For the past several years our ministries have been challenged to consider how to better reach — and connect with — an increasingly digital world.

From websites to blogs, to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN and Pinterest accounts, online registration and release forms, images and videos — even live streaming of different ministry events.

In many ways it’s felt necessary to obtain additional degrees in web management and social media strategy to co-inside with the ministry degrees many of us hold.

And things continue to grow and change in this area.

I just recently read, “Here’s Why Google and Facebook Might Completely Disappear in the Next 5 Years,” in which Eric Jackson (contributor at Frobes.com) suggested Web 3.0 will never come to light. Instead, it will be replaced by the rise of Mobile.

In the tech Internet world, we’ve really had 3 generations:

• Web 1.0 (companies founded from 1994 – 2001, including Netscape, Yahoo! (YHOO), AOL (AOL), Google (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN) and eBay (EBAY)),
• Web 2.0 or Social (companies founded from 2002 – 2009, including Facebook (FB), LinkedIn (LNKD), and Groupon(GRPN)),
• and now Mobile (from 2010 – present, including Instagram).

Jackson went on to say that:

Mobile companies born since 2010 have a very different view of the world.  These companies – and Instagram is the most topical example at the moment – view the mobile smartphone as the primary (and oftentimes exclusive) platform for their application.  They don’t even think of launching via a web site.  They assume, over time, people will use their mobile applications almost entirely instead of websites.

We will never have Web 3.0, because the Web’s dead.

The entire article is worth the read!

And if you’re wondering what this has to do with ministry to college students, hang in there!

Last week I came across this post entitled, “5 Reasons to Consider a Church App,” over at ChurchRelevance.com.

In it, Kent Shaffer notes the following 5 reasons (that studies have shown) a mobile app can benefit ministries:

• They allow us to each more people
• The make us more accessible
• They allow us to reduce cost and increase effectiveness
• They boost giving
• They allow us to share the Gospel

And I’m sure that there are other benefits that quickly jump to mind.

But how (and when — and why) would we make such a move?

The article features The Church App — a mobile app platform that enables you to create high-quality customizable apps for your church or ministry. I’m sure this isn’t the only site that can do this (so if you know of others, please share in the comment section below).

Packages start at $499 — which isn’t cheap — but if this is the future of connecting with a Mobile generation, is it worth it to start thinking in this direction NOW?

So here are some questions for us to consider:

• How long will we wait before considering a more intentional shift to a Mobile platform?
• Do we have to be more intentional than simply offering a mobile version of our website?
• What 5 elements would you consider to be “essential” to include in an app for your ministry?

Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the comment section below.