Who Is Part of the Digital Discipleship & Evangelism Team?

Jamie Jean Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist for the North American Division

​In terms of who makes up the digital discipleship and evangelism team, our philosophy includes everyone. The integrated model utilizes every active member in a holistic approach that aims to scale up the traditional friend/community evangelism and discipleship models, not replace them. 

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What does this mean practically?

​It’s not a digital approach attempting to subvert a traditional approach, but, rather, the entire church body using all its human resources, diversity of spiritual gifts, and available tools to work together for a common goal. Church growth is a product of promotion, experience, and personal connections. Digital technology is a powerful tool to guide more people into your church, but the on-site experience and personal connections is what will keep them coming. After all, it’s one challenge to attract new people; it’s another to get them to keep returning. To encourage people to remain in your community, whether online or in person, they must not only have a good experience, but also connect with the members on a personal level and become integrated as a participating member of the community. 

​If we understand the local church to be a community of believers, we must seek to create meaningful connections, reaching out to seekers whose experience often starts online, as well as to those already in our house of worship. Your church’s online interactions with potential visitors should make them want to experience your faith and mission in person. Then, when they do come for that on-site experience, it should be a continuation of the positive relationship you’ve built with them online. The same is true in reverse.  

To achieve a continuity of experience and relationship building, everyone is part of the process. This means the 84-year-old greeter at the door is part of your digital discipleship and evangelism team just as much as the tech savvy youths who create video snippets and content for your social media. It includes the passionate and knowledgeable worship leaders who answer questions and host online bible studies. Remember, what starts in the digital space is not confined to the digital space. It may take weeks, months, or years, but eventually those people who have been touched by your digital voice may be moved by the Holy Spirit to walk in the door. From their perspective, it’s all one spiritual journey and experience, not digital versus traditional. They don’t view their experience in silos; therefore, we must break down the silos of how we go about discipleship and evangelism. 

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Every touchpoint matters and must tell a consistent story!

Look at this process of evangelism holistically. Consider all possible touchpoints in the list below and ask, “Where does the experience decelerate? Where is the breakdown in communication?”

Touchpoints by role groupings include but are not limited to:

Creatives/Creators:

• Traditional: outreach materials, presentations, events, classes, seminars, wearables/flare, ephemera, print/radio advertising, direct mail pieces, billboards, flyers, bulletins, print newsletters, print publications/literature, other handouts, signage, posters, branded vehicles, letterhead, business cards, general resources, radio ministry
• Digital: digital advertising messages and design, digital newsletters/emails, digital publications/blogs, digital flyers, website(s), social media content, videos, online resources, podcasts
  
  

Engagers (Experience and Relationship Building):

• Traditional: telephone, voicemail, services to community/members, small groups, ministries, classes, seminars, events, Bible studies, resources (access to people and print materials), children’s programs, fellowship meals, prayer groups, mentorship, worship experience on site, interactions with members, church culture and environment, customer service (aka people care), greeters, parking, follow-up, personal connections
• Digital: website(s), chat tools, social media conversations, videos, AV, IT, texting, resources (access to people and digital literature), worship experience online, live-streaming, video content, customer service (aka people care), follow-up, personal connections, interactions with members through digital tools, online community culture, video conferencing, online Bible studies
  
  

Distributors:

• Traditional: outreach efforts, Bible workers, door knocking, public relations, word of mouth, wearables/flare, ephemera, print/radio advertising, direct mail, billboards, flyers, bulletins, print newsletters, other handouts, signage, posters, branded vehicles
• Digital: outreach efforts, digital Bible workers, digital door knocking, word of mouth, digital communications, online public relations, digital advertising, digital flyers, digital newsletters/emails, AV, IT, texting, social media posts/invites, social media ambassadors, live-streaming, video conferencing

With the digital discipleship and evangelism model shown above as a foundational concept, we can understand how the roles of creators, distributors, and engagers can fit into the overall seeker/visitor experience.
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There may be an overlapping of functions that can occur at multiple touchpoints. Every church is different and has different human resources, and spiritual gifts to draw from. This concept is scalable and adaptable to your situation. 

