I-Witness, I-Disciple: A Case Study of the SNS and ICT usage of Victory Church
Erpelo, P. (2015). I-Witness, I-Disciple: A Case Study of the SNS and ICT usage of Victory Church, Unpublished Masteral Thesis. University of the Philippines, Diliman.
The goal of this descriptive case study is to find out how selected Victory churches are using social networking sites along with other Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to accomplish its evangelistic goals of engaging, establishing, equipping, and empowering non-Christians and individuals who can’t physically attend church.
In order to understand how selected Victory churches are using the Internet to accomplish its goals that are centered on evangelism and discipleship, the researcher used two frameworks, namely, Stephens’ (2007) ICT Succession theory and Katz’s (1974) and Ruggiero’s (2000) Uses and Gratifications (Uses and Grats) theory.
Four key leaders from selected Victory churches were interviewed. A hundred Victory church members from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao answered online surveys. The results of this study showed that despite the church’s active social media presence, sharing the Gospel through face-to-face communication is still highly preferred by most members. The church is yet to experience the fruits of a full-blown online ministry. Social networking sites are not yet fully maximized when it comes to discussing crucial issues within Philippine society. Nonetheless, the successive use of complementary Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is seen as an effective strategy for accomplishing organizational tasks.
Key Words: Internet, New Media, SNS, ICT, Evangelism, Discipleship, Victory Church