Summary Report: Interactive Task Force

Dear AD2-Announce Reader:

As the AD2000 & Beyond Movement moves towards its final closure date of early 2001, all of the movement's Tracks / Resource Networks and Task Forces have been requested to provide an overview summary of their specific realm of experience over the 5 - 10 years of their operational existence. These reports have been prepared for compilation of a "lasting record" of this movement and for all to see, as they are interested!

Please see the attached revised report on the Interactive Task Force prepared by Pete Holzmann, Global Coordinator of International Christian Technologists' Association. Please be encouraged by this good report! The Lord has greatly used this Task Force over many years and with the cooperation of many worldwide. Great appreciation and praises to God for Pete - and many others involved!

These reports will all be included along with other historical reports and data of the AD2000 & Beyond Movement, including the AD2000 website, and much more on a CD-ROM being produced for distribution at Celebrate Messiah 2000. Further distribution of this CD-ROM will also be made after the conference. Please email [email protected] if you<> are interested in purchasing one of these CD-ROMs.

NOTE: Celebrate Messiah 2000 will be held in Jerusalem and Bethlehem 27 December 2000 - 2 January 2001. Registration invitation is still open to those so interested. Please contact Lauri Dennis, Registrar, at [email protected] for more information.<>

The AD2000 International Office will be closing early in 2001. Click here for more information.

Thank you for your interest in the AD2000 & Beyond Movement and its spiritual and catalytic outworkings into the 21st century. Please continue to pray for the movement until our closing day! Thank you!

That all may hear!

Luis Bush
International Director
AD2000 & Beyond Movement

AD2000 Interactive Task Force
Retrospective Review

Historical Overview

The AD2000 Interactive Task Force (ITF) emerged in early 1995 from the cooperative and collaborative nature of the AD2000 & Beyond Movement. AD2000 leadership recognized that to cooperate effectively, leaders at all levels from global to local praying churches, need timely communication tools. Such tools would help them interact, working together on a daily basis to avoid redundant efforts, share vision, status and strategies, and work through current issues.

We also saw that traditional methods, such as postal mail, telephone, and fax, while fine for one-on-one communication, become expensive and inadequate to support frequent interaction among groups of leaders. New electronic communication tools were seen as effective for meeting the need in many parts of the world.

At the ITF launch, many significant challenges were recognized. ITF was formed to bring some of the most quickly changing business tools into global mission: the World-Wide Web barely existed back then! Many leaders had no reliable telephone service, nor access to commercial e-mail. Most leaders had little understanding of the new tools. Many were culturally constrained, finding it difficult to understand and deal with the new "cyber world"-not so much in the technical sense as from a spiritual, cultural and interpersonal perspective.

With that context in mind, ITF was launched, with the aggressive goal of ensuring that key leaders, no matter where in the world they are located, are able to effectively communicate with each other and with other supporting networks. At ITF's core was the team responsible for creating the MAFxc communication network, most visibly known for making possible the Brigada online mission discussions.

What God Did

As with secular "digital world" initiatives today, God accomplished ITF's work in the 1990's through strategic partnerships and informal relationships. In a climate of rapid change, we had very little of our own infrastructure, instead depending on influential relationships with other initiatives around the world (which were also experiencing rapid change).

As with other AD2000 initiatives, ITF's impact can be viewed as a rapidly climbing curve over time, especially as we enter the 21st century. We celebrate with appreciation what God has already done, such as:

These initiatives continue, with another Briefing in September 2000, and ongoing development of a permanent global information/relationship bridge between resources and ministry to be announced this year.

Goals Accomplished

ITF fully or partially met its specific National Initiative and Joshua Project 2000 service goals. Some highlights:

  • A comprehensive survey of 300 [AD2000 National leader's] status with respect to communication resources: over 1000 leaders were surveyed.
  • Partner to provide E-mail access in 3 new remote areas per month: By 1999, ITF partner MAF was serving over 3,000 missionaries in 21 remote areas.
  • [Quickly fulfill].e-mail discussion conference needs: ITF staff set up and managed over 70 e-mail discussion areas. By late 1999, the process was simplified so many leaders could do it themselves at no cost.
  • Identify 14 ITF regional coordinators.and [hundreds of] associates.to assist key leaders internationally: four regions have been covered; over 650 volunteers have enlisted.
  • Ensure JP2000 list is available electronically: we provided some assistance to AD2000 staff who did this.
  • Maximize cooperation.through electronic publication[s].and e-mail conferences: ITF volunteers assisted with e-mail conference setup; AD2000 staff, partners at GMI, Caleb project, and ITF volunteers electronically published much information.
  • Ensure all people profiles can be accessed on-line: accomplished by a number of groups.
  • Ensure timely prayer information is made available: general prayer profiles are available (see above). However, our partnership with the World Prayer Center (Colo Spgs) has not yet resulted in the envisioned dynamic electronic prayer information network.
  • Administer private e-mail conferences for church planting strategy teams: the Network for Strategic Missions has created a number of these; ITF has assisted with security information.

    Lessons Learned

    Along the way, several insights radically changed the focus of ITF efforts:

    20/20 Hindsight: If We Could Start Over.

    In retrospect, it is not clear that we should have (or could have) known in advance most of the important lessons listed above. In that sense, there is very little we would do differently the next time. This was a learning process in the midst of the high technology paradigm: the most rapidly changing arena in history.

    ITF has been subject to far more rapid change than the overall AD2000 movement, even though the rest of the movement has encouraged a dynamic, entrepreneurial, momentum-building environment. We should have better prepared ourselves and other AD2000 leaders for the effects of this difference.

    Recommendations For the Future

    The efforts of the Interactive Task Force are not coming to a close in 2000; instead, our efforts are rapidly expanding as we enter the new millennium. The following high-level recommendations inform our own future efforts as much as they are offered as suggestions for future mission movements:

    In His care and joyful service,
    Pete Holzmann
    April 2000

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