How Andrea's helping to forge the church's digital future
Andrea Onduku is a student on the digital theology course we run at Spurgeons College in partnership with Premier Media. I asked Andrea a few questions (forgive me putting in a few memes in response):
1. Tell us something about yourself
I serve as a Pastor alongside my husband in Chapel of Grace, Bradford, a parish of The Redeemed Christian Church of God. We have 3 children. I am the Founder of ‘The Royal Daughters’ whose goal is to empower women, equipping them with the confidence and skills needed to succeed. I'm also the Founder of ‘Matters of The Heart’ which provides training to individuals and organisations on the topics of emotional intelligence, resilience, well-being, and communication skills. I am editor of the RCCG UK Sunrise Magazine, and part of the writing team for the RCCG UK Zeal Children Church Curriculum.
Louis' impressed!
2. Digital native - visitor - resident - exile
Digital native and resident. Whilst at times, I use online tools for a task and go offline to complete the task such as using Google Maps for directions, using Google to search for the answer to a question or YouTube to find a recipe for dinner, I do spend a lot of time online connecting and building relationships. This makes me more of a resident rather than a visitor.
3. Why did you want to learn more about Digital Church?
I wanted to understand how the local, national and global church can make good or better use of the media. This began with an interest in Christian films, art, music, cartoons, and magazines and moved on to digital media including apps and social media. I thought of studying theology and media studies but when I saw the digital theology course, I saw modules on Bible Literacy and Digitally Mediated Christianity and knew it would be perfect for me.
4. Were you intimidated by the "Masters" bit?
A little, in the sense that I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the support from the lecturers and course colleagues has been amazing and has made the journey enjoyable.
5. What did you learn in the course?
The list is long, so I’ll just mention a few! I have learnt how to push myself further than I thought possible. I’ve learnt to have confidence in my views and how I articulate them. I’ve learnt how to critically engage with literature and other people’s points of view. I also learnt more about Missio Dei, that is the fantastic ways that God is already at work in our world and how I as a Christian can be part of His mission for this season. I love that technology is not a surprise to our God, I have learnt that technology can even help us to understand more about our wonderful Creator! The course is not just about understanding the theology of technology but what can technology tell us about ourselves and about God.
You can begin the course at the level you are at. If you already have some theological training, you could sign up for the PGCertificate or the PGDiploma. If you have a degree already, and some theology., you could probably apply for direct admission to the MA. We interview everyone.
Andrea is a star. Look at her background. A really busy woman doing God's work. But she's manage to excel on the course already. She's grown like mad in her thinking about God's mission and how digital could renew the church for this nation.
Join Andrea this September on the Digital Theology Course at Spurgeons.