Blog l NAD Digital Evangelism l Columbia, MD

Growing as Digital Disciples

2/27/2020

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

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

Content creation, engagement, and distribution are not limited to the official church brand and accounts. Make it a point to reach out to young people and let them know that their talents in this area are highly valued even if they are not part of the core team. Some people just need permission and a little mentorship to realize their talents and passion for personal ministry. Everyone has social influence through texting, messenger applications, email, and social media. Encourage and inspire them to use it to build God's kingdom.

The two primary roles in which digital disciples can serve are as engagers and distributors. For this reason, I have decided to unpack the role of digital disciples here in the guide, in-between these two sections of the digital discipleship and evangelism model.

The Bible tells us to become and make disciples. God calls us all to serve in unique ways. Ellen White encourages us to:

Let every worker in the Master’s vineyard, study, plan, devise methods, to reach the people where they are. We must do something out of the common course of things. We must arrest the attention. We must be deadly in earnest. We are on the very verge of times of trouble and perplexities that are scarcely dreamed of. – Ellen White, Letter 20, 1893

Identify people in your church who can be digital disciples, all on their own, as a means to further the mission of your church. This allows and empowers members to engage in ministry and discipleship in ways that aligns with their passion, spiritual gifts, tools of preference, and personal style. There is a spiritual void online because we are not doing enough individually as members or collectively as a Church. The mission field is wide open, it’s our duty to share the gospel through the tools available to us.

The Great Commission given to us by Jesus Christ states, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). An easy and free way to reach the nations lies in the palms of our hands. When we hesitate to make the gospel message more available, we allow our own human weaknesses and fears to get in the way of our mission. How can we justify this resistance to boldly declaring our faith online? We live in an era of religious freedom with minimal persecution in North America (in contrast to what is happening in other parts of the world). However, the predominant perception among the Church body is that evangelism is an event run exclusively by a specific set of people.

In Exodus 4:2, God asks Moses “What is in your hand?” and tells him to lead the children of Israel to the promised land. To Moses, his staff is simply a tool for directing sheep, but with God’s direction, it becomes an instrument through which miracles are performed. If God spoke to each of us today, we would answer, “a phone,” a “laptop,” or an “iPad.” Most of us have a smart phone that can be used either for distraction or for positive impact. The responsibility of every disciple is to utilize every available resource for God so at the end of the age, when we face our Master, we will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!...” (Matthew 25:23). We must commit to work diligently online to share present truth, regardless of who we are and what our official role may be in the Church.

Tips and Ideas for Individual Digital Disciples,
Adapted from growingfruitfuldisciples.com

Share your faith through daily digital activities (texting, Instagram, group chats, Snapchat, Facebook posts, blogging, etc.).
Invite your online community to join you in learning more about knowing, loving, and serving God.
Be willing to humbly share the story of your life as a Christian. For example, share how you've felt God's presence even when you've made poor choices. Honestly tell how you deal with specific challenges with God's help. Explain what guides your choices. Describe the joy and comfort loving God gives you in today's troubled world.
Pay attention to what your friends share with you directly and online. Listen with care. Follow up and see how they are doing. Respond to requests for help. Rejoice over their personal victories. Offer to pray with and for them. Record audio prayers and send them to the person throughout the week. Keep track of prayer requests, check back with the person for updates, offer ongoing encouragement, and celebrate God at work in their life. Assess and respond to their expressed needs. Remember, God has called us to serve without judgment.
Go out of your way to include and uplift friends and followers who are shunned, ignored, or bullied online.
Support your church's ministries with personal resources (time, talent, and finances). Offer to help with online content creation, updating the website, or funding a community outreach social media ad.
Reflect the character of Christ in all your digital and in-person interactions with others. Being a disciple involves all of your life, including your life lived online.
Pray for guidance to detect where God is calling you to serve. Support those with digital callings.
Evaluate the culture of the platform through which you feel called to serve to more effectively reach people within your sphere of influence.

Digital Discipleship Commitments

Grow God's kingdom by:

Building networks for friendship, fellowship, and support through your digital influence
Looking for physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs within your community
Responding mercifully to the discovered needs in a relevant way
Acting compassionately on behalf of people who are disadvantaged or at risk
Praying for the Holy Spirit to prepare you to reach others for Christ
Using your social influence to help tell the world the story of Jesus
Being able to give a reason for your faith when asked
Using your social influence to share the story of your personal relationship with Jesus
Being willing to be humble and honest when sharing your personal spiritual journey

By living out our mission online and exemplifying the character of Christ, we can become social media ambassadors for the gospel, impacting not only our local communities, but the world.

click here for more on digital evangelism and discipleship

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Practical Tips for Digital Discipleship and Engagement

2/27/2020

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Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

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

Practical Tips for Digital Discipleship and Engagement

Let the members of your online community know through action that you’re fully invested in their lives. This is a Biblical concept found in Romans 12 that can be translated to the modern world.

As digital disciples, we can live out Romans 12:15 online. Practically, this means when someone online expresses sadness, anxiety about a life challenge, or excitement about a happy event, we can empathize with them. Engage with their post or send a personal message to let them know you’re with them along the way, that you’re there if they need help. Be consistent and purposeful in your relationship-building.

As efforts to censor Christian viewpoints online and in the public space intensify, we may be tempted to respond defensively in a way that doesn’t represent the character of Christ. However, Jesus calls us to be a practical witness, one that puts Him on display in all aspects of our lives, one that is not easily censored. Jesus sought first to fulfill people’s needs; He then invited them to follow. We can use our digital and social influence to gain insights and focus on meeting the mental, physical, and spiritual needs of those around us. Remember, what starts in the digital space can transfer into the real world. Once relationships and trust are built, we can extend our invitation to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8, NIV). The gospel of action can further our ministry of hope and wholeness, even when words of truth are silenced or unwelcome.

Our integrity, genuine care for others, honor, and faith in Christ can never be taken from us. Our prayers cannot be blocked from reaching God. Christ’s character can never be shut down or banned. By embracing the attitude of a servant first and apologist second, light will shine through us to draw others to the God we represent. Be consistent in building relationships with others who may have very different beliefs. Once they know how much you care, they are more likely to come and reason with you over truth.

Understanding that acceptance does not mean approval, what if we became known as people who listened and helped first—without conditions—and people who proactively seek ways to improve the lives of others in practical, meaningful ways, regardless of who they are and without judgement. What if the Church became a safe place to land regardless of one’s affiliation or interest in faith?

