Source: Mobile Ministry Forum, June 2021
Pedro is a church planter working among the Yao people. They are an unreached people group with three million people living in Mozambique, Malawi, and Tanzania.
Recently, the COVID-19 travel lockdowns have made it difficult for Pedro and his team to reach the remote villages where they had seen God moving powerfully.
Pedro knew that one of the major cell companies was offering [US$8] phones, along with cheap phone lines that gave unlimited talk minutes very inexpensively. He also saw that there were now Bluetooth speakers selling for only US$10-15. What could be done if, in the midst of COVID-19 travel restrictions, he combined the Discovery Bible Study model with pairs of these low cost phones and speakers, if they could be distributed among widespread villages?
The results have been amazing. Groups gather at a set time in villages, then Pedro calls their mobile phone. Seated around the phone and speaker, the group can hear Pedro and interact, ask questions, and have fellowship. With this method, Pedro has been able to reach people in villages hundreds of kilometers away. Pedro and his trained movement leaders now use this mobile media package to increase their sphere of ministry. Hundreds of new Yao believers have joined the movement since the pandemic hit their country. In two weeks, 300 people came to the Lord.
You might also be interested in a case study about digital outreach ministry in several countries of Southern Europe (Media to Movements).
Note that media ministry may be difficult or even illegal in some places. Back to Jerusalem reports that North Korea is cracking down on the use of Chinese-made mobile phones, as the authorities equate international phone communication with espionage. You’ll have to read their story (or another from Daily NK) to learn about a surprising connection to the country’s annual “Struggle Against US Imperialism” month observance.