I’ve been to a lot of conferences, sat through a lot of seminars and taken a lot of notes. You probably have too. I really enjoyed my recent experience at Indigitous Amsterdam, it is really quite a different kind of conference, and here are the reasons why.
1. Indigitous is hands-on
Indigitous is different because you get to wrestle with new concepts and apply your digital skills instead of just hearing lectures. One of my favorite things about Indigitous Amsterdam was getting to collaborate with my experience team. During the conference, seven different teams met to devise digital solutions for actual problems organizations were facing. By the end of the weekend, teams had improved apps, filmed videos and created website prototypes.
There were also several 15-minute crash courses on successes, failures and lessons learned through digital ministry that were very beneficial. These sessions were to-the-point and easy to apply. Through them I learned more about certain industry areas— like gamification— and more about using digital strategies for evangelism.
2. Indigitous is for people of every skill level
As one of the less experienced conference attendees (I recently graduated from university with a degree in public relations), I wasn’t sure how much I would be able to contribute or be in step with others on my experience team or at the conference. Indigitous taught me that the digital world is full of learning, and no matter how much expertise you have in an area, there’s always room for improvement. I was able to use my skills to connect with others and to contribute to our experience project.
Indigitous welcomes digital newbies and digital experts and creates appropriate learning channels and challenges for those at each level of experience.
3. Indigitous is for people of every vocation
I’m passionate about reaching the world around me for Christ, but at this point, I’m headed into the public relations industry and not into full-time vocational ministry. A lot of the conference attendees were in vocational missions, and it challenged me to hear how some of them use digital methods strategically to reach new students and gospel-seekers on a daily basis. It was equally encouraging and refreshing to meet other on-mission industry professionals who are growing the kingdom of God where they’ve been called.
One of the most inspirational attendees I met came to Christ through digital evangelism. His day-to-day work was not digital in nature, but he was passionate about reaching people for Christ through digital tools, and that’s what Indigitous is all about.
The bottom line is this: it doesn’t matter how old (or young) you are, how much you know about digital or what your career is. Indigitous is a great way to learn, be challenged practically and network with talented professionals who share your excitement for new media and the opportunities they bring.