There is so much talent available among Christian businesses, entrepreneurs and ministries using media for the gospel. A world of opportunity awaits online. I caught up with Craig von Buseck, Ministries Director for CBN.com to talk about what might be holding some back and how those obstacles can be overcome.

Craig is the author of NetCasters: Using the Internet to Make Fishers of Men, Seven Keys to Hearing God’s Voice, and has written a chapter on prophetic evangelism for God’s Supernatural Power in You. He also writes the ChurchWatch Blog for CBN. Craig holds a Doctor of Ministry and an MA in Religious Journalism from Regent University.

This is a condensed version of our conversation.

Craig, where do you see media today?

We’ve taken a quantum leap forward, with all media converging in the Internet. I think it’s inevitable that there’s going to be a shift to a convergent model. We’re already seeing it.

The newspaper and television stations that realize they needed to have an online and mobile platform strategy are the ones who have survived. In the long run they’re the ones that are going to be able to stay afloat while the others are just simply going to go away.

What about radio?

Like all media, radio is being converged into the Internet. I think in time radio as we now know it will be phased out, but I don’t think it will be immediate. We are currently seeing an explosion of radio on the Internet and over mobile platforms. I think that trend will continue and the majority of people will listen to radio through digital devices.

Everyone is talking about community building these days. Why should church leaders be in that conversation?

The world is connected through digital media. The younger generation, age 30 and under especially, is connected through these communities online. They grew up with Web 2.0. They are the natives, as Leonard Sweet would say, to the digital world. They’ve grown up with having education, communication and entertainment done over the Internet.

And right now, more religious instruction and community building is happening online. This is one of those paradigm shifts that if the Church doesn’t get it … the cults and the false religions are jumping on the bandwagon big time.

Bible believing churches need to resist fear. Find ways to filter out the garbage. Then, use the wonderful tools that are available through these digital platforms.

It takes significant resources to develop a sustainable Internet platform on top of everything else. What would you say about that?

I believe that it’s no different from any other communication the church has ever done. Those who heard the call of the Lord in the past to use media — people like Rex Humbard, Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, Aimee Semple McPherson, and so many others — recognized that there was an opportunity for the Church. They extended their faith, cast vision to others and then went for it. Today is no different.

Collaboration has been mentioned as way of addressing many of the things holding churches back. Do you believe it can be an effective strategy?

Absolutely. My friend Dave Hackett from visionSynergy has been on the cutting-edge of collaboration out on the mission field. Resources are being wasted because ministries are often in silos and don’t see what others are doing. We’re seeing the same thing with digital and media ministries. They spend a lot of money developing tools and applications, and so forth, that have already been developed or they’re in development by others.

visionSynergy is now working in the media ministry field to educate leaders so that each ministry contributes their strength to the platform. So that you get the best stewardship of resources, and greatest effect for the gospel.

Can cooperation work on a local level?

I believe that it’s essential on a local level, for the Church to come together. For too long, we’ve allowed the enemy to come in and cause dissension over our minor differences. Today is the day for us to put those things behind us; to gather under the banner of Jesus Christ, under the truth of God’s Word, and to cooperate.

Is there a downside to just sitting on the sidelines until all the disruption settles down; until return on ministry or return on investment is more certain?

Everything is moving so rapidly, the downside is that you’re going to be, as the recent book series said, “Left Behind.” Jesus was pretty straightforward in the Parable of the Talents. Anyone who takes their talent and buries it in the ground because of timidity, because they feel like they’re playing it safe, I believe, is not following God’s mandate.

If you could address an auditorium full of Christian communicators what advice would you give for positioning themselves to take advantage of the God-given Digital Age opportunities?

If I was addressing a group of Christian communicators, I would say the first thing you need to do is love the Lord your God, to be communicating with Him on a daily basis, yielding to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and saying let the will of the Father be done. Then you need to ask the Holy Spirit what audience He wants you to reach? What message He wants you to send forth? Which platforms and tools should you use? Then, you need to put feet to your faith, going to the highways and the byways with the message.

For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Matthew 25:29

Doing these spiritual things first is vitally important and cannot be minimized in any way.

Then, we need to stay up to date with technology. It is the wise leader that understands the vital importance of research and development and of staying out ahead of the pack.

When you’re in ministry, you’re an entrepreneur. You’re always going to be investing and reinvesting the ministry to meet the needs of the people as society changes, as communication techniques change, as technology changes. The visionary in any business, in any entrepreneurship, in any ministry has to be looking ahead and cannot be caught up in the day-to-day minutiae.

So many businesses fail, so many entrepreneurs fail, and frankly, so many ministries fail because the Christian leader isn’t out front seeking God and thinking ahead, and they miss when the paradigm shifts. They miss the Spirit of God saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it.’

Now is the time like never before for Christians to harness technology and to go out and make fishers of men — to be “Netcasters.” Casting the net on the Net. The future is very, very bright for the gospel.

Question: Do you agree with Craig’s points? Disagree? Add your thoughts to the conversation.