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Make room for digital discipleship and evangelism.

Change can be difficult, especially for institutions grounded in tradition. However, the Adventist Church is also rooted in a movement that was led by young people. We must again empower talented youths in our churches to take the lead in areas where they naturally excel, such as digital communications and community building. In addition, we have not done a good job of recognizing and utilizing the spiritual gifts of tech savvy and creative members. These gifted individuals have a wealth of talent to offer mission work and should be encouraged to use their skills in service. We can change the culture in our faith communities to make them feel that the Church truly values their time and talents just as much as Bible workers, nurses, Bible study leaders, and speakers.
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Form teams of content creators, distributors, and engagers. Each church likely has various members who could specialize or lead in certain areas. These can be powerful personal ministry opportunities, especially for empathetic persons who can facilitate positive conversations online and share stories of faith. Seek to create a culture of sharing and engaging with church social media content as a means for individuals to help fulfill the church’s mission and expand the reach of messages. Anyone who is on social media, has an email address, or is connected to the internet can share content. 

It doesn’t matter if a person has four friends or 40,000, they have influence.  

Find ways to leverage social influence. If people are connected to others through digital technologies, they have digital influence. Each impression/message received represents a person touched by your message and mission. “Social butterflies” can learn to use their online and offline influence to engage in practical mission work. There is a place for all skill levels.

Influencer groups in your church may include, but are not limited to:

• Choir and music ministry groups
• Prayer groups
• Bible study groups
• AV/IT
• Greeters
• Social butterflies
• Hospitality team
• Personal ministries
• Administration
• Pastors
• Youth leaders
• Designers
• Creatives
• Videographers
• Writers
• Techies
• Marketers/communicators
• Community outreach leaders
• Bible workers
• Health professionals
• Any other groups or ministries
  
  

We’ll explore in depth the roles and their scope of work within the digital discipleship and evangelism model later in this guidebook.

Organize multi-generational training and mentorship opportunities. This will only strengthen your church body and improve cross-generational relationships. Young people yearn for mentorship, and the older generations can learn a lot form the natural skills of the youth. The church should be the ideal example of two-way mentorship in action. Ultimately technologies change, but people and their needs largely remain the same. Healthy communities involve multiple generations coexisting in a collaborative and supportive manner.

In summary, to make room for digital discipleship and evangelism in your church:

• Empower the tech savvy and creative members of your church; make them feel that the church values their time and talents.
• Create personal ministry opportunities; train empathic people to engage in conversations online and to become content creators.
• Create a culture of digital sharing and content engagement.
• Utilize and empower digital influencers and social butterflies.
• Set up training sessions and opportunities for two-way mentorship.

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Utilize Digital Bible Workers.

If you are lucky enough to have a Bible worker, empower them to expand their efforts digitally. Social media and other digital technologies can be leveraged as lead generating tools. Remember, young people spend upwards of 9-18 hours a day behind a screen, and that affords the church a lot of opportunities to reach them with relevant content and conversations facilitated for seekers. Ideally this is someone who can ultimately lead a focused evangelistic effort, train others, build a dedicated team, and work with other groups and initiatives within your church.

Digital technologies allow a Bible worker to enter a person's life at the convenience and comfort level of the recipient by providing relevant online content, a degree of anonymity, a simple platform for question and answers, and opportunities to engage and form relationships.

What does a Digital Bible Worker Do?

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 geographic 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. 
 
The following is 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. This position can also be adapted to more appropriately reflect the role of a digital pastor. 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 time commitment needed and budget available.
 
Position Summary:
​The Digital Bible Worker will implement a comprehensive, multi-channel digital evangelism strategy designed to meet the spiritual and social needs of teen, 18– to 35-year-old, collegiate, career-focused, single or married 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. A secondary goal of this position is to mentor young people already in the church towards a deeper relationship with Jesus and greater community involvement—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 teen, 18- to 35-year-old, collegiate, career-focused, single, and married 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 social media ad 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 adults 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 youth and 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 youth/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 and 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.

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