Digital Evangelism Grants
These grants offered by the Board of Missions in Northern Virginia are designed to help churches focus on connecting with and engaging in relationship with people who are not currently part of the congregation in new and innovative ways that take advantage of digital media and/or new technology not currently in use at the church.
Digital Evangelism Grants are intended to encourage experimentation on the margins of what the particular church is already doing. They might be projects that are deemed “too risky” or “too expensive” for the local church to fund on their own.
The funds are not intended to pay for something that will be used only on Sunday morning, nor are they intended to pay for printers or screens or equipment that has already been purchased.
The following will be considered:
Audiovisual equipment
Please provide: descriptions, costs, and intended usage
Subscriptions
Please provide: description, plans for use and financing strategy beyond the grant
Staffing
Please provide: a timeline for hire, the amount the grant would fund, additional funds that would
support this hire, and a job description for the position
Conferences/Training
Please provide: descriptions, specific dates, trainers and costs
Grant Timeline and Schedule
March 18, 2021 – Application process is open.
April 30, 2021 – Applications are due. (Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.)
May 18, 2021 – Grant recipients will be notified
June 18, 2021 – Awarded funds will be sent via mail to the local church.
September 30, 2021 – Progress reports are due. An online form will be provided. Reports should include visuals and testimonials.
May 18, 2022 – Narrative reports are due. An online form will be provided. Reports should include visuals and testimonials.
FAQs
How is funding provided?
Funding is provided through the Bi-District Board of Missions, which is supported by the local churches in the Alexandria and Arlington Districts.
What amount of funds might be granted?
Grants up to $5,000 will be allocated.
How will requests be assessed?
Grant proposals must include the priorities:
- Connecting with new people
- Ability to extend the innovation beyond Sunday morning
- Creativity of idea
- Sustainability
- Local church commitment to digital media
Is it possible to join with other local churches in submitting a grant request?
Yes! Partnerships are accepted and encourage where appropriate.
Examples of Possible Digital Evangelism Grant Projects
We are looking to improve our Livestream experience on Sundays and throughout the week. We want to start a weekly “Ask the Pastor” livestream question and answer session. To do so we would need to purchase of Mevo Start camera, iPad and laptop for a total cost of $X.
We want to offer Open Mic opportunities at a local park. To do so we would need to purchase a portable sound system (specific details required here) and training for our volunteers (details required here i.e., through churchsoundbootcamp.com). This will also enhance our sound on Sunday and have better sound for our parking lot worship experience and youth activities.
We want to create a recording studio. This will help us with virtual vacation bible school, our pre-recorded worship service and videos we release during the week. Working with a designer we have been told it would cost $X.
We want to experiment with an interactive software package like ReMo for Wednesday night fellowship events such as Game Night and Cooking with Chef Charlie. We would also use this to enhance connectivity during our Sunday morning worship experience.
We want to move from a mindset of church communications as administrative work to church communications as digital ministry. We want to partner with Church A and Church B to hire a church digital media specialist for 100 hours to help us make the transition in each of our churches.