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Digital Discipleship During COVID-19: Serving Your Community with Digital Tools

3/31/2020

2 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

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As states begin to issue “shelter in place” orders for residents, many find themselves stuck at home and unable to serve their church members and community in the usual ways. However, we are still called to minister to others. Remember, the church is not a building, it’s a people. When fleeing persecution, the early church took the gospel to new regions out of necessity. So, too, we must now take the gospel message to the digital mission field and spread our message of hope and wholeness when it is needed most.
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Digital tools can be used in many ways to extend the church experience beyond the building and help those in your community who are struggling financially, spiritually, and emotionally. God’s kingdom is 24/7, and now is the time to embrace digital evangelism and discipleship for growing and sustaining His Church.

Here are 10 easy ways you can serve your community using digital tools during COVID-19:

  1. Commit to checking on five friends. Many people are feeling lonely and isolated. Now is the time to commit to regularly checking in on others. Make a list of friends and family but also include people who may not be well connected with others. Use this opportunity to reach out to them to build meaningful relationships. Use the technology that works best for you and the person you’re reaching out to. For example, an elderly person may prefer a phone call, while a younger person might prefer a text or message on social media. Set up times to video-call people through FaceTime or Zoom to connect with them face to face. Most importantly, ask a lot of questions, listen to their needs, provide encouragement, and offer to pray with/for them.

  2. Use applications (apps) to help those in need. Many people have lost their jobs or have been sent home without pay for the duration of the pandemic. If you are a financially stable individual with a steady income, you can help those in financial crisis by sending money via apps like Cash App or PayPal. You can also order groceries online to be delivered to a family or person in need.

  3. Buy gift cards for those in need and support local small businesses when possible. Purchase online gift cards from local businesses and send them to someone who needs a blessing. This will not only lift the person’s spirits but also help a local business that may be struggling.

  4. Order food for delivery. Whether it is for a medical professional working at the front lines or for an elderly neighbor in need, this is an easy way to bless someone through meeting a basic need.

  5. Leverage your digital influence to let friends and neighbors know you are available to help. Use your social media profiles to offer your help to those within your sphere of digital influence. Offer to babysit a medical professional’s child while schools and daycares are closed, tutor a young person via zoom/video chat, take someone grocery shopping, or pick up and deliver groceries. If you prefer to be more discreet, message people directly (phone, text, email, etc.) to see what kind of help they need.

  6. Pay attention to cries for help online. If we use our sphere of digital influence to stay connected to our friends and community, we can be there when people need us by simply paying attention and taking action. Go online with purpose, not just for amusement and to pass time. By being intentional, we can make a meaningful and measurable difference in people’s lives. Pay attention to what your contacts are posting online, and find meaningful ways to respond. Click here for action steps.

  7. Share positivity. How is God influencing your life? What is giving you comfort in this time of uncertainty? How have you been blessed? In this time of physical distancing, it’s more important than ever to find ways to share our message of hope and wholeness through our digital influence. Many people feel fearful, isolated, and discouraged. They may be wondering what this all means and open to learning about God. Share your testimony online to encourage and uplift others. Witnessing about the good that God is working in our lives affirms our own faith as well.

  8. Use your social influence to advocate for causes or share helpful information. If you have at-risk family members at home, you may not be able to help out at the local drive-through food pantry, but you can let others (who can leave their home) know that the pantry needs extra volunteers. By advocating for causes, you are still doing good and helping your community, even if you can’t be physically present. In addition, share important information (from credible sources) such as closings, health tips, news updates, and resources for financial assistance.

  9. Engage in digital door knocking. You don't have to knock on a stranger’s door to share your faith, nor do you have to create the content. Canvassers are not the authors of the books they sell. The burden of content creation is not for all of us. You can share spiritual content on your social media profiles or through messaging and email. It can be anything (picture, text, video, blog, sermon, etc.)—just be sure to include with it a personalized message about how it impacted you. Your friends and followers can scroll past it or choose to engage when it’s convenient for them. For people stuck at home with time on their hands, social media may be their main source of entertainment and connection. This creates opportunities for us to share and reach people everywhere.