People share a surprising amount of information online. It’s up to us to act on that information. Modern technology gives us the opportunity to reach into gated communities and closed-off hearts, allowing us to build bridges on common ground. Every post represents a real person, both their experiences and their needs. What prayers can we answer by simply paying attention?

The Lord is coming soon because God has made it possible for the gospel to reach the entire world. Digital disciples can change hearts and minds by living out Jesus both online and offline.

Empower People: Small Actions, Big Impact

Most ministries or churches don't need big data; we need the power of the people. Instead of relying on heroes who single-handedly change the world, we need groups of people working together to make the world around us, in our local community, better. To generate real impact, we need to start small, realizing that big changes in a small community can have a ripple effect in the wider world.

Jesus spent time with the community to understand and meet people's needs. This is where digital disciples can play an important role.

Train all the generations in your church to:

Be intentional online with how they spend their time
Pay attention to the posts of their friends/contacts
Proactively reach out to friends online or via digital tools
Take action in appropriate and timely ways

Develop a Relationship-first, Empathy-first Engagement Strategy

This means redefining our notion of success to include metrics outside of attendance and baptisms.

Examples of questions you can ask to gauge success:

How many times did you (or your team) share the love of Christ?
How many conversations did you start or engage in on social media?
How are you painting a more authentic picture of yourself, faith, or the church?
How are you building relationships?
Do you better understand the needs of those you are connecting with online?
Have you found meaningful and practical ways to help people?

These questions represent personal ministry opportunities that anyone in the church can pursue through their social influence.

Invest the time to build a team. Build a committee of digital disciples who are available to respond to all online comments and messages to your ministry promptly and in a meaningful way, while being human.

This also means responding to messages in your inbox. Be the voice that answers back quickly when someone reaches out for help. If someone sends your ministry an email or messages your ministry with a prayer request, a challenging question, or a personal crisis, they should not have to wait more than one business day for a response. Even if you can't answer their question right away, it's vital to let them know that you received their message, are praying for them, and will have a response or resources for them shortly.

Christ-like care and an empathy-first engagement checklist:

Treat online conversations like real-life conversations
Respond in a meaningful way
“Like” or react to comments
Follow conversations and actively participate
Ask questions
Seek to understand people and their needs
Be authentic and transparent
Build trust and strive to break down the perceived barrier between the individual and your “corporate brand” (a.k.a. big Church)

Create Opportunities for Prayer in the Digital Space

I saw that every prayer which is sent up in faith from an honest heart will be heard of God and answered, and the one that sent up the petition will have the blessing when he needs it most, and it will often exceed his expectations. Not a prayer of a true saint is lost if sent up in faith from an honest heart. – Testimonies for the Church, volume 1, p. 121

Even among the skeptical, there is a longing for someone to care enough to pray for us 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 can’t bring themselves to do it face to face.

I can personally attest to how sending recorded prayers can be a powerful way to minister to others. In the wake of a recent tragedy, I found myself asking, “What if we went beyond ‘thoughts and prayers’”? It happens all the time: a friend posts online that they lost a loved one or something else bad happened. We press the “like” button and carefully scroll over to the sad emoji. Then we type below “thoughts and prayers” or something similar.

We’re sincere about it, too. The person is in our thoughts, and we are praying for them. But we can take it one step further. What if they could hear us pray for them? It impacts people so much more when they hear someone petitioning God on their behalf. In times of crisis, they may not be able to answer the phone, or they may not want to talk to anyone. They can still hear us pray if we send audio recordings of our prayers. This can be done on most smart phones and messaging apps. It’s personal and intimate. That extra step that we take to invest in another can have a much more meaningful impact than the standard social media response.

Some additional ideas to use digital tools for prayer include:

Create digital groups for prayer (Facebook, What's App, Slack)
Host live video sessions weekly to take live prayer requests and pray for people live (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
Message prayer request contacts weekly to remind people that you're praying for them
Follow up by sending recorded audio prayers so they can hear you pray for them (or call, FaceTime, etc.)
Place ads to solicit prayer requests via Facebook messenger
Create weekly prayer posts and personally respond to every person who requests prayer
Send prayers and receive requests via Snapchat

Remember to keep track and follow up regularly. Being intentional will not only impact the lives of those you minister to, but will also strengthen your own belief in prayer as you witness it in action. You may not get updates from everyone, but be patient and persistent with all your digital discipleship and engagement efforts.

Additional guidance for assessing your online engagement for ministries:

Check daily for comments, questions, and messages and respond in a timely manner. Not every comment needs to be answered, but you are encouraged to “like” them. Don’t forget: engaging with positive comments or messages is an opportunity to affirm and strengthen a relationship. Sometimes, legitimate inquiries or simple misunderstandings are expressed that can open an opportunity to serve the needs of members by providing clarification or rectifying the situation.
Comments that are offensive should be deleted or hidden immediately, but do not automatically delete negative comments. These are an opportunity to listen and respond to the needs of the community. Depending on the situation, respond publicly to the person or via direct message. Use your discretion. Remove spam posts accordingly.
Talk with, not at your audience. Follow the conversation and actively participate. Seek to understand their needs, ask questions, and respond in a meaningful way.
Frame every response with the salvation of others as your number one priority. Be diplomatic, professional, and empathetic. Never respond to a negative comment out of anger, and do not take negative feedback personally. Reflect the values of the Church at all times.
Redirect people to the proper resources and or departments when needed. Follow up to make sure they received an answer or help with their question.
If a person seems volatile, do not respond, and hide the comment. If the person is aggressive, block or mute them if needed.
If the person is a victim of a crime, abuse, or other forms of violence, direct them immediately to the proper authorities and resources found here: https://www.enditnownorthamerica.org/get-help
If a person appears suicidal, direct them to the national suicide prevention center: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
For more guidance on how to respond to comments online regarding your ministry, refer to our Assessing Your Response Guide for Social Media below.

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Can We Build Meaningful Faith Communities Online that are Relevant to Youth?

1/22/2019

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Kaleb Eisele

Creator, editor, and social media manager of Humans of Adventism.

I saw stage lights, wisps of smoke-machine smoke, and dozens of featureless audience heads as I heard the question. “How can we find community after college?” came the host’s voice from the speakers.

