On Wednesday, 4 March 2026, on the premises of the Missionary Department of the Archbishopric of Belgrade–Karlovci, the first class was held within a specially designed course dedicated to the development of digital parish mission. This marked the beginning of a programme intended to be conducted regularly in the coming period, with the aim of helping Orthodox parishes within the territory of the Archbishopric of Belgrade–Karlovci to use digital media in a contemporary manner in the service of the Church’s mission.
This course introduces a systematic approach to the field of digital training for Orthodox missionaries at the parish level and, according to the available information, such a programme is being organised for the first time within a diocese of our Local Church. The aim of the programme is to cultivate and develop, through collaborative work, the skills necessary for strengthening the digital presence of parish communities. The groups of participants have been intentionally kept small so that the lecturer may devote adequate attention to each member and follow their individual progress, while the first group of participants will complete their training during the month of March. The editor and instructor of the programme is Dr Nenad Badovinac, coordinator of the Section for Electronic Mission of the Missionary Department of the Archbishopric of Belgrade–Karlovci.
During the first class, in addition to the lecturer’s presentation, an engaging discussion developed among the participants. Numerous questions were raised and various comments offered, indicating that there is a genuine interest in the topic of digital mission and that precisely through such encounters new ideas may emerge which will contribute to the strengthening of electronic mission within the Archbishopric.
The participants of the course also received their first practical assignments, intended to involve them in active work from the very beginning. Each participant is required to develop an idea for a digital missionary project that will be further elaborated during the course, and at subsequent meetings these ideas will be presented, discussed, and—through joint work—implemented. In this way, the participants will have the opportunity to assist their own parishes in the development of digital parish mission through concrete projects.
In addition, the participants received several practical research tasks:
- to find an example of a well-organised Orthodox website;
- to find an example of a post that functions as personal advertising/self-promotion and compare it with a post that represents a good example of parish mission;
- to write a brief observation concerning their own parish with regard to the current state of electronic mission.
The first meeting with the participants of the programme demonstrated that there is considerable interest in this topic, which may represent an important step in the development of the Church’s contemporary mission within the digital space.
In a time of rapid technological advancement, initiatives of this kind represent a necessary response to the missionary challenges of contemporary society.