  10. Create opportunities for prayer online. Even the skeptical may long for someone to care enough to pray for them personally. Social media is a powerful tool for soliciting prayer requests and following up on those requests. Prayer can be just one “like,” comment, or message away. Online communication lowers the barrier to asking, making it easy for people to reach out when they may be reluctant to do so face to face. Click here for more ideas for prayer opportunities in the digital space.

Physical distancing doesn’t mean we have to grow apart.

These are just a few ways to utilize the technologies we use every day to grow a vibrant community that will come back stronger and more unified from this experience.
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Visit SDAdata.org/goingdigitalcovid19 for more resources to help your church or ministry go digital during COVID-19.

​Do you have more ideas about how to use digital tools to serve your community during COVID-19? Share them below! 
2 Comments

Top 10 Tips for Making the Transition to Working from Home

3/23/2020

1 Comment

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Angeline Brauer

Director, Health Ministries, North American Division

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​How to bring the workspace into the home space 

Many organizations are creating opportunities and policies for working remotely—and not only to promote social distancing during the current COVID-19 pandemic. As early as 2012, nearly 39% of employees spent some portion of their working hours outside the office, according to Gallup.
 
Making the transition to working from home can be challenging on several levels. Here are 10 tips to help bring the workspace into the home space.

  1. Create or maintain structure in your day. We’re creatures of habit, and these habits can be a healthy means to order our lives. For many, the transition to working at home may be a rather shocking change from our usual routines and patterns. To help ease this transition and to avoid feelings of unease, you could try adapting the work routines you’ve developed over your career to your new reality. In some cases, creating a new structure may be helpful.

    Suggestions:
    1. Stick to your normal schedule as much as possible, including your usual wake-up and sleep times and lunch breaks.
    2. Keep your scheduled breaks at the same time, including getting up to stretch and move throughout the day. Meet with the same people you usually meet with via telephone or video tools like Zoom and FaceTime.
    3. Keep your lunch break at the same time, and eat with the people you usually eat with using video conferencing technology like Zoom or FaceTime.
    4. Keep your lunch prep routine. If you normally prepare your lunch the night before, keep doing that. Or if you normally go out to eat, take advantage of healthy drive-throughs that are still open, or support local restaurants by ordering delivery. If neither of these work, then take time during your normally scheduled lunch break to prepare a healthy meal.
    5. Stay hydrated. If you normally have a bottle of water at your desk, be sure to keep this healthy habit going. If not, now is a good time to increase your water intake and create a new healthy habit.
    6. Use digital tools like Zoom to keep your regularly scheduled prayer and Bible study group times. Not only will this allow you to keep in touch with people, but it will help you stay spiritually fed.

  2. Keep moving. Your health has never been more important and social isolation could lead to reduced physical activity. Here are some ways to counteract this:
    1. Maintain your morning “commute.” Take a 10- or 20-minute walk before you start your day. This will not only get your blood flowing but will help create a sense of “going somewhere” before you start your workday. Walking outside is best, but if that is not possible, walk inside on a treadmill or follow an exercise or stretching video. YouTube offers a lot of free options. If possible, stand while working or walk in place during long phone calls.
    2. Get moving on your lunch break. Take a 10-minute walk, follow an exercise video, or engage in another physical activity.
    3. Transition your walking groups. Call each other as you walk, or video chat on Zoom as you walk in place or pace around the room.
    4. Take 5-minute breaks every hour. Set an alarm to make sure you remember to stand up, stretch, breathe deeply, and drink water once an hour. If possible, step outside or at least go to a window. Short breaks can help give your brain a break, helping you maintain focus throughout the day. They can also help keep you from going stir crazy if you’re tired of being stuck at home in a chair.