I hadn’t planned on being on stage that evening. Like everyone else attending the young adult conference that weekend, I’d grabbed a ticket online and made travel plans to attend, hoping to be inspired by the leaders the conference was bringing in. I was humbled when I got the call to appear as a guest on a live podcast recording they were producing Sabbath evening. See, I’ve developed a reputation now. When I attend events like this, I never walk into a room where I don’t know anyone. The series of handshakes and hugs as I greeted several of my friends--some I was meeting face-to-face for the first time--earned me a reasonable amount of teasing. But it hasn’t always been this way. On paper, I should be the person who doesn't know anyone. I live in a country town in South Carolina, far from the vast majority of my Adventist peers. I didn’t join my friends at Andrews, Southern, or any of the big SDA college areas, but moved away with my wife shortly after high school. Yet, if there’s one thing that I am increasingly known for these days, it’s for my love of building community.

I started Humans of Adventism from a cell phone in a work truck. Though my physical community was small at the time, I began to grow more and more relationships through what I had: my cell phone. It turned out that I was able to do quite a lot with that, and what was then a page with less than 100 readers developed over the next year and a half into one with over 5,000. No corporate sponsorship, no office, no additional equipment.

We underestimate the power we hold in our online content. Used correctly, social media can be used to connect and mobilize an unbelievable amount of people, and the community created there drives real-world changes.

Take, for instance, the shirts we designed from the website Teespring. The design was simple: two words, “Adventist. Human.” People read our content, bought the shirts, and wore the message in their own contexts. In Orlando one friend of ours was wearing his in the mall. A woman and her son stopped him and asked if he was familiar with any Adventist churches in the area. The man was able to guide them. Here in Orangeburg my grandparents wear theirs around town. Recently they spoke with someone working at a local fast food place about Adventism, they had questions about some of the content they had seen online. I’ve been stopped numerous times by both Adventists and others to talk about my shirt.

Several months ago I met a young man who had taken a new job at our conference. Though he didn’t know anyone there, he recognized one of his coworkers from her story on Humans of Adventism. It gave them common ground to begin a friendship. Non-Adventist friends point to the HoA community as a positive example of Christianity, share our posts, and offer meaningful insight into their own thoughts on religion and God.

This, in my opinion, is church. The relationships we are building and things we are doing to spread the gospel together online are a digital manifestation of many of the qualities the early church had.

Humans of Adventism is one of numerous emerging ministries that are both sharing the information about God and building relationships with His people. We’re one of many reaching back to and supporting others who are just now starting ministries of their own. Personally, my online church community is what drives me to be involved in my local church.

Because I am not dependent on my local church to provide my sense of community, I can reframe how I go about being involved.

My local church has become my mission field--a cause I care deeply about, because the pressure for it to fill my spiritual and personal needs is largely alleviated by being involved online.

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. I know which one I’d like to be part of.

Related blogs:

You Don't Need Permission. You Don't Have to Be a Pastor.

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What Does a Digital Bible Worker Do?

10/24/2018

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Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist for the North American Division.

Created in partnership with from Amie Regester, The Belligerent Bible Worker, Ivan Williams Director of the Ministerial Association for the North American Division, and Human Resources for the North American Division.

Digital Bible Worker: Sample Position Description

A sample of what a job description could look like for local churches and conferences looking to hire a Bible worker to lead online evangelistic campaigns. Feel free to adapt to your specific needs, and HR requirements. View this template as a type of menu to guide you in the creation of a position that makes sense for your organization’s structure. These positions can be adapted for paid or volunteer workers based on the level of commitment and budget.

Digital bible workers utilize digital technologies to share the gospel and stimulate religious thought by creating and packaging content that addresses relevant needs/questions and encourages people to advance in their spiritual journey. Digital bible workers build relationships with those in the broader community, online and offline, and usually within a specific geo-location territory, in order to create opportunities for one-on-one or small group Bibles studies held in person or via digital tools. They work in partnership with a local church and pastor to evaluate the needs of a community and determine relevant opportunities for outreach and service. They mentor converts in their development of Christian character and commitment to faith as well as train and equip new members for active discipleship roles. This role encompasses a mix of digital discipleship and evangelism to bridge the gap between working in the digital mission field and achieving real-world impact.

Position Summary:

The Digital Bible Worker will implement a comprehensive, multi-channel digital evangelism strategy designed to meet the spiritual and social needs of the 18–35 year old, collegiate, career-focused, single or married adult seekers (may include other target audiences based on the goals of the conference or church) in the local community. While engagement and relationship building will start in the digital space, the intent is to bring the target audience to an in-person experience. Ultimately, the goal of this position is to coach young people towards a relationship with Jesus and involvement in the local church—empowering them to also be effective digital disciples.

Objectives and Responsibilities:

Essential Job Functions:

Work closely with a Pastor, congregation or conference to utilize digital technologies for the purpose of achieving the organization’s goals.
Implement a comprehensive, multi-channel digital evangelism strategy designed to build relationships with the local users of social media platforms. The strategy should also meet the spiritual and social needs of 18 to 35 year-olds, collegiate, career-focuses, single, married adult truth seekers or other target audiences based on the over-arching goals of the church or conference.
Plan and implement a monthly content calendar for weekly video devotionals on appropriate social media platforms. Write, film, edit, and upload weekly devotionals. Respond to comments and build community on social media platforms through digital evangelism.
Develop and manage an advertising budget and set goals to promote devotionals and local fellowship opportunities on Facebook, Instagram, and other media as necessary. The purpose of this advertising would be to raise awareness, attract youth to engage with relevant content, and encourage relationship building that starts in the digital space and migrates to in-person interactions.
Use momentum from video devotionals to move into a longer format online Bible discussion/study that acts as a weekly livestreamed “Branch Sabbath School,” with live, interactive audience participation to further foster community engagement. The goal is to encourage open and honest conversations to equip youth to stand for their faith in a post-modern world.
Obtain Bible Study interest contacts through digital engagements and promotions. Respond in a timely matter to all messages and questions posted online.
Participate in available continuing education sessions on evangelism offered by the local conference and digital communication training opportunities available online.

Traditional Ministry

Provide guidance and support based on biblical principles to young adults in an honest and open manner. Speak to young people who desire authenticity, while using the anonymity of the digital space to engage privately when needed.
Plan monthly, in-person young adult meet-ups (advertised online, through partner churches, email, and social media).
Work with the conference to promote young adult events.
Offer one-on-one Bible studies as requested, in person and digitally, using free video conference tools.

