eChurch Project Eyes 5,000 Churches in 6 Months

Neo-Skill Consulting Limited, the firm that developed eChurch project 1.0, first of its kind in Africa, is looking to build the future church which is technology driven and is aiming to reach out to over 5000 churches within the next six months.

Oluwaseyi Olaleye, CEO of the Company while speaking to pastors at a one day workshop in Ibadan, where the project was launched, said that it was borne out of the need to see churches/ministries align themselves with the 21st century phenomenon and adjusting to the shift in ministering through education and enlightenment on the proper use of internet technologies/applications to connect and engage conversations.

The trend, Olaleye said, will further boost and drive ministries, thus having the competitive edge of reaching greater audience outside the church, who are in the corridor of cyberspace.

According to research, the world has seen phenomenal increase in internet usage growth (less than 1 per cent in 1993) from 1993-2014, with about 40 per cent of the world’s population as at 2014 using the internet. This accounts for about 3 million of the world’s population.

Olaleye said, “The world is fast changing and so is everyone and everything. Technology as we know it today is the ‘game changer’; connecting the world in one place, as the world has become a global village and the internet the village square where the convergence takes place.

“The use of technology has become overwhelming in our world today, and to become an active player in this 21st century phenomenon, there is the need to adequately grasp every opportunity that technology offers. The internet is central to all these and opens windows of opportunities to individuals, businesses, corporations, churches etc.

“If they must compete in the 21st century, there is need therefore for churches to also imbibe the culture of technology. How can churches achieve this?

“eChurch Project is not all about introducing and exposing ministers of God to the cyberspace, but leverage technology tools that help engage conversations on a daily basis and reaching out to their congregations out of the four walls of the church thereby creating church without walls”.

He stated further that the project is targeting to hit 5,000 churches in Nigeria in the next 6 months.

According to Pastor Toyin Onamade, resident pastor of The Vantage Church, “leadership skills of this sort will help ministers to look beyond the horizon of what they see daily, and adjust to be able to lift the horizon. This is the way to go for churches and ministries in the 21st Century. We can’t run away from this change.”

For Francis Madojemu, facilitator and pastor, Bridge Network, “Ministers and pastors should know that the world has changed and we’re not going back. I think we live in this fantasy. It will take us a little time but we still have to go forward because it is a cheaper and more efficient way to evangelise”.