One of the top rating internet radio shows amongst Australian teenagers was born in the toilet of Central Coast Evangelical Church's youth minister.
The low-budget, low-effort weekly chat show is regularly ranked in the Top 50 Australian iTunes downloads. On occassion it has peaked in the Top 10 with nearly 1,000 subscribers.
"And sometimes this even happens when we don't rig the number of downloads!" laughs youth minister and radio show host, Dave Miers.
"In an average week we have about 300 listeners."
But is it worth the effort?
"It's not a huge investment of time," explains Dave.
"A 15-minute show takes us no more than 30 minutes to make."
The success of Dave Miers' internet show illustrates how new media can give ordinary youth ministries the chance to proclaim the gospel well beyond their church walls using ordinary backyard technology.
Dave knows his show is regularly played by kids to their non-Christian friends via their iPods in the playgrounds of local schools.
Jodie McNeill, who helps train youth ministers at Youthworks College at Loftus, says the internet has made "subjective content king' and "this is good news for churches'.
"The cost and quality of the packaging doesn't matter so much as the meaning behind it. People are happy to download a poor quality video shot on a mobile phone if it tells a story that has not been told before."
Two factors are at play here.
Firstly, low-budget productions tap into the widespread suspicion of authority amongst young people " often something which is seen as "too slick' loses their trust because they suspect it has been manipulated.
Secondly, expectations of quality have dropped as new technology has offered young people the chance to personalise media products.
Media products that are a success on the internet tend to exploit the interactive potential within new media technology.
It is important to note that Dave's show taps into both these factors. It has an irreverent edge. It's not a straight sermon.
Although Dave also podcasts his Bible talks, they have less than 200 subscribers.
"Mainly regular members who weren't [at church] to hear the talk," he says.
The cheekiness of the chat show podcast is captured in the title " "On the Poddy with Dave and Dan' " the name a play on the word "podcast', which means an internet audio broadcast, and the fact the show is usually recorded in a bathroom.
They even do live "Christian prank calls' " where they randomly ring people up and encourage them in a satirical take on commercial DJ's habit of humiliating their phone call victims.
A typical show will include an interview with an ordinary church member about how they became a Christian or how God helped them through a struggle.
Dave will offer some Christian commentary on an issue of popular interest, as well as a brief comment on a Bible passage.
But critically, Dave also reads out and engages with his audiences' responses as posted on the show's internet page, thereby enhancing the sense that the show is at the fulcrum of a dynamic community.
Dave believes the low production values has been the secret of the show's success for a further reason.
The small amount of time required to resource the show means it has been sustainable for the youth minister to include in his busy schedule.
He says he knows other youth ministries which have failed with new media initiatives because they have raised the bar too high, aiming to be very tight in their editing and production.
He says the key to success is not quality, but to produce a program on a regular and predictable basis so that you build up a subscriber base.
Like an old-style radio program, Dave has a strict "one-take' policy.
"All our special effects are done live," he says. "It's much better to do something achievable and not aim high."
The Dark Side
Much media comment on today's teenagers has focused on the fact that they are almost continously "wired' to their friends via new media technology.
"They feel isolated if they aren't constantly connected," explains Jodie McNeill.
"They will do maths homework while doing MSN [instant messaging] and claim they are not distracted!"
However, some sociologists have advanced the theory that this search for connectedness amongst Generation Y has a darker edge.
There is evidence that it is a response to a sense of abandonment amongst many in today's youth generation who have experienced unprecedent high divorce rates and broken families.
Have boomers and gen-Xers who pioneered low-commitment, de facto relationships now unconsciously translated that low commitment ethos into what is effectively de facto parenting?
"Today's parents raise their children with the attitude " "you are 12 years old, "Off you go and live your own life'," agrees Jodie McNeill.
"There is a sense amongst parents that if a child can't be my friend then we just cohabit."
This throws a harsher light on MySpace " the latest fad internet product " which allows young people to build friendships, even with complete strangers, through their own personalised web page.
"It shocks me how happy teenagers are to have private conversations in a public arena," says Jodie.
They will post messages that are poorly expressed in a virtual stream of consciousness, including personal and private references about everything from relationship break-ups to health problems.
All this in a place where anyone can read it. Older generations tend to craft their online contributions and stick to public issues much like a talkback radio show.
"MySpace just shows how desperate generation Y is to have a sense of community through their friendships. This nakedness online is a cry for community," concludes Jodie.
But can MySpace be used as tool by youth ministers to help build a positive community?
"I have a hesitation about using MySpace for youth ministry because I would be encouraging my youth group kids to enter a big bad world. At Youthworks, child protection is high on our agenda. I am a little sceptical and a little scared about the lack of control around MySpace that might place young people in a vulnerable situation."
Dave Miers " who started seriously exploring the use of new media for youth ministry six years ago " agrees with Jodie about MySpace.
He sees youth ministries moving their internet pages to MySpace without really thinking through the implications. He cautions churches against a knee-jerk and poorly planned response to the new media habits of teenagers.
"I think MySpace is a fake community," he says. "It's better to use these technologies to enhance your real community."
The Way Forward?
It is partially in response to the problems around MySpace that Youthworks has invested big dollars in its tentatively named Christian Youth in a Digital Age (CYIADA) initiative.
Although the launch of the finished web product is still many months away, youth pastors are rightly excited.
The main reason, explains project co-ordinator Josh Street, is that "youth groups are already investing energy into creating web resources, and they're doing the same technical groundwork over and over again."
However child protection is high on the agenda as well. "Cyber-bullying' " harassment by SMS and via online social networking sites " has already received secular media coverage.
"So far coverage has been focussed on peer-based bullying, but we need to create openness in these new mediums to keep people accountable," says Josh.
"As part of the whole accountability thing, it's imperative leaders all have their own logins. This way, when youth group continues during the week on the website… everything people post is seen in the same way as how they speak when meeting in person. Having a small group leader to keep kids accountable is a valuable thing, and increases the number of hours a week that these youth are exposed to godly role models."
Amongst other tools, the new product will allow youth ministers to access easy- to-use interactive blogs, as well as create contact databases so that they can easily send out email and SMS reminders to the right kids.
However during the research phase Josh Street has seen how some churches have it got internet ministry horribly wrong by being distracted by the bells and whistles.
"During the last few months I've been scouring the internet for anything that vaguely resembles the set of features we're trying to get together and have discovered a whole bunch of weird stuff in the process.
"The strangest of these discoveries was a 3D world designed as an online meeting place for youth groups " there's nothing inherently wrong with that concept, it's just that it's gimmicky, would consume ridiculous amounts of youth leaders' time if they used it to its fullest potential and, if they did that, in all probability detract from their real-world ministry to the youth they're meant to be leading!"
Dave Miers agrees that youth ministers need to primarily see new media as a tool to enhance the existing relationships within their ministry.
"The temptation is to think we need to be providing the best [in production]. But the focus should always be on making sure the content is right and above all that we are loving the kids."