Leadership

Train and mentor other young adults to lead in ministry both in person and in the digital space. Equip them to give Bible studies, lead outreach, and get involved in ministry by utilizing digital technologies, empowering them to become digital disciples.
Provide church-wide visibility and communication about young adult activities.
Participate on the church leadership team.
Identify, develop, and implement solutions to strategically meet the needs of young people in collaboration with established Young Adult Ministries.
Have regular meetings with the pastor or the pastoral staff to report results, as well as give a full report during each board meeting.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) or Master’s degree preferred. Religion-related field preferred. Relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of educational requirements.
2-5 years experience in Young Adult Ministry preferred.
Demonstrated mature and growing faith in Jesus Christ.
Extensive knowledge of principles, policies and beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, North American Division of the General Conference. This includes knowledge of church structure and committee procedures.
Excellent interpersonal skills with strong relationship-building mindset.
Knowledge and skill in appropriate methods of dealing with human behavior in various circumstances and from different backgrounds.
Demonstrated strong leadership skills.
Biblical teaching and preaching ability.
Moderate to advanced computer and digital communication skills to facilitate ministry activities.
Basic to moderate understanding of integrated (traditional + digital) marketing strategies and promotion.
Basic to moderate understanding of video software and editing tools as well as the ability to communicate ideas on camera in an engaging and clear manner.
Willingness to learn new skills and ability to adapt to changes in digital technology.
Must be a committed Seventh-day Adventist in good standing with the church, including regular church attendance, participation, and involvement as well as demonstrated faithfulness in stewardship as understood by the Church and adherence to the church standards as defined by the church manual.

Other Recommended Items of Consideration for This Type of Position:

Background Check: highly recommended
Employment is contingent upon successfully passing the background check and online training through www.verifiedvolunteers.com.

Mandated Reporter:
Bible workers are considered mandatory reporters, and by extension, digital evangelists or digital bible workers are considered mandatory reporters.

Position Wage Class: Exempt (salaried)

Remuneration Range:
Same as Local Bible Worker. Please refer to the NAD Remuneration Wage Scale located on www.nadadventist.org under Treasury Resources. Page 10 of the NAD Remuneration document provides the range for a Bible Instructor (also known to the local church as Bible Worker) Range = 75% to 95% of the voted remuneration factor.

Limitations and Disclaimers: edit based on your organization’s HR guidelines.
The statements found in this job description are general in nature. The information above is not exhaustive and should not be construed as such. Digital Evangelism is an emerging field and many organizations have requested guidance regarding altering existing job descriptions or creating entirely new ones. This is merely meant to be a template for churches and conferences to reference. You are welcome to adapt as needed to meet your organization’s specific needs. The contents of this sample position description may be changed at the discretion of the organization and/or Supervisor at any time.

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5 Important Steps to Becoming an Online Missionary

9/26/2018

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Center for Online Evangelism

The Center for Online Evangelism is a missionary project devoted to developing online mission stations.

5 Steps to Becoming an Online Missionary Picture 1

Every follower of Jesus Christ is called to be a missionary.

For many of us, when we hear the term “missionary,” we imagine traveling to a third-world country, living without the usual comforts of home, learning a tongue-curling language, and fighting an epic battle against mosquitoes. But that is not the only form of mission work.

Mission work is the act of intentionally sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This means that we can use everyday devices like our laptops, smartphones, tablets, and cameras to help someone know of the hope that we have.

If you want to be a missionary online but you’re not sure how to go about getting started, here are five important steps to help you:

Step 1: Write down your project and stick to it.

Your project is a God-given assignment – a task that the Holy Spirit will equip you to complete. Your project or mission work will be based on your gifts, talents, skill set, and experience. But, don’t try to do everything.

Examples of mission projects:

Creating an animated video series explaining the relevance of prophecies in Daniel and Revelation
Writing a blog geared toward gaining victory over pornography
Launching a weekly online Bible study on a video conferencing platform
Starting a podcast answering the most popular questions people have about the Bible
Managing a Facebook page sharing stories of how people came to know Jesus Christ
Recording a WhatsApp Cast with daily devotional thoughts

Digital missionaries must choose a target area to work in, the same way that traditional missionaries choose a country. For example, your focus area might be Facebook or WhatsApp or YouTube.

The object of online evangelism and mission work is to reach people online and share content that will encourage, inspire, and point them to Christ.

We may speak words of encouragement to those whom we meet. “A word spoken in season, how good is it!” Souls are perishing for the lack of personal labor.– E.G. White, Letter 151, 1903.

Step 2: Register as an online missionary.

Being a part of the Database for Online Missionaries will connect you with other digital disciples and online workers. This database can provide a support system and give you access to resources that could help you serve more effectively.

The Center for Online Evangelism is creating a directory for online missionaries. Individuals who intentionally use the internet to share the Gospel are invited to sign up for the directory. Donors and mission supporters can also view this database and back a project. To register, email info@centerforonlineevangelism.org with the subject line "Register for Online Missionary Database."

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick: Luke 9: 1,2 NIV

Step 3: Choose a prayer partner and pray

Your prayer partner will be the person who believes in what God called you to do and they are willing to stand in the gap for you. This is the friend or relative who will pray with you regularly and encourage you when you are tempted to give up.

Praying is the highest work of a missionary.

It is not a means to an end but the end of our work because it brings us directly in contact with God. Prayer equips us with the strength needed to do the task given by God. A prayer partner helps us formulate specific prayers and plays a crucial role building on our holy faith.

As we make Christ our daily companion we shall feel that the powers of an unseen world are all around us, and by looking unto Jesus we shall become assimilated to His image (Pr. 82.1).

Step 4: Create a content strategy

It’s important to have a plan. That plan comes in the form of a content strategy.

A content strategy is like creating a blueprint or a map for your work. This documented plan encompasses the planning, creation, publishing, distribution, and management (of feedback) of your content. It also includes:

A description of your target audience
Goals
A content calendar
How you will measure your success

Download a guide to Digital Evangelism for Ministries.

Step 5: Improve your skills

Whether you will be writing a blog, producing videos, preaching, or recording a podcast, you need resources that will help you get better at what you do.

Assuming that you know it all hinders the work of the Holy Spirit in you. Here are a few things you can do to enhance your proficiencies:

Subscribe to newsletters
Sign up for webinars related to your interest
Attend conferences
Watch tutorials
Join Facebook groups
Ask other missionaries and ministry leaders for guidance
Visit our resource page often for content related to your area of focus

Conclusion

By taking these simple steps, you can be on your way to starting your work as an online missionary. Remember, this is not like a class project or a hobby; this is a sacred work and should be regarded as such.

