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Portuguese Churches Prepare For Digital Age
06 December 2009
Portugal is one of the nations in Europe hardest hit by the credit crunch and recession.
Yet there are great signs of hope across the nation - not least among pastors of some of the nation's most creative churches.
Mal Fletcher was recently guest speaker at a national conference for a fraternity of church leaders drawn from across Portugal.
Held in Faro, one of the most beautiful beach areas in Europe, the conference brought together leaders of churches from various denominational groups who share one passion: to see their cities and their nation reached with a message of Christian hope and challenge for the future.
Addressing the conference, Mal spoke about the challenges of the next decade and the opportunities they represent for the church.
A key feature of the sessions was the way in which digital media technology are changing the way people respond to leaders and the leadership process.
'If we can understand the changes before they arrive,' said Mal, 'we can get ahead of the curve and meet emerging human need in response to the changes.'
'What's important here is not the technology, but the way in which it is changing how people join together in communities, how they seek to influence their world.'
This was Mal's second visit to the conference. In 2008, his teaching on < ahref="webshop#books" target="bks">'The Church of 2020' was so well received that the leadership felt he needed more time to expand on the teaching he presented.
After the event, Mal said: 'Over the years, I have come to love Portuguese people and especially leaders.'
'They are warm, passionate and for the most part very open to new ideas. I'm looking forward to watching what these great leaders do with the material I've given them.'
You can watch clips from Mal's teaching on Leadership for the Digital Age, presented in Australia. Click here or visit youtube.com/malfletcher.
Catch Mal's up to date comment every day, on Society & Leadership, at twitter.com/malfletcher
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