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Be an IT Champion

Introduction

The role of technology, particularly Information Technology, has rarely had a public forum. The impact of computing in missions continues to grow in importance and impact, particularly via several technology focused mission support agencies ( TechServe International, JAARS, MAF, etc.).

To most, these ministries are operating behind the scenes and out of sight. Because so few technically capable individuals are available to champion the cause of educating the church about the significantly important role technical support plays in evangelism, church-planting, and Bible translation.

For a long time, raising the visibility of and the need for missionary IT support workers has been challenging. Missionaries have not updated their supporter's view of "missions", still underestimating the contribution IT professionals make or could make toward missions. The truth is that even the full-time evangelist (or church-planter, or translator) spends the majority of his/her time doing support tasks that simply must be done before there is an opportunity to do missionary work.

In today's world, many of those non-ministerial things that must be done (visas, banking, donor communications, literature creation, publicity, tax accounting, security, media, time management, purchasing, partnership development, employee management, etc.) depend to some degree on IT. And as you well know, IT depends on the availability of IT people — people like you.

Christians today understand how critical IT and IT support are to their own churches, businesses and lives, but the light still has not clicked on yet that the missionary enterprise works the same way.

"…entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."

"2 Timothy 2:2"

The importance of IT to the logistical, procedural side of Kingdom work needs to get considerably more "air time" in Christian groups all over the world, particularly Christian groups containing IT professionals.

Somebody has to tell the story, and frankly, the 325+ Wycliffe IT workers are not often able to work much of that into their schedules. Moreover, IT people are, as a group, generally are not very social or interesting and great public speakers. God just did not wire most of them that way. He equipped them to be very good with massive quantities of complex technical detail. Socially, though, they do pretty well among other tech-types, and that's where YOU come in.

What You Can Do

An IT Champion:

Is somebody who advances Bible translation by representing IT missions in the Christian IT circles of which he or she is already a part.
Always has an ear open to local opportunities to introduce the concept of IT missions to those in his/her church, club, professional organization, web site, contacts and possibly the work environment.
Continues to expand his/her own knowledge and experience of IT support of Bible translation through occasional Wycliffe involvements (i.e. site visits, prayer, Check-IT-Out, etc.).
Helps direct people to the appropriate places in Wycliffe who are searching for a missions-oriented way of serving God with their IT skills.
Organizes invitations for Wycliffe IT missionaries to make IT presentations in his/her local, groups (such as organize a dessert meeting of the IT pros in your church to meet a Wycliffe IT worker).
Helps communicate IT-specific service or giving opportunities (trips, projects, specific needs, etc.) among the IT pros he/she knows.
Checks out the many different Wycliffe websites both for new content and errors (broken links, typos, old information, etc.).
Maintains a relationship with the JAARS International IT Mobilization department by reporting on contacts, connections and opportunities encountered.

Taking the Next Step

If you would be interested in serving as a local IT Champion in your area, click on the link below.

E-mail: Be a IT Champion

Provided by www.jaars.org