Pastor Rey Calusay and his family serve a growing church in Roxas City, Philippines. He also is General Superintendent of the Philippines Assemblies of God. He is seeing life -change in hisministry, which incorporates media and technology on every side—from outreach, to followup, to discipleship. He sees how APMedia has been an essential part of reaching a new generation with the gospel. APMedia Director Bill Snider sat down with Pastor Rey to get his insights on media in the 21st century Church. Q. As a tech-savvy pastor/leader, how did you begin to see the importance of using a variety of media in your outreach and in your discipleship? A. We saw that all the students that we are trying to reach have cellphones and they are into social media. That’s their world. We bought a cell phone in the church. It’s only used for being connected to a computer where we send hundreds of text messages to announce something to the students or new converts in the church. And so we had to change the way we get information from our church members. Q. What role does APMedia play in helping the church? A. People see the products and the tools being produced there, but that’s just the face. The programs and resources invite people to talk more about Jesus, about spiritual things. That’s the value of media, you ignite something in seekers and believers and then they start reflecting and they start talking about spiritual things. Q. How have you seen resources like APMedia’s Digitracts discussion starters benefit your church? A. Digitracts are short and good conversation starters. They are produced excellently and it communicates in a very short period of time a message that gets people thinking and talking. Starting conversations that point people to discussing essential issues that develop values and foundations for living is important for this generation. Q. Is there an APMedia tool that you have used particularly where you’ve seen good results? A. The movies, Rebound and Ang Sugo are good especially with the culture in the Philippines, there’s so much superstition and sometimes that’s the block, you cannot penetrate the blocked superstitious beliefs until you show it’s a prison house and they can be set free. Q. How do you encourage pastors or church leaders to harness the potential of media in their ministry? A. You find people even in the ricefields, or riding a carabao, that have cellphones—ordinary people. We help pastors understand that they don’t need to stand on the street and preach a 5-minute sermon. They can utilize media to bring scripture to them in a very simple way that is effectively received and remembered.
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