Opportunities In Digital Evangelism
[By Reed Gurchiek]
A long time ago, it was written that the word of the cross, the gospel, is the power of God for salvation (1 Cor. 1.18; Rom. 1.16). It is “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4.12, NASB). That fact has not changed. The gospel is just as powerful today and many people in the world need to be exposed to it. An important question follows: what is the best way to present to the world the life-changing scripture?
While all scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim.3.16), it was brought to earth through men. This was the original revealing of the word to the world. The importance of the roles of Paul, Peter, Luke, and other inspired authors of scripture in this effort is clear. However, although God’s word was realized through them, it was made effective for others via the roles of men and women who are less well known. For example, Tertius wrote the letter to the Romans (Rom. 16.22) while Paul dictated it to him. Paul lists many other fellow workers in Romans 16 including Phoebe who many scholars believe may have delivered the letter to its intended audience. Epaphroditus likely delivered Paul’s letter to the Philippians (Phil. 2.25), after he delivered their gift to Paul (Phil. 4.18). Likewise, Tychicus likely delivered Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 6.21-22) and with Onesimus, Paul’s letter to the Colossians (Col. 4.7-9). These people helped spread the word long distances, using the standard means for doing so at the time: hand delivery.
What is the standard means for spreading information now? How are people informed about things in the 21st century? It may come as no surprise that Google is a major player. Every second there are over 70,000 Google searches. Consider also that more than half the world (58.4% of the global population) uses social media and over half (54%) of Christian millennials watch online videos about faith or spirituality – and that statistic is almost a decade old. We may not like it and it may not be our preference, but the fact remains that when people in the world start thinking about weighty questions like “Is there meaning to life?” or “Who was Jesus?”, chances are they will seek answers by typing those questions into a Google or YouTube search bar. Since the results of those searches often lead to answers contrary to the truth, it is important that there be some content on those platforms that accurately depict the truth or that people be directed to truthful content that already exists. So, while hand delivering letters may no longer be a prominent role for Christians today, digital evangelism presents a great opportunity.
The idea here is to use social media platforms and the internet to help spread the gospel. The need for expertise is very broad including content creators, website design, video/audio editing, and those with artistic inclinations. Practically, this can be as simple as posting a passage from scripture. But simple does not mean thoughtless. For example, one might consider what succinct passages speak to a broad audience and may be well-timed given current events. The artistically minded have a knack for associating those scriptures with simple visuals: the right colors that fit the mood of the passage, but without distracting from the post.
A church’s website serves several purposes. Most people do not look up churches in the phone book anymore. The church phone number will be found on the website along with much more information. If you have expertise in website design, you could facilitate an accessible page, one that is welcoming, easy to use, and that accommodates the desire of those seeking to know more. Consider that, in this day and age, the website will likely be the first impression of a church on a newcomer.
There are many opportunities for the video/audio editors. For example, publicizing videos of one-on-one testimonials to address topics like how you came to be a Christian, how knowing Jesus has changed your life, or how biblical wisdom has guided you through a particularly tough time. Other opportunities include editing recorded sermons, enabling a podcast, or making available brief videos (perhaps a series) that teach biblical principles.
What strikes a chord with the people in the local area surrounding your church? What big questions do they deal with? Whatever it is, there is a relevant message from the Bible which provides the ultimate counsel. By being proactive in that process (anticipating what higher matters the demographic in your area might be concerned with), allows you to intervene at the opportune time. One social media post may hit at just the right moment. Content creators attempt to strike that chord via all the previously mentioned media, presenting the word accurately (2 Tim. 2.15) and boldly (Acts 4.29-31; 2 Cor. 3.12) while yet with simplicity (1 Cor. 2.1-2) and gentleness (2 Tim. 2.24-25; 1 Pet. 3.15).
The letter carriers mentioned above were facilitators. They helped plant the seed, bringing the inspired word of God to people using the standards for spreading information at the time. The information we wish to spread has not changed, but the standard means for spreading it to the masses has. Even still, there’s no replacement for one-on-one Bible study and these developments do not necessarily make the former modes of spreading the gospel obsolete (e.g., gospel meetings, door knocking, etc.). Rather, I think they assist them. The digital outreach effort can be the steppingstone to a Bible study and can initiate thoughts of the bigger questions in the minds of those who do not regularly think of those things.