Ideathon Hopes to Chart Digital Strategies in Southern Asia-Pacific

The Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD) is launching its first MissionTech: Ideathon 2025, a collaborative event that will bring together communication leaders, IT directors, and technology enthusiasts to design innovative tools and strategies for church ministry.

The initiative is SSD’s direct response to the global church’s Digital Strategy for Mission, an initiative that emphasizes harnessing digital technology as a means of connecting people with Jesus, supporting faith communities, and bridging the mission of the church to unreached territories. The strategy highlights that technology is not an end in itself, but a tool for advancing the gospel with creativity, efficiency, and impact.

“Our goal is to create a space where mission-driven creativity can flourish,” said Ryan Micua, SSD Information Technology director. “The church is full of talented people who understand technology and ministry. Through this ideathon we want to see their ideas come to life—whether for inreach or outreach—so that technology can become an even stronger channel for mission.”

Participants will present concepts and prototypes that can enhance existing church ministries or introduce new digital approaches for outreach. These submissions will take the form of proposals, written plans, or presentations. Nothing presented is final—the goal is to identify the most feasible idea that can later be collaboratively developed after the ideathon. This process encourages participants to build on each other’s concepts until a project emerges with a clear direction and potential for implementation.

The MissionTech: Ideathon 2025 is unique in the Southern Asia-Pacific territory, where technology development remains scarce in many countries, regional church leaders said. This reality presents both a challenge and an opportunity, they added. “Organizers hope the event will inspire participants to develop strategies that take into account varying levels of digital literacy across Southeast Asia, creating solutions that are practical, accessible, and mission-focused,” they said.

The official launch is set for September 29 through a livestream event. From there participants will engage in orientation, ideation, and validation stages, leading up to final submissions on October 26. Chosen proposals will be announced during a livestream awarding ceremony scheduled for early November.

By encouraging developers and innovators to think outside the box, SSD leaders say they hope the ideathon will inspire tools and strategies that not only serve the local field but also contribute to the world church’s broader vision of digital mission. “This is more than a tech challenge—it’s a mission movement,” organizers emphasized. “When we combine creativity with technology for God’s work, we create opportunities for transformation that go far beyond what we can imagine.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division news site.