Baylor Symposium Discusses the Church in the Digital Age

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WACO, Texas (April 25, 2013) - With rapidly increasing technological development and new tools for communication, how can the church communicate faithfully in a digital age? This question will be at the center of a symposium titled "iFaith? The Church in the Digital Age."

The program is hosted by Baylor's Center for Ministry Effectiveness and Educational Leadership and the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching. It will take place 9-11 a.m. Monday, April 29, in the Paul W. Powell Chapel at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, 1100 S. Third St.

"There is a growing tension today between the traditional face-to-face communication and interaction within the church and the now almost universal mediating presence of technology, whether computers, smartphones, iPads, interactive television, PowerPoint and the like," said Donald Schmeltekopf, Ph.D., Provost Emeritus and director of the Center for Ministry Effectiveness and Educational Leadership.

Quentin Schultze, Ph.D., will begin the symposium with an address titled "How to Communicate in a Digital Culture." He is the Arthur H. DeKruyter Chair of the DeVos Communication Center at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Schultze also lectures as a professor of communication arts and sciences. He is one of the "foremost scholars in America today writing about the intersection of technology and the church," Schmeltekopf said.

Following Schultze's address, three speakers will respond to the questions that have been presented. Sharing their perspectives will be Terry York, D.M.A., professor of Christian ministry and church music at Truett Seminary; Chris Seay, pastor and lead elder at Ecclesia Church in Houston; and Doug Henry, Ph.D., associate professor of great texts and faculty master of Brooks College at Baylor.

This program is free and open to the public. To register for the symposium and lunch to follow, contact Julie Covington at 254-710-4677.

by Brent Salter, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.