The existing literature on religion and new media often focuses on the interdisciplinary nature and perspectives in this research field. While this emphasis is relevant, the analysis of practical strategies developed by researchers prior to and during the research fieldwork is commonly neglected. As such, practical questions, methodological issues and the ethical concerns encountered by researchers are often overlooked. Drawing from our field notes and fieldwork experiences during a study conducted from 2016 to 2017 in Botswana, this paper reflects on the process of using a qualitative approach and digital ethnography in the study of religion and new media. By examining the ethical and methodological issues encountered during the fieldwork, we advance two related arguments. First, while interpersonal and communication skills are necessary for the success of fieldwork, researchers of religion and new media also require practical skills to deal with the complexity and ambiguity of issues around access to research sites and ethics throughout the research process. Second, scholarly investigation on the manifestation of religion in the new media should not only focus on the circulation of narratives by religious institutions on their new media outlets; but also on the dynamics of personal stories shared within a religious community and the impact of these stories on individuals and religious institutions when they are widely circulated online. Introduction Research practice within the tradition of the qualitative approach, often involves fieldwork whereby a researcher attempts to understand and discover the underlying meanings behind human behaviours and actions. Here the researcher can enter into a research setting, gather data, make sense of various social events and encounters, and organise the collected information in such a way that new knowledge of the phenomenon under study is produced. Although reflexive descriptions of fieldwork experiences by qualitative researchers have been well-documented (Bradley 1993; Day 2012 and Gallagher 2008), reflections on fieldwork in the area of religion and new media in the African context have been under-represented. While digital methodologies have been developed specifically to study digital religion or online practices of religion (Tsuria et al. 2017), in the African context there is a lack of methodological approaches for understanding the extent to which common religious beliefs and practices are extended to an online sphere; and the ethical issues and dilemmas associated with such religious extension online. As such, complex research settings, practical methodological issues, and ethical questions encountered by researchers are often overlooked. From 2016 to 2017, we conducted a study focusing on new media and prophetic ministries in Botswana to address the following research questions. First, in what ways are religious manifestations and beliefs of prophetic ministries in Botswana extended to an online sphere through various new media platforms? Second, to what extent do new media platforms shape and reshape the religious practices of prophetic ministries in Botswana? Drawing on our field notes and experience from the research fieldwork, we reflect on the process and experience of using a qualitative approach and digital ethnography. As new

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