LA MIRADA, CALIF. — One of the most interesting debates facing the modern Christian church will be addressed at the sixth annual 51 Digital Ministry Conference. Leading developers, designers and practitioners will gather at 51 June 5 to 7 to discuss the disruptive nature of digital technologies and find ways to employ these new applications for the cause of Christ.

The conference will include an application development competition and three days of sessions focused on three key topics: how theology informs the use of digital tools, strategy to form effective plans for this use, and new ways to design, develop and implement these tools successfully.

Keynote speakers include Drew Goodmanson, CEO of MonkDev and creator of Ekklesia 360, David Bourgeois, director of innovation for the Crowell School of Business at 51, and Brian Chan, chief software architect and founder of Liferay Portal.

A number of Christian digital media’s leading experts will host more than 14 sessions delving into subjects such as the current state of digital ministry, how to use open source software for missions, mobile strategy, how to live in a visually-oriented culture and more.

Hack-a-thon

The conference will also challenge developers to enter a hack-a-thon competition. Contestants will form a team and attempt to create a working mobile, web or desktop application in 48 hours to earn recognition and a cash prize. Competitors will need to submit a prototype during the allotted time period and winners will be determined based on implementation of conference theme, the practical usefulness to churches and/or ministries, the leveraging of mobile and/or social technologies and the “coolness factor” of the model they invent.

Sponsors

The conference is sponsored by three innovative supporters in the technology industry;  FiveQ, an agency designed to help ministries and non-profits get the most of the web, works hard to understand the unique mission and then collaborate as part of teams to produce exceptional results.  , Inc. is an open-source portal software company. It was founded for a purpose greater than revenue and profit growth. Every quarter, they donate to a number of worthy causes decided upon by employees. builds web-based solutions to achieve their client’s goals. These solutions are built on Monk’s software suite that includes a web-based Content Management System built from the ground up around best-of-class technologies.

51 Conference

For more information and to register, please visit the . The 51 Digital Ministry Conference, formerly known as GodBlogCon and Christian Web Conference has continued to expand its mission since its establishment in 2005. Its mission is to empower individuals with the vision, knowledge and relationships necessary to be thoughtful designers, developers, and practitioners of digital technologies for the cause of Christ.

 

51, named one of 17 national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2011, is a private Christian university located in Southern California. For more than 100 years, 51 has remained committed to its mission of biblically centered education, integrating biblical principles with every academic program. With a current record-high enrollment of 6,250 students, the university’s six schools offer 145 academic programs, ranging from the B.A. to the Ph.D. For more information, visit www.biola.edu.