  3. Get ready for work. Mindset is everything. Keeping your routine also means getting ready for work like you normally would. By getting dressed and cleaned up as if you were going into the office (including putting on makeup if that’s your thing), you help get yourself into the mindset of working. Plus, you never know when an unexpected video call might come in.
    ​
  4. Utilize digital tools for face-to-face work interactions. If you would normally get up and go to speak to someone in the office, connect with them via video call. Look for opportunities to meet face-to-face in the digital space whenever it makes sense. Social distancing doesn’t mean that we have to grow apart in our work and personal relationships. Many conversations are more productive when you can see each other’s expressions and hear each other’s tone of voice.

  5. Stay connected. The mental health toll of social distancing is likely to impact our extroverted brothers and sisters the most, but even introverts need connection. It’s important not to work in complete isolation. In fact, many people are significantly more productive when they can engage with others frequently. Feeling disconnected can lead to depression, which not only makes being productive more challenging but also takes a toll on a person’s overall health. Make sure to use video tools as much as possible and utilize other digital tools to stay connected throughout the day. Consider the following:
    1. Use Microsoft teams to stay in touch and collaborate with your co-workers as you work together on projects.
    2. Send texts throughout the day and share pictures with friends and family.
    3. Keep chat boxes open to chitchat with the coworkers you would normally interact with during the day. These short interactions can increase productivity and help you feel less isolated.
    4. We’ve said this once before, but keep your social appointments via video tools.
    5. Caution: if social media has a tendency to rob you of time, you’ll want to keep it at a healthy distance during work hours.

  6. Set time boundaries between your work and personal life. Start and end your workday as usual, making a clear distinction between work time and family time to maintain a healthy work/life balance. It’s tempting to check email when your computer is still open. Close up your work computer and enjoy an evening with family and friends. Being stuck at home can be a wonderful positive in terms of having time to develop the close bonds of marriage and parent-child relationships. Conversely, this also means setting boundaries so that members of the household respect your work time and refrain from unnecessary disruptions.

  7. Create a workspace separate from the rest of the house. This is a healthy mental trick to help you leave work “at work” when the day is done. Create a space where you go only to work, separate from the rest of the home. If a closed-off room is not available, this could be a desk or table in the corner of a room. This is especially important if you have children who may cause distractions. Sit near a window if possible; the natural light will be good for you. Declutter your workspace as you end your “office hours.” This can help you close out the work day and transition to family time, and will prepare you to start work the next morning without distractions.

  8. Be thoughtful in how you share a workspace. Some of us may need to share our home office or desk space with a spouse, housemate, or children. This can promote great bonding, but it can also pose significant challenges. You can create an environment that promotes a good working relationship with these new “colleagues.” Here are some tips to help:
    1. Use a headset to limit distractions for your office mate during calls.
    2. Coordinate meeting times so you’re not talking over each other.
    3. Be ready to move to another room if needed.
    4. Take lunch breaks with your “office mate” to avoid tension and decompress from work.
    5. Respect each other’s space and work style. Don’t play music or talk continually if it distracts your partner. Some people are more productive with background noise; others require silence to focus.

  9. Find ways to help your children adapt and stay busy. Working while kids are at home can be a challenge. Here are some suggestions that may help:  
    1. Create structure in their day and keep them productive. This will not only help you get work done but also help them adapt to this disruption in their routine. Try to keep their schedule similar to what it was before by having them eat at the same time, exercise during their regular physical education time or recess, take naps at their usual time, and study at their usual times. For babies, if you haven’t gotten them on a schedule, now would be a good time to create structure in their day. I (Jamie Domm) have been able to balance working from home with an infant by getting my daughter into a predictable pattern of eat-wake-sleep. This allows me to schedule meetings during her nap times and plan out my day so I work in between her feeding schedule. Even though she goes off schedule during growth spurts, this system helps me dramatically in meeting my work demands.
    2. Keep them learning. If online learning offered by their regular school is not an option or access to computers is limited, this is a good time to read books, watch educational material on TV or online, and explore other ways of learning. This is also a great opportunity for kids to learn responsibility around the house and basic life skills such as cooking, meal-planning, cleaning, taking care of pets, doing laundry, etc. Make sure to keep duties age-appropriate. For a child who dislikes school, this may be a much-needed detox that allows them to focus on their areas of interest outside of school. The day doesn’t have to be filled with academics when there’s a world of learning available in so many different formats. Here are some Adventist Education Resources:
      1. AE Tech Blog – COVID-19 – Join the community and post what YOU are doing in your school to manage during these times. Your ideas are valued!
      2. AE Tech Online Resources – COVID-19
      3. Adventist Education Official Resources for COVID-19
      4. Children's Resources from Digital Discipleship in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church

