Phygital Fellows Cohort

The impact of the printing press on the Protestant Reformation was significant, to say the least. Scholars from the Christian History Institute wonder, “Without printing, would there have been a Protestant Reformation?” They note that a century before the Reformation, John Wycliffe was preaching on themes related to the movement, but his impact was greatly limited because his messages could not be widely distributed.

By dramatic contrast, the printing press allowed Martin Luther’s messages to go on long after his sermon concluded. John Foxe, a well-known sixteenth-century author, noted, “God hath appointed the Press to preach.” He rightly observed that those in power (the Pope at the time) may be able to physically prevent a preacher from preaching, but when sermons are recorded on paper and a delivery system like the press makes wide distribution possible, there is no stopping the message. Luther himself said that the printing press was “God’s highest and extremist act of grace, whereby the business of the Gospel is driven forward.”

Today's digital technologies may well be God's grace for driving the Gospel forward in a phygital public, a public that lives both physical and digital lives at the same time (physical+digital=phygital). What if, a century from now, people say something like: “If the church had not embraced technologies like AI and Crowdsourcing, and new delivery systems like YouTube, Substack, and TikTok, would there have been a new movement of the Spirit that resulted in thriving congregations and flourishing communities?”

Who knows what the Spirit will do (the Spirit moves where it will, after all)? And what history shows us is that the work of the Spirit can be greatly enhanced when leaders embrace new technologies as tools to share the Good News with new audiences in ways that are most accessible to them.

This is another inflection moment in history, not unlike the Protestant Reformation, in which the spiritual hunger of people is high and growing, the interest in the old delivery system (in this case, preaching long sermons from behind a pulpit in a congregation) is low and declining, and there are new technologies available that can enhance both the creation of the message and the delivery of that message so that the spiritually hungry may be fed good food that ultimately leads to a healthy, more active body of Christ in the world.

We need the “Martin Luthers” of today, who, like Luther, will be leaders in this movement to use today’s technology to advance the gospel message. These are the leaders whom the Holy Spirit is calling to lead for such a time as this, when the technology is there for the church to use for the glory of God, but the church has largely been absent from the new phygital public square.

We are calling these leaders the Phygital Preaching Fellows.

The Phygital Preaching Fellows, is a high-capacity cohort of 15 leaders who will:

• Experience 48-hour learning journeys to destinations across the country to expand their imagination.
  
• Experiment to determine the best uses of technology today related to sharing the gospel message, both in terms of the development of content and the delivery system most likely to convene authentic community and transform lives.
  
• Encourage faith leaders to move away from viewing technology as a threat and towards embracing technology as a tool for the church to use in evangelism and the development of new Christian communities through conversation, experiments, and sharing of stories and resources.
  
• Expand and deepen conversation around ethics for faith leaders and congregations’ engagement with technology.
  
• Explore the possibilities technology provides for supporting and uplifting marginalized voices and creating authentic Christian communities grounded in love, generosity, and belonging.

• A clear sense of calling to be a leader in this movement of the church (broadly defined!) into the phygital space.
  
• Willingness to experiment and fail forward.
  
• Capable of producing excellent content in a variety of forms.
  
• Values collaboration and learning for the sake of others.
  
• Dedicated to sharing the gospel message in new ways to reach new people who are hungering for good news. Do they have to be a preacher? No, that label may not fit – and that’s fine!

Fall 2024-Fall 2026: Learning journeys (four in-person), Zoom check-ins, experiments, and sharing learnings. Fellows will document their experiences, questions, observations, and takeaways to share with a wider audience through the medium they determine.

• $10,000 total for each fellow to be distributed: $2,500 in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026.
  

• All travel expenses, including flights, meals, individual hotel rooms, will be covered.
  

• Not considered compensation but an important note: Fellows have access to funds for the experiments they want to prototype in the phygital space.

Wesleyan Impart Partners is a national nonprofit fueled by impact investors, borrowers, and donors who invest in ministries and innovative leaders courageously doing God's work in the world – partnering in a Spirit-led movement to bring about human flourishing grounded in love, generosity, and belonging. Throughout its 50-plus-year history, Wesleyan Impact Partners has made thousands of loans totaling over half a billion dollars, empowering churches across the United States to pursue their God-sized dreams, while also lifting up the work of courageous spiritual entrepreneurs across the Wesleyan Ecosystem through the nationally recognized Locke Innovative Leader Award. Our work is made possible through partnerships across the country with impact-focused investors, donors, and Methodist foundations. Based in Austin, Texas, the organization is led by President & CEO Rev. Lisa Greenwood, who is also President & CEO of the Texas Methodist Foundation. To learn more, visit wesleyanimpactpartners.org

Phygital Fellows is funded by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment as part of their Compelling Preaching Initiative.