If you bear in mind the magnitude of your mission task and the significance of sticking with it, you will find that you won’t easily give up during trying moments. Christ commissioned you to do this work. He will also empower you and provide the means to be successful.

Sometimes, online mission work can get out of control. Read this article about how digital missionaries can balance online work and spiritual health.

Are you interested in being an online missionary? Email info@centerforonlineevangelism.org to register for our Online Missionaries Database.

Reposted with permission from centerforonlineevangelism.org.

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Member Advocacy (Becoming Social Media Ambassadors for Christ)

2/27/2018

3 Comments

Dustin Comm

Director of Media & Marketing for Good To Go Media.

With Facebook’s organic reach for Pages declining, organizations are finding new ways to increase how many people see their posts that just aren’t showing up in the News Feed anymore. Some companies have started equipping their employees to share company news and content on their personal social media accounts in a way that includes them in the social media strategy.

Called “employee advocacy,” it provides a simple mechanism for employees to choose from a variety of pre-selected posts, including text, and post to their own social media accounts. Companies are seeing much higher total click-rates when the content is coming from their employee’s personal profiles instead of the company accounts.

Imagine assembling 25 of your church’s most active social media members onto a Member Advocate team and giving them a pool of content to pull from every week. Not only do they get to choose which content they share, but can also suggest new material and truly take ownership of the church’s brand. They can share events your church is promoting, a link to your website, a video your produced, or anything else you’d like to promote. The only difference is it’s not just coming from one account, but many, which ranks that content higher in Facebook’s algorithm.

There are a number of services out there that streamline this process for a fee: Hootsuite offers it’s platform Amplify, SproutSocial has Bambu, and Oktopost and DrumUp are stand-alone solutions. These all make social sharing super-easy for your advocates (members can even schedule their posts for the week) and provide the data on how big your team’s impact was, but come at a price.

However, Member Advocacy is also as easy as sending out an email once a week with links to the content and text. Your advocates simply copy/paste and they’re done. The hard part is getting people to actually post, which is why it’s a good idea to run a gift card contest every month to see who has shared the most. Make sure to include the leaderboard in each week’s content email.

So if your church has no Member Advocacy (aka Digital Discipleship or Social Media Ambassadors) program in place, give it a try. It is so fun to see people getting engaged and taking ownership of the church’s story. And naturally more people will know what is happening in church life since they’re out there promoting it. It’s a win all the way around!

How You Can Create Digital Disciples in Your Church Community

1/23/2018

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Rachel Lemons Aitken

Communications Executive of the Greater Sydney Conference and Founder of the Digital Discipleship Ministry of the Greater Sydney Conference.

Modified by Jamie Schneider Domm, Digital Strategist for the North American Division

Creating Digital Disciples in Your Church

As a local church member, pastor, elder or youth leader, you may be wondering how relevant Digital Discipleship is to your church. The Digital Discipleship ministry exists to create, inspire, encourage and resource disciples of Jesus Christ to share His love through their creativity and innovation in the digital space. What does this look like in action? After reading this article, you will be equipped with actionable ideas for integrating Digital Discipleship principles into the fabric of your church.

A church’s strength – its unique quality – is in its community and its ability to be a place of life-changing teaching, learning and launching.

In the Bible, we see the church doing every day, ordinary things together – eating, sharing problems and burdens, sharing dreams and discouragements and sharing financial obligations. Community was natural – almost inevitable.

When the biblical model of church is so reliant on in-person interaction, what does Digital Discipleship have to offer? In many ways, this question lies at the heart of the discussion of the relevance and efficacy of Digital Discipleship at the local church level.

In the minds of some, community must happen exclusively in person while in the minds of others, community happens online. However, Digital Discipleship offers a “both, and” approach instead of an “either, or” approach.

The local church can now add digital tools to its available resources to reach, disciple and provide community. The local church has the opportunity to recognize the gifts of its members in the areas of creativity and technology and to acknowledge the abilities of these people to move the work of the church forward. The local church is positioned to amplify its message while becoming more targeted in its approach through available technology.

Local church leaders and members can implement any of these principles as they work to integrate Digital Discipleship into their church’s ministry plans keeping in mind that this ministry encourages churches to equip its members to make disciples and grow in discipleship by meeting a need in the digital space, addressing a digital need or utilizing digital tools.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT DIGITAL DISCIPLESHIP AT YOUR CHURCH:

THINK LIKE A SEEKER

The first thing a church needs when implementing Digital Discipleship principles is empathy. Yes, empathy! We need to begin to think like a person looking for a church community when setting up our websites and social media accounts.

Arm yourself with empathy for a seeker or a person looking to find God. What questions would you have about church? What would encourage you to attend a church or to reach out to a Christian to understand Jesus better? What might you see that would give you a boost of encouragement to push through a hard time?

Show your online visitors what life might look like if they were a part of your community. Give them a glimpse of the events, the spiritual life and the friends they might make. Show them how they can have their questions answered.

While it’s very important to put thoughtful consideration into your website and social media design, remember social media isn’t a science and effective website design can require iterations. Knowing that you can test, change and update can relieve a bit of the pressure of always getting it right the first time.

Understand why you are posting in the first place. Periodically assess whether you’re getting the results you need from your social media and web presence. Find ways to adjust or adapt to the needs of your church and to the people you are trying to reach through your site and social media accounts.
VALUE THE TALENTS OF THE CREATIVES AND TECH SAVVY AMONG YOU

There isn’t always space in the church for creatives and the tech savvy to place their talents on the altar in service to God. Weaving Digital Discipleship principles into the fabric of your church’s Discipleship Plan can provide space for more people to feel engaged around the idea that the church values their time and talents.

