In celebration of Internet Evangelism Month