you will:
- See how your 1st century mission can look with a 21st century model
- Examine ways online church can be a viable evangelistic and discipleship tool
- Learn how a digital ministry can complement physical ministries and help them grow
- Discover how to reach and connect with people beyond the church building
- Develop a discipleship strategy and pathway that leverages online andoffline tools
With real-world illustrations from Dave’s ministry experience, case studies of churches that have applied his insights, and step-by-step guides that can be put into practice today, MetaChurch helps ministries of all sizes effectively use technology to reach people and make disciples.
Pros of MetaChurch
- It’s understandable and you don’t have to have a degree in theology to really catch what is being put across.
- It’s practical and in parts was more like a training guide in how to practically embrace different platforms and tools online.
- It documents and discusses how and why the church should engage with the digital world in a way that will catch your attention, inspire vision, and help you to relate your own thinking and beliefs. *
*Just a caveat on that last point – what I mean by this is that we all have some belief in digital ministry or making use of the web, but we don’t know how we should react because most of us aren’t experts and so some of us just stay away out of this not-knowing or misunderstanding. Yet, you will read this book and I promise that there will be points and explanations that will help you connect your Christian beliefs with the area of digital ministry.
Cons of MetaChurch
- I came away wanting a little more. The book is written in a VERY digestible way and there is theory, biblical discussion, and practical tips included in it but in each category, I wanted either more in the book itself or maybe a way to go away and be pointed to more content online.
- I felt like it would be better suited as an online course rather than a published book. I loved the book and thought it was brilliant (hence the glowing recommendation above!) but it felt more like the start of a training course rather than being suitable as a book.
- I wanted more from the website of the MetaChurch book. This might be a strong con of a published book, but on several occasions the author references pages of the website to find resources. They are there (tick) but after looking over the website and (some) of the social media pages I just wanted a more comprehensive or cohesive places to find resources and things to help apply a lot of what was said in the book.
*The above is a model that is mentioned and referenced in MetaChurch. It shows some of the ideas discussed to show the discipleship model of a combined ministry approach between online and offline.
Conclusion of the Ultimate Review of MetaChurch: How to Use Digital Ministry to Reach People and Make Disciples
Dave Adamson has over 15 years in digital ministry and speaks from incredible experience and expertise on the area. I loved the book and would wholeheartedly recommend giving it a read. There are valuable lessons and issues discussed that will help churches across the world from making costly mistakes and that alone should be a reason for church leaders to read this.
Here at Snap Theology we know that there are so many opportunities for churches and Christians to be the light of God in the darkness of the internet. Whether it’s Podcasting, YouTube videos or just a really optimised version of online church, we should we in these places and BE the Church. This book will help you with that.
There are several occasions in the book where the author subtly points out that there are actually very few ‘online/digital pastors/church leaders’ who have much experience in this fast-growing area of ministry. It’s a sad fact that churches haven’t invested in this area pre-COVID and therefore we only have a handful of ‘experts’ who can teach and train us. Dave Adamson is certainly one of those experts and my hope is that more will be written and taught in the years to come.
Digital ministry must become mainstream in church life in places where it’s appropriate. May there be more innovators and pioneers who can show us the way.
Useful links to MetaChurch resources
MetaChurch Book Website – Here is the website that is associated with the book.
MetaChurch Graphics/Resources – This is the page that has all the images and resources referenced in the book.
Dave Adamons’ Website – Here Dave blogs on church ministry and has more resources available.