Providing a space of recognition for the gifts of creatives and the tech savvy is an essential part of Digital Discipleship. Regard their contribution to the mission of the church as highly as you would the musicians, Sabbath School teachers or youth leaders.
IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE YOU’RE TRYING TO REACH

Never before have marketing messages been able to be so targeted as they are today. In the digital space, ads can be aimed at specific groups based on demographics and behaviors. For this reason, it’s best to decide who you are trying to reach. Review some of the ministries your church is running. See if there’s an opportunity to bolster their efforts by implementing a digital strategy.
FIND A WAY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF YOUR COMMUNITY IN THE DIGITAL SPACE, AROUND A DIGITAL NEED OR BY UTILIZING A DIGITAL TOOL

There is discussion, even within the Digital Discipleship ministry, about how “Digital Discipleship” fits within “Discipleship”. Many models have been created and put forward for church members and leaders to study and understand. One in particular is based on Jesus’ story of the Sower and the Seeds from Mark 4. These models are helpful in explaining the process of discipleship so some may wonder if Digital Discipleship is similarly proposing a new model of discipleship that exists exclusively in the digital space.

Digital Discipleship’s aim is to provide a gentle nudge (or a strong nudge if necessary) to the church to meet the needs of people within our community in the digital space, around a digital need or by utilizing a digital tool.
PROVIDING DISCIPLESHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ONLINE SPACE

Local churches have a variety of opportunities to help their members grow in discipleship in the digital space. Ironically, while leading with spiritual events and worship services is not the natural progression of discipleship — even in the traditional discipleship models — it’s often the starting point of our interactions with people in the digital space. We often begin our online interactions by “sowing the seeds” through live-streams of church services and advertising evangelistic programs, which isn’t necessarily the first natural step to introduce someone to Jesus.

Even though it’s not the recommended starting point, it is crucial. There are many people who are in need of Jesus who spend significant amounts of time in the digital space. As expressed at the Digital Discipleship Conference by Pr. Sam Neves, Associate Director of Communications from the General Conference, online relationships are not virtual relationships they are real relationships. There are real people behind the computer screens.

There are many people who are unwilling or unable to enter a church building. Many members of our local churches have stopped attending church but may be willing to anonymously watch a service online. Many parents, previously involved in the church, are distracted on Sabbath morning by attending to the needs of their children. Others have hearts that are ready to listen to spiritual messages but are intimidated by entering a church building. By fostering relationships online, some who were unwilling to attend may return, others who were disengaged may be encouraged to return to the church and some may find spiritual renewal.

Keeping this in mind, there are opportunities to share spiritual content online outside of the traditional church hour. These might include online small groups and online prayer sessions. There are also opportunities for webinars and online evangelistic series.

Not all online relationships must remain in the digital space. There may be opportunity for building relationships with people online that encourage and attract them to attend your church. There are many things that need to happen for a person to trust you with their Saturday morning in a church building. Digital Discipleship can play a role in familiarizing people with your church and encouraging them to attend.
PROVIDING MEMBERS WITH PERSONAL MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

There is an additional opportunity for local churches within Digital Discipleship. Recognizing that not all members are gifted in the areas of creativity or technology, there is room for the non-techie, semi-creative to be involved in Digital Discipleship.

Pastors are often laden with the responsibility of maintaining the functioning of their local churches while also evangelizing their communities. This skewed view reduces the responsibility for church members to grow in discipleship.

Creators, Distributors and Engagers

Employing Digital Discipleship strategies in the digital space, as a church, can provide church members with the tools and know-how to share and disciple within their online communities.

There is a model in Digital Discipleship of content creators, content distributors and content engagers. Collectively, they create content to share a message, distribute the content to their networks and position themselves to have conversations around that content.

Local churches are well positioned to adopt this model among a group of its members who wish to use their social media platforms to intentionally share Jesus online.

If your interest has been piqued and you’re curious about introducing Digital Discipleship principles in your local church, consider the following steps:

Exercise empathy for the people who will be engaging with your social media accounts and your website. What questions might they have that you can answer? Have you given them a glimpse at what life might be like if they were to join your community?
Value the creatives and those gifted with the ability to understand technology. Regard their contribution to the mission of the church as highly as you would the musicians, Sabbath School teachers or youth leaders. This will affirm the area of giftedness God has given them and will engage them in the church’s mission.
Identify the specific needs of the people you’re trying to reach. Today’s digital landscape is highly segmented, and it’s much easier to target the people you’re trying to reach in the geographic locations where you want to connect with them. Having a clear picture of who you’re talking to can be very effective.
Find a way to meet the needs of people within your community in the digital space, around a digital need or by utilizing a digital tool. Digital Discipleship does not limit you to the digital space. It provides you with another avenue to reach people, with additional tools and with additional needs to meet. How can these increased opportunities be useful in allowing you to reach the people you’re trying to reach?
Provide discipleship opportunities in the online space. After you’ve met people’s needs, be prepared to feed them spiritually. This may mean a series of articles or videos or a livestream of your church service or Bible study. Whatever it may be, be prepared to talk about the life-changing effect of Jesus in the lives of your online visitors. Have a plan for how you can best progress to that point in the conversation.
Provide personal ministry opportunities. Digital Discipleship provides a natural personal ministry opportunity for the creatives and tech savvy. However, it also creates a space for church members who are less digitally inclined. If they operate in the digital space, they may be able to participate in the model of content creators, engagers and distributors.

Please let us know if you are implementing digital discipleship models in your church or ministry. We would love for you to share you experience and what you've learned. Comment below!

Click here to read the full, original article. Re-posted with permission from digitaldisciples.info.

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Become an Online Missionary!

1/23/2018

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Center for Online Evangelism

The Center for Online Evangelism is a missionary project devoted to developing online mission stations.

People are Googling for God.

Each year there are millions of Google searches for answers to questions like:
“Is God real?”

“What happens when we die?”

“How do I know I’m saved?”

“Why is there so much suffering in the world?”

Additionally, many people are hurting, entertaining suicidal thoughts, or feel there is no hope for their situation. They turn to the internet for companionship, understanding, information, anonymity, and more. It’s easier for them to pour their hearts out on Google, Reddit or a topical forum than it is to come to a friend, neighbor, co-worker or family member.

This great need yields an opportunity for you to share the hope found in Christ.

No matter your skill set, interests, or socio-economic status, you can be a beacon for the hope only God can give. Being an online missionary simply means you dedicate time online to help people learn more about Jesus Christ and invite them to follow Him.

With the increase of social media platforms, websites, and the popularity of video sharing sites, there are countless types of media you can use to connect with someone, build a relationship, care for their needs, and point them to a saving relationship with the Lord.

There are so many ways to do this. It could simply be what you share on your Facebook page, blog, YouTube channel, Instagram feed…wherever you spend your time and have nurtured a circle of friends or followers. You can share articles, quotes, scripture, or begin discussions of your own. You can even use proven evangelistic strategies to lead others to Bible studies, whether at your local church, or online in a private Facebook group. The possibilities are as limitless as our God!

