Tired of feeling scattered across digital platforms?
Longing to integrate your spiritual life with your online presence?
Searching for ways to build authentic community in digital spaces without burning out?
Digital Ministry as Contemplative Practice offers a different way forward—one that moves from being “wired” (constantly plugged in and on edge) to being “woven” (genuinely interconnected and spiritually grounded).
Drawing from womanist theology, the poetics of Lucille Clifton, and contemplative spiritual practices, this course invites ministry leaders, spiritual creatives, and digital practitioners into a journey of integration. Rather than adding more to your digital to-do list, we’ll explore how to approach online engagement as a form of spiritual formation—a way of tending sacred attention in an economy designed to fragment it.
Rather than typical “social media strategy” approaches, we ground digital engagement in spiritual practices that have sustained communities for centuries. You’ll learn to approach your phone as a tool for contemplative resistance, your posts as acts of archival devotion, and your online community as a form of mutual spiritual care. Through the concept of the “plain speech prophet”—inspired by Lucille Clifton’s accessible yet profound poetry and the Quaker tradition of truth-telling—we’ll explore how to communicate transformative knowledge in ways that honor both theological/spiritual depth and public accessibility.
Week 1 (Sept 17): The Enemy’s Camp – Finding Voice in Digital Wilderness
Origin stories, digital calling, and the plain speech prophet
Week 2 (Sept 24): Archival Devotion – Tending Sacred Memory Online
Introduction to archival devotion as spiritual practice
Week 3 (Oct 1): Knowing Your Edges – Human Limits in Infinite Scroll
Recognizing humanity in digital spaces
Project Week (Oct 8 – no live class): Digital Rule of Life Creation
Create your personal Digital Rule of Life
Week 4 (Oct 15): Wired vs. Woven – Tools for Sacred Community Building
Moving from anxious connectivity to authentic interdependence
Week 5 (Oct 22): Tools Not Toys & Beyond Branding
Sacred approach to technology and authentic voice
Week 6 (Oct 29): Integration & Sustainable Practice
Creating lasting spiritual resources through digital ministry
Meeting dates are Wednesdays for 6 sessions beginning on Wednesday, September 17th. Subsequent sessions are on September 24th, October 1st, October 15th, October 22nd, and October 29th. Sessions run from 6 – 7:30pm Eastern.
Instructor: rose j. percy (’22, ’24) weaves together faith, justice, and identity through a deep commitment to spiritual care. Her work draws from womanist theology, Black feminist poetics, trauma and disability wisdom, and the everyday practices that help people live whole and grounded lives. She currently serves as Director of Spiritual Formation and Small Groups at New Roots AME Church in Boston, where she builds structures for collective discernment, small group ministry, and spiritual care that honor rest, relationship, and radical belonging. She is the writer and curator behind “A Gentle Landing,” a newsletter offering essays and poems for restless dreamers and those seeking slower, more spacious ways of living. She holds a Master of Divinity (‘22) and Master of Sacred Theology (‘24) from Boston University School of Theology, with certifications in Spirituality Studies and Religion and Conflict Transformation. Her formation grounds her work at the intersection of healing, faith, and social imagination.
Materials Needed: (1) Computer and internet capable of video conferencing software Zoom. (2) Scanned excerpts and media links will be distributed in the course syllabus..
Cost: $60 standard or $100 with CEU credit. A $10 discount will be applied for alumni/ae of Boston University School of Theology.