    3. Have them read or watch educational material. This is a great time for kids to read or re-read some classics or learn through educational content provided online.
    4. Let them steer some of their own learning. It’s a fact of human nature that at any age, we spend more time on the things we are the most passionate about. Child-led learning can keep kids occupied for hours. This is also a way to reward them for accomplishing the tasks they favor less.
    5. Use the time to work on their weak points. Perhaps your child struggles with math: now’s the time to find some online programs or order some workbooks to keep them busy.
    6. Find out what motivates your child (but be careful not to incentivize with sweets.) This can help keep them motivated to learn and explore on their own. Often the treat that children enjoy the most is uninterrupted time spent with you—their parents and heroes.
    7. Take breaks with your children. Let them know that while your work boundaries must be respected, that doesn’t mean you’re not there for them. Eat with older children, do a physical activity with them, or plan an evening family activity together.
    8. Let them play outside. Remember what we all did as kids before the Internet? Kids can go stir-crazy spending all day in the house. If possible, let them go outside and play while you take that important call.
    9. Work while they sleep. Do your most focused work when the kids are in bed or down for a nap, but try to make sure you are getting enough rest as well. You don’t want to drag down your immune system, making you more vulnerable to illness.
    10. Partner with a spouse or another adult member of the household. If both parents must work from home, rotate who has responsibility for the children. Taking shifts will allow you to plan when you can do your most focused work.
    11. Have older kids help. In cases where older kids are in the household, consider asking them to watch over their younger siblings for an hour or two a day. They can help mentor them, keep them occupied with games, or read to them.
    12. Accept that you may not have any free time. This is going to be a hard time for working parents, but accepting the new reality will help you enjoy the extra time you normally wouldn’t get with your children.

  10. Stuck at home and can’t work: take advantage of free online education opportunities. While we’re all doing our part to stay home and flatten the curve, some people may be left without work or without enough work to fill their day. One great way to make this time matter is to use it for personal development and growth. Let’s pray that this great act of solidarity not only saves the lives of the most vulnerable among us but results in a generation that emerges from this unprecedented experience with more skills, ready to re-enter the workforce better and stronger than before.
    1. 450 FREE Online Ivy League Courses
    2. Adventist Learning Community

BONUS TIP FROM JAMIE DOMM

Guard the edges of your day. Start and end the day without social media and laptops. I can easily become consumed by digital tools and technologies; it’s my job at least eight hours a day. If I don’t set healthy boundaries for myself, the negative aspects of digital and social media start to drag me down and prevent me from really resting. Rest can take many forms, but I cannot rest by spending hours on my personal social media (or on my laptop) when I work all day on those same platforms. What many consider a pleasure just feels like more work. When I’m not working, I consume media and information the old-fashioned way by reading magazines and books. Also, in the morning, I make it a point to follow Jesus’ example and begin with solitary prayer and Bible study…with a physical Bible.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” – Mark 1:35 NIV

The peace of the morning enables me to think clearly and connect with God. I know that the moment work begins, I will be connected on multiple platforms for at least the next eight hours, so this “analog” devotional time is sacred. When the day is done, I disconnect and again turn to print material, exercise, and face-to-face conversations to help me wind down. Staying connected online throughout the evening can disrupt your sleep and result in depression. If you browse social media to stave off loneliness and pain, you will find the exact opposite of what you’re looking for, especially in these uncertain times.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT BY ANGELINE BRAUER

If you are feeling lonely and isolated, remember that someone else is probably feeling that way, too. How can you use this opportunity to connect or reconnect with someone? If you pray about it, God may just whisper a name to you. Why not reach out and connect with them?