There are many online missionaries and digital disciples out there already. But as you know, the harvest is so plentiful that more workers are always needed.

Anyone who is a follower of Jesus is called to be a disciple and we were all given the commission to “go…and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19, NKJV). Now the nations are literally at our fingertips! We can ‘travel’ to Asia to tell someone of Jesus and at the same time share Bible truth with someone living on the West coast of the United States—while sitting at home, thousands of miles away from those we are interacting with.

These days, anything you can think of can be accessed online. Why not make Jesus more accessible?

If you are looking forward to the soon return of Christ and if you have access to the internet, you can be an online missionary.

Post it. Text it. Tweet it. Pin It. Share it. Vlog it.

What is ‘It’? The Good News that Jesus died to save us from our sins and is coming soon to take us home!

Not sure how to start? The Center for Online Evangelism is dedicated to providing you with resources to help you as an online missionary. Click here for more>>

Reposted with permission from centerforonlineevangelism.org.

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Tips for Your Member Care Strategy

1/17/2018

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Jamie Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist for the North American Division.

The proper care and feeding of followers.

Global social media usage is on the rise, and this year, 33% of the world’s population will be on social media (TrackMaven). Depending on how we respond to this reality, social media presents either a huge opportunity or a huge challenge for the gospel.

Social media is a valuable tool for listening to the needs of your audience and building relationships. Simply having a social media presence is not enough anymore. Your audience expects a response when they engage with you online—often within a few hours. Your goal in using social media for ministry should be to ultimately understand and fulfill a need, making a tangible impact in the real world. This means listening and taking action on a daily basis.

How your online followers perceive your ministry influences their perception of not only the Adventist Church corporately, but God. Your digital voice may be the only opportunity your followers have to see Christ’s love demonstrated in their life.

Strong digital brands create connection and take a comprehensive approach to the member experience. Treat your members online as if you’re talking with them face-to-face. Their online interactions with you should make them want to experience your faith/mission in person. Then, when they to come for that onsite experience, it should be a continuation of the positive relationship you’ve built with them online.

There should not be a disconnect between how a person is nurtured in the pews and how they are treated online, or vice-versa.

Every opportunity to connect is an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. Do not waste your digital influence. Social media provides a unique opportunity for long-term member care that can enhance and strengthen the relationships you cultivate with the members, as well as the community, your ministry serves.

People search online for answers to their problems–what better place for the church to engage them?

Your content may answer some of their needs or questions, but not all. Be the voice that answers back and engages with them in a meaningful way.

According to the Q2 2016 Sprout Social Index, 90 percent of surveyed consumers have used social media in some way to communicate with a brand. What’s more, over a third (34.5 percent) said they preferred social media to traditional channels like phone and email.

Member care includes addressing the negative. By being actively engaged online, you have the opportunity to turn negatives into positives by addressing issues and resolving problems promptly. This is especially relevant to younger generations who naturally turn to social media first to share their thoughts and feelings. Through a culture of online customer service and digital discipleship, you can build a reputation as an organization that truly cares about its members and the community it serves.

Nearly half (46 percent) of people have used social media to “call out” or complain about a business. That number jumps even higher when you slice the data by generation. Unsurprisingly, millennials are quick to take their frustration to the keyboard—56 percent of them have complained or called out brands on social media. That means that millennials are 43 percent more likely to call out a brand on social media than other generations (sproutsocial).

Do not underestimate the power of engagement. There’s no ROI (return on investment) without it!

Invest the time; build a committee of digital disciples who are available to respond to comments and messages online promptly, while being human. That means engaging with a personal tone that conveys Christlike care. It will pay dividends for your mission. By living out our mission online and exemplifying the character of Christ, we can create social media ambassadors for the gospel, who eagerly share your content and messages.

Social media interactions should be treated like a real-life conversation. Respond to your audience, share their content, and like their comments. Follow the conversation and actively participate. Seek to understand their needs, and respond in a meaningful way. Building relationships can impact brand awareness, trust, financial support, and more. Your goal should be to break down the perceived barrier between the individual and your corporate brand. Strive to be authentic and as transparent as possible. This is how you build trust.

I believe that the next great awakening will be a digital one. We have the ability to preach and live-out the gospel in view of millions of people, so let’s do it. We need every single one of us to commit to being a digital disciple, using social media as a vehicle to reach out and care for God’s children.

Some tips to get you started:

Check daily for comments, questions, and messages, and respond in a timely manner. Not every comment needs to be answered, but you are encouraged to “like” them. Sometimes legitimate inquiries or simple misunderstandings are expressed that can open an opportunity to serve the needs of members and/or provide clarification.
Comments that are offensive should be deleted or hidden immediately, but do not automatically delete negative comments. Again, these are an opportunity to listen to and respond to the needs of the community. Depending on the situation, respond publicly to the person or via direct message. Use your discretion. Remove spam posts accordingly.
Talk with, not AT your audience. Follow the conversation and actively participate. Seek to understand their needs, ask questions, and respond in a meaningful way.
Frame every response with the salvation of others as your number one priority. Be diplomatic, professional, and empathetic. Reflect the values of the Church at all times.
Redirect people to proper resources and or departments when needed. Follow up to make sure they received an answer or help with their question.
If a person seems volatile, do not respond, and hide the comment. If the person is aggressive, block or mute them if needed.
If the person is a victim of a crime, abuse, or other forms of violence, direct them immediately to the proper authorities and resources found here: https://www.enditnownorthamerica.org/get-help
If a member appears suicidal, please direct them to the national suicide prevention center: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
For more guidance on how to respond to members online, refer to our Assessing Your Response guide for social media.

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Looking for Adventist Geeks

11/6/2017

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Harvey Alférez, Ph.D

Data Scientist, School of Engineering and Technology, Montemorelos University, Mexico
www.harveyalferez.com

A while ago I was browsing the Internet when I found a cool website for young people named “Pope to You” [1]. On this site, visitors can find the latest news about Benedict XVI, a Facebook application to hear his words, see photos and receive his messages, watch videos on YouTube and follow his activities in the world through iPhone and iPod Touch.

It is a fact that we are living in a world of daily technological changes that even affect the way we live religion. It is the time that Daniel prophesied about: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4). Why the people are running to and fro? The Bible answers: “'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” (Amos 8:11). People need to know about the message of salvation and technology is a powerful way to reach them.

