Guest Blog - Terry Storch
I’d like to introduce you to Terry Storch. After serving faithfully at Fellowship Church for eight years he’s recently joined the LifeChurch.tv team as the Director of our Digerati Team. I had a chance to interview him and this is what he had to say…
1. What the heck is a digerati?
That is a great question that I am still trying to figure out. Funny story… when I got here to LifeChurch.tv, Bobby threw out the title of digerati and I played if off like I knew what he was talking about. “Oh yea, digerati…” Immediately I jumped over to Wikipedia and did a search. Here is the link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digerati). To sum it up, like a Literati is someone who is a Literature expert and well versed in Literature. A digerati is the same, someone who is a technology expert and well versed in all things technology.
2. In five sentences or less what most excites you about merging ministry with technology?
One word sums it up for me. IMPACT. To expand on that, the merger of ministry and technology creates a ubiquitous environment to work with. Take for a moment and imagine 1.2 billion people in your mind. Billion, not million. Over a billion people are on the web today, and that number is climbing fast. Never in our history have we had the opportunity to reach people with the life transforming message of Christ more that we have today. The “local” church is no longer bound by physical walls, it is only bound by its limited vision. Now is the time for the local church to rise up, embrace the opportunity and glorify our Lord Jesus like never before.
3. What are some of the greatest ministry lessons you learned on staff at Fellowship?
Wow, I could write a novel here, so I will try and keep it short. First off, God used Fellowship to radically save and transform my life personally.
I came to know Jesus personally at Fellowship, met my wife at Fellowship, developed some of the greatest friendships at Fellowship, as well as developing a true passion to reach the lost. God used Fellowship and specifically Ed Young in an amazing way in my life. I think the biggest ministry lesson that is so central to me now is evangelism; having a DNA wired to reach people with the gospel. Evangelism is in Ed’s blood, it is at the very core of who he is and God has blessed him in an amazing way in this specific area. So at the end of the day, everything goes through the filter of evangelism… will x or y decision or direction impact people for Christ? If yes, lets rock and roll, if not, then really question is it worth the effort.
4. Being a digerati, where do you look for inspiration and ideas?
Great question. I find myself constantly following rabbit trails of information via blogs, web sites, or great magazines. I try to be very intentional about what I read on the web. Might sound crazy, but I really try to read a ton of stuff from people that I really disagree with. I find that when my thinking is challenged or ideas are challenged it really makes me much better and more creative. Central to all of this is staying away from what has been done, focusing more on what “could” be. I find it to be true that looking more in the business and secular world challenges me much more that looking in the Christian circles. Bottom line for me is always trying to learn…from whatever it may be. Every experience we find ourself in, maybe at the movie theater, the local diner, the website you are on, or the police officer that pulled you over for speeding is an opportunity to learn, so I try and apply as much of those experiences I can to what I do.
Visit 
Great to have you on board, Terry! Speaking of digerati, I ran into Bobby at LC.tv at the campus on Second Life last night. I told him I thought there would probably be more LC.tv members in SL than in RL campuses. The experiences I’ve had so far have been very real and amazing. I’ve met disciples from all over the country and the world. The 60 - 80 seat capacity you have currently may be fine for Easter this year, but I suspect you’ll need a bigger island come next Easter.
Agape,
steve
ps: I’m hoping to start a small group for LC.tv in SL this Spring. I feel God is calling me in that direction. :)
Steve, great to be on board for sure!!!!
We have been real pleased with the “beta” launch of Second Life. It is one of those opportunities that we felt was a MUST for us. Bobby had an amazing vision for what it could be, and we came along side that vision and made it happen.
Now the prayer and plan is to use it to lead people to become followers of Christ. The sky is completely the limit when it comes to Second Life for sure.
[...] I had a great opportunity to be a guest blogger over at Swerve. I was interviewed by Craig Groeschel and responded to 5 key questions. So if you ever wondered what a Digerati was, or what merging ministry and technology look like take a second a check it out. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
Terry,
Glad to have you on the team.
It’s going to be an exciting year.
Awesome stuff, Terry… I agree with you totally on the potential of ministry on the internet. It’s amazing to me how many opportunities we have to touch people with the gospel of Christ without even leaving our living rooms. Hopefully your work will inspire more churches to take on this vision. It’s probably easier than they think, and definitely more economical than a traditional church plant.
Terry! Welcome to “the family” - I’m looking forward to the journey!
So what again is a digerati…I thought my wife served one of those last week in our coffee shop…
J/K…I am looking forward to seeing more of you in SL Terry as I am not in lifechurch. I will be keeping up with your blog though.
Terry, although I don’t work at lifechurch.tv, welcome to the church. I’ve been attending for over 8 years and will continue to ride the roller-coaster ride that is lifechurch.tv. Keep up the challenge of thinking what “could be”. Now let’s get in the DeLorean and go to the year 2015!!
Terry Storch is like frozen Oreos. So cool.
Looking foward to meeting with you next month at the conference.
Thanks guys for all the welcomes! I am fired up to be going exactly what God has called me to do, and doing to for an amazing place!
David, never been called an Oreo before…. very nice.
One more, why not, welcome to the team Terry. Its great to have you on board.
I thought digerati was short for didgeredoo, and you were part Aboriginal and on the worship team. Thanks for clearing that up mate.
Terry, would the digerati be somewhat like the Jedi? I suspect they would be. I’m very much looking forward to what’s to come this year. Can’t wait to see what your team develops. I’m also very excited about the fact that my avatar is smokin hot!
See you round!
Jedi… now that would look great on a business card… Jedi Pastor.
Thanks again guys for all the encouragement, its great to be here and we are going to have a lot of fun together.
I love the work the digerati team has been doing. If lifechurch is the most innovative church in the nation the digerati team has to be the most innovative team in the nation. Their work will surely lead lifechurch to reach many more people.
Terry, you have been here a short time and you have already taught me so much. What digerati means, how to budget in our finance class, and crowd control tips. I can’t wait to see what is next from a Master Jedi.
OH! So that’s what a digerati pastor does :) Great place for you to be, excited to see all the new things that’ll happen!
[...] So what is digerati? [...]
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