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1 Comment

Help, I Need to Do Virtual Church! Best Practices for Taking Your Church Service Online

3/22/2020

4 Comments

 

Nick Wolfer

Studio Production Manager, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists

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COVID-19 has forced everyone to adapt quickly. Many pastors are attempting to hold church online, or post sermons for members to view. Many are using smartphones or a webcam on a computer to get the job done. Here are some simple things you can do if all you have is your smartphone.
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  1. Audio First—Silent movies are largely a thing of the past. Consumers of media are very interested in being able to hear and understand what is being said. Therefore, audio is key to a good production. There are a couple simple things you can do to improve the audio on your recordings with only your smartphone.
    1. ​If you have a bluetooth earpiece that you use for hands free, use that for your presentation. It may look a little unusual at first, but it’s designed for spoken communication and should work well.
    2. If the earpiece is not available, use your smartphone's microphone. Modern smartphones have very good noise canceling microphones. I am often impressed at how well the iPhone does with just the built-in microphone. In most cases, this is far better than what’s built into a laptop computer, or the microphone that comes with your desktop computer.
    3. Minimize all other sounds in the room. This may sound obvious, but it is often overlooked. Send the kids and dog outside for a little while. Turn off all the phones, alarms and such. And don’t overlook mechanical noises. Often furnace blowers make a noticeable background noise. Turning the blower off during your recording can make a significant difference.
    4. Get close to the phone/microphone. Reducing the distance improves your audio presence. Getting close also maximizes your audio compared to any extraneous noises that may be present. Stand as close to your phone as possible while still getting a reasonable picture.

  2. Presentation—Good presentation is important.
    1. ​Consider standing. People typically make better presentations when standing. Standing comes across with authority and presentations may be taken more seriously. For preachers, it is often more natural to preach a sermon to a camera while standing.
    2. Consider making presentations shorter than normal. There are far more distractions to your congregation viewing on a computer. Holding their attention may be harder than when in person. Condense your message as much as possible while you are getting comfortable presenting virtually.
    3. Present with more energy than you think you need. Energy gets lost in the process of video recording. What seems like an excessive amount of energy when you are presenting will look normal when viewed.
    4. Also, keep in mind that people don’t know what to do when watching prayer online. Consider that this may be an awkward time for your viewer and do what you can to help them. Shorter prayers are one option. Inviting them to keep their eyes open and pray with you is another. Mostly be sensitive to the awkwardness of the viewer who does not know what the social standard protocol is for online prayer. Do what you can to help them out.

  3. Camera technique—Think simple and stable. Here are some basic things you can do to make your video look good.
    1. Stability—Keep the camera stable. I know you may not have a tripod, but be creative. If you are using your smartphone, you can cut a holder out of cardboard and set it on the shelf. Look in your car—steal your car phone holder and suction cup it to a window in your house.
    2. Keep the camera at eye level. Mounting the camera above eye level minimizes your visual authority. Mounting it below eye level makes people feel like you are looking down on them. Mounting the camera at eye level will give you good authority and allow your viewer to be comfortable too.
    3. Frame the picture to show yourself and minimize all the distractions. Remember from section one to get as close to the phone or camera/microphone as is reasonable. Frame the images so your elbows are at the bottom and your head is at the top—this works well for formal presentations and should keep you close enough to the microphone to be heard well.
    4. Keep the background as minimal as possible. Seeing your home decorations or photos on your bookshelf may be interesting, but it may distract from what you are saying.