There is a video [2] on YouTube produced for The Third Annual Media Convergence Forum 2009 [3] with the following interesting facts about how technology is changing the world: over 1,000,000 books are published worldwide every year; a Google Book Search scanner can digitize 1,000 pages every hour. American have access to 1,000,000,000,000 web pages and 65,000 iPhone apps. Newspaper circulation is down 7 million over the last 25 years, but in the last 5 years, unique readers of online newspapers are up 30 million. In 2009 traditional advertising declined but digital advertising grew rapidly. The number of unique visitors to ABC, NBC and CBS get every month, collectively is 10 million; the number of unique visitors to mySpace, YouTube, and Facebook get every month, collectively is 250 million. The average American teen sends an average of 2,272 text messages per month. Nokia manufactures 13 cell phones every second. 93% of U.S. adults own a cell phone.

Based on these facts related to nowadays technology, I ask myself: What can we do as Adventist geeks to explode technology at the highest dimension to support the Adventist mission? How can we shake the world with technology such as Paul and Silas did at their time (Acts 16:20)? These are some ideas:

First of all, we need to pray to receive the Holy Spirit in order to empower the Adventist mission with technology. Remember that the power that came from above to the disciples in the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) was the engine that moved them to preach to thousands and to make great miracles.
God can use any technological skill you have and convert it into something great! Just like in the miracle of feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish, “God often uses the simplest means to accomplish the greatest results” [4].
Technology may change but the message is always the same (Revelations 14:6). Whether you use Facebook, Twitter, or blogs to spread the gospel, they are only mediums, not the message itself.
Two heads think better than one. We need to create teams of Adventist geeks to share ideas and work together in common international projects. For example, let's support Adventist Forge [5], a repository of software components (similar to Google Code [6]) that can be accessed by Adventist technologists around the world in order to share their knowledge and at the same time get advantage of others' knowledge.
Let's teach technology-related courses in Adventist churches and schools. For example, we can teach our pastors and teachers how to use cheap technologies with a high positive impact, such as blogs, podcasts, and free software (for a complete list of free software, please visit [7]).
Show the message in an interactive and attractive way. We can broadcast evangelistic meetings and podcasts with sermons and weeks of prayer, and create Facebook groups to share experiences and study the Bible.

Can you imagine in the near future to have a group of free software components and applications for Adventist schools, universities, churches, unions, etc.? Besides, if we work as a team we will avoid the problem of “reinventing the wheel.” It means to avoid building technological projects in the church that have already been created somewhere else.

This is the right time for Adventist geeks to take advantage of technology. If we do not act now, others will do it!

Revelations 18:1, 2 warns us of an spiritual polarization. The bad will be extremely bad and the good extremely good. Just like Pr. Mark Finley says, we are in the middle of a cosmic battle for the domain of our minds. Are we going to lift up Jesus from the earth using technology (John 12:32)? Are we going to impact the world joining our technological skills and knowledge to the service of God, just like a candle in the middle of the darkness (Matthew 5:14)? Time is close to the end and also our opportunity as Adventist geeks (1 Corinthians 13:8).

*****

Dr. Harvey Alférez is a professor at the School of Engineering and Technology, Universidad de Montemorelos, Mexico. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science (Summa Cum Laude) from Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). His research interests include Data Science and Big Data. He has contributed to publications in top journals, book chapters, and international conferences (Scopus h-index: 6). Dr. Alférez enjoys playing the piano and family time with his wife, Doris, and sons, Johan and Daniel. His personal website is: www.harveyalferez.com

References:
1. Pontifical Council for Social Communications. (2009). “Pope To You.” Retrieved 18 March 2010 from: http://pope2you.net
2. The Economist. (2009). “Did You Know? Version 4.0, Fall 2009.” Retrieved 18 March 2010 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8
3. The Economist. (2009). “Media Convergence Forum.” Retrieved 18 March 2010 from: http://mediaconvergence.economist.com
4. White, E.G. (1898). “The Desire of Ages.” Pacific Press Publishing Association, Nampa, Idaho. PP. 822.
5. Office of Global Software and Technology, General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. (n.d.) “Adventist Forge.” Retrieved 18 March 2010 from: http://adventistforge.org
6. Google. (2010.) “Google Code.” Retrieved 18 March 2010 from: http://code.google.com
7. Free Software Foundation. (2000). “Free Software Directory.” Retrieved 18 March 2010 from: http://directory.fsf.org

Reposted with permission from the author. Original post appeared here.

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Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Tips and Ideas for Individual Digital Disciples,Adapted from growingfruitfuldisciples.com

Digital Discipleship Commitments

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Empower People: Small Actions, Big Impact

Develop a Relationship-first, Empathy-first Engagement Strategy

Create Opportunities for Prayer in the Digital Space

Additional guidance for assessing your online engagement for ministries:

Kaleb Eisele

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Bible Worker: Sample Position Description

Position Summary:

​Objectives and Responsibilities:

Other Recommended Items of Consideration for This Type of Position:

Center for Online Evangelism

Every follower of Jesus Christ is called to be a missionary.

​Step 1: Write down your project and stick to it.

Step 2: Register as an online missionary.

Step 3: Choose a prayer partner and pray

Step 4: Create a content strategy

Step 5: Improve your skills

​Conclusion

Dustin Comm

RELATED CONTENT & RESOURCES:

Rachel Lemons Aitken

HOW TO IMPLEMENT DIGITAL DISCIPLESHIP AT YOUR CHURCH:

If your interest has been piqued and you’re curious about introducing Digital Discipleship principles in your local church, consider the following steps:

Related Articles:

Center for Online Evangelism

​People are Googling for God.

​This great need yields an opportunity for you to share the hope found in Christ.

​Post it. Text it. Tweet it. Pin It. Share it. Vlog it.

Jamie Schneider Domm

The proper care and feeding of followers.

People search online for answers to their problems–what better place for the church to engage them?

Do not underestimate the power of engagement. There’s no ROI (return on investment) without it!

Some tips to get you started:

Harvey Alférez, Ph.D

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Tips and Ideas for Individual Digital Disciples,
Adapted from growingfruitfuldisciples.com

Objectives and Responsibilities:

Step 1: Write down your project and stick to it.

Conclusion

People are Googling for God.

This great need yields an opportunity for you to share the hope found in Christ.

Post it. Text it. Tweet it. Pin It. Share it. Vlog it.