  4. Lighting—Lighting is important for a good image. For many people seeing your lips move, the expressions on your face, and the emotion you exude can be a key in facilitating good communication. Lighting makes sure these things are seen.
    1. If you use a suction cup from your car to mount your phone to the window, it’s likely you will have all the lighting you need. And if it’s overcast outside, you will
      have a lighting setup that professional photographers will covet.
    2. If you can’t use natural light, consider using a light and bouncing it off a wall in front of you. The reflection off the wall will soften the light and make it more even. When I teleconference, I bounce my desk light off the wall in front of my desk to add a little light in my eyes. A small amount can make a big difference.
    3. Make sure you don’t have any very bright lights directly over you or behind you. They tend to be distracting. If you go into more advanced lighting techniques, there are reasons to use them, but for now avoid them. Concentrate on lighting your face.
      ​
Like everything else, we learn by researching and trying. There are obviously things that will increase the production value, but when the resources are limited and time is critical, these four basic points (audio first, presentation, camera technique, and lighting) should get you going with a product that can be seen, heard, and understood.
4 Comments

We're All Publishers Now; Responsible Use of Your Social Media Influence

3/3/2020

2 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

This post has been revised from the original 2017 post.

Responsible Use of Your Social Media Influence
He who is careless and heedless in uttering words or in writing words for
publication to be sent broadcast into the world, sending forth expressions that
can never be taken back, is disqualifying himself to be entrusted with the
sacred work that devolves upon Christ’s followers at this time.
– Ellen G. White, Counsels to Writers and Editors
Long before audio-visual equipment was invented, Ellen White knew how to do the figurative mic drop better than anyone.

This quote is a powerful and relevant reminder of the solemn task we have been charged with. I encourage everyone who is on social media, especially digital missionaries, to read her Counsels to Writers and Editors.
Social media is the ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage. – Amy Jo Martin
Social media has eased entry into the world of telling stories, sharing ideas, and expressing thoughts to a wide audience. It used to be that if you wanted to tell your story to a broad audience, you had to buy your way in through costly traditional media. Times have changed; we are all writers and publishers now. But with this ability comes responsibility.

Social media, in its essence, is people connecting with people to create a collective human story. We all want to be heard, and we all now have a platform for public speaking. You can have hundreds, thousands, even millions of people viewing your messages. But, as so often is the case, the person we need to set boundaries with is ourselves.

Your personal social media is a great opportunity to share your story and contribute to the collective conversation. It can serve as a powerful witnessing tool, revealing what God is accomplishing through you and your work. But…
Would someone know you are a Christian based on your social media?
What values are you reflecting? Would your audience like Christians based
on your behavior online?
I once listened to a powerful sermon in which the speaker asked, “If you were pulled into court today, is there enough evidence in your life to convict you of being a Christian?” Well, what evidence does your social media provide? Is your use of social media driving people away from the Church or toward Christ? Think about it.

Social media is public by nature and has blurred the lines between your work for the Church and your personal life. This can be a good thing. Follow principles of responsible use and be a living testimony to others. Be a light among the quagmire of negativity online. 
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16
Every opportunity to share is an opportunity to either advance or hinder the kingdom of God. People should use social media; it is a powerful tool. After all, the appeal of social media is that it reflects a basic human need, and that need is to connect and share. As digital disciples, that means connecting with each other and God as well as sharing the gospel.

It is likely that you have friends or followers on social media who are not Christians or who are questioning and struggling with their faith. As a member of the Church, you are always representing the Church even if you are not actively engaged in digital evangelism. This is especially true for pastors and others in leaderships roles. It is of vital importance that we maintain a high standard of ethics, striving to always be honest, professional, and kind. This means always verifying questionable content with credible sources before sharing, honoring the privacy of others, respecting intellectual property rights, and never releasing confidential information. However, you may share official statements from Church leadership.
 
Your posts can have a much greater impact and reach than you imagine. We recognize and value diversity of opinion within our community, but as an employee or member, your followers may confuse your opinion with the official position of the Church. While this is most likely not your intention, be mindful to:

  • Prevent confusion by avoiding posts that conflict with your ministry’s official positions on matters
  • Observe principles of impartiality
  • Avoid topics like politics where emotions can run high and can result in inflammatory or inappropriate language

Many discussions are significantly more productive in person. It is generally accepted that 93% of our communication is non-verbal (Mehrabian & Wiener, 1967; Mehrabian & Ferris, 1967). Online communication strips away the context of tone and intention. Many comments online are misunderstood without this context and provoke controversy and conflict instead of positive discourse. When asked why they left the Church, a sizable portion of former members cite something that was said to them or how they were treated by other members. My question to you is this:
How many people are you willing to drive out of the Church to make a point or to “win” your argument?
Public figures have the potential to magnify division and take thousands out of the Church. As individuals, we may discourage someone from even considering Christianity. We talk about a life lived as a reflection of Christ but turn into devils on social media. People say things online that they would never dare to say in person, and then wonder why their ministry efforts are not bearing fruit. We were all taught in primary school to T.H.I.N.K. before we speak. It is not enough for something to be True; it must also be Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind. This is especially true in online communication.
Because of the power social media can have, it’s crucial that we consider the effects our content will have on our audience. Both our negativity and our positivity grow exponentially as they are spread by our audience and friends online. When it comes to church, we can create a community of people that attack or a community of people that heal. – Kaleb Eisele, Humans of Adventism
We absolutely respect and value different perspectives among our members and ministry leaders. But as representatives of the Church, we must not use our public speaking platforms as a sounding board for the problems we see in the Church, in leadership, and in our country. We are a family; let’s resolve our internal issues privately. It would be considered obscene to go knocking on doors and to begin your evangelistic effort by lambasting the very Church you are asking people to join. So why do it online? We must protect our Church family and frame all of our digital communications with the salvation of others in mind. Social media is a powerful tool for sharing the gospel; let’s use it wisely and err on the side of caution.
The power and efficiency of our work depend largely on the character of the literature [message] that comes from our presses [social media profiles]. Therefore, great care should be exercised in the choice and preparation of the matter that is to go to the world. The greatest caution and discrimination are needed. Our energies should be devoted to the publication of literature [posts] of the purest quality and the most elevating character. Our periodicals [blogs, videos, and updates] must go forth laden with truth that has a vital, spiritual interest for the people.
– Ellen G. White, Counsels to Writers and Editors 
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Carelessness in speech can and will inhibit our ability to accomplish our mission. When we turn people away from the Church, we are not only working against ourselves, we are working against God. You can also get your ministry or self in legal trouble. If you work for the Church, you may endanger your job and reputation. This can be avoided by using discretion and focusing on the positive, such as what God is accomplishing through your church or ministry. Let’s not fall into the trap of using the negative and sensational to get attention online when God calls us to focus on what is good and holy.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable―if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. – Philippians 4:8
We all have the same goal. I truly believe that social media is a vital tool for accomplishing our mission in the 21st century. Young people are leaving the Church at a startling rate. They spend up to 18 hours a day behind a screen, and nine hours of that time is spent on social media. What messages are you sending them? We must take the gospel where they are, and not where we want them to be. But when our actions and our speech contradict each other, we only have ourselves to blame for the rising egression. Let’s work together to get the job done and go home.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:14
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Balancing Digital Mission Work and Spiritual Health - REVISED from 2018 post

3/2/2020

5 Comments

 

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist, Social Media + Big Data, North American Division

Inspired by Dee Casper, Director, CORE at Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Balancing Digital Mission Work and Spritual Health
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
– Mark 6:31–32 NIV

For digital missionaries who spend significant time online working to further the gospel, it’s important that we learn to safeguard our own spirituality as well as develop a healthy work-life balance. Another way to frame this is to make sure you are fed spiritually before you minister to others.

This can be a huge challenge because when you work for a religious organization, EVERYTHING seems important because of the eternal impact of the work. And there seems to be no end to the work that needs to be done. Those of us who have chosen this type of career are self-driven but also driven by the expectations (or perceived expectations) of others. How do we prioritize? How do we set boundaries that enable us to get the job done, while taking care of our own spiritual health?

We’re not in this alone. God knows our limitations, and He doesn’t want us to work so hard that we work ourselves away from Him—the relationship that matters the most. This is why He has given us the Holy Spirit. After we’ve given it our all for the day and go home to rest, the Holy Spirit keeps working.
​
He also doesn’t want us to dive so deep into the mission field that we become corrupted by it. There are a lot of toxic conversations and content on social media, just as physical mission fields have their dangers and temptations. If the early missionaries of our Church had stayed away from the mission field because of the dangers, the Seventh-day Adventist Church would never have become a global movement. We must go where the people are and minister to their needs, while simultaneously guarding the avenues of our own heart.

Here are four tips for digital missionaries to help balance digital media and spiritual health:


  1. Guard the edges of your day. Start and end the day without social media. I can easily become consumed by social media; it’s my job at least eight hours a day. If I don’t set healthy boundaries for myself, the negative aspects of social media start to drag me down and prevent me from really resting. Rest can take many forms, but I cannot rest by spending hours on personal social media when I work all day on those same platforms. What many consider pleasure just feels like more work. When I’m not working, I consume media and information the old-fashioned way by reading magazines and books, etc. Also, in the morning, I make it a point to follow Jesus’ example and begin with solitary prayer and Bible study…with a physical Bible.

    “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” – Mark 1:35 NIV

    The peace of the morning enables me to think clearly and connect with God. I know that the moment work begins, I will be connected on multiple platforms for at least eight hours, so this “analog” devotional time is sacred. When the day is done, I disconnect and again turn to print material, exercise, and face-to-face conversations to help me wind down. Staying connected online throughout the evening can disrupt your sleep and result in depression. If you browse social media to stave off loneliness and pain, you will find the exact opposite of what you’re looking for.
    ​
  2. Structure your digital evangelism/discipleship and personal life like a missionary outpost center. A physical outpost center is a place outside the city where you can get away from your daily work and connect with God. It’s a missionary community that provides education, restoration, and preparation for work to be done in the city, where missionaries will return to win people’s trust and friendship with the intention of winning souls for Christ. Social media is a similar means of building bridges and relationships with people to create a positive influence within the community. Use the connective power of social media to share your faith and show your friends that you care about them. Social media is a center of influence for discipleship and friend evangelism. But remember to maintain your outpost center, a distinctly separate part of your life where you can recalibrate and then go back to your mission field stronger than ever. Don’t live in social media, and don’t let your world be controlled by it.

    “When duty calls us to this, we should be doubly watchful and prayerful, that, through the grace of Christ we may stand uncorrupted.” – Ellen G. White, Messages to Young People 419.1 

  3. Digital missionaries must have a clear purpose for getting on social media. My friend Dee Casper (Director, CORE at Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists) asks us to treat social media like a post office. Typically, at a post office, you enter, pick up mail, and drop off outgoing mail and packages. Most people don’t hang out all day in a post office. That would be strange. If we go online with a plan, this helps prevent us from getting distracted from our original purpose and mission. Go on social media to drop off some content, pick up some content, connect with your friends, check performance stats, and then leave. Don’t move in. We’ve all had the experience where we intend to watch one video, and two hours later, we don’t know how the time got away—never accomplishing what we actually set out to do.

  4. When you’re lonely and have nothing to do, don’t try to fill the void by going online. It’s like going grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Temptation will always take you further than you want to go when you’re vulnerable. Social media is a tool; don’t let it use you. Go there to serve, not be served.

    ​“We may be placed in trying positions, for many cannot have their surroundings what they would; but we should not voluntarily expose ourselves to influences that are unfavorable to the formation of Christian character.” – Ellen G. White, Messages to Young People 419.1

God has not called us to live in social media but to influence people through social media. Our influence online can stretch much further than we imagine with the help of the Holy Spirit.

God has called us to use our digital influence for Him, whether we have an audience of four or 40,000. We plant the seeds; God grows the seeds. People pour out their hearts online. We can be there in their moments of crisis with love, hope, and truth. But in order for them to listen to us, we must carefully cultivate and use our digital influence purposefully.

By setting boundaries and sticking with them, we can be better equipped to help others.
click here for more on digital evangelism and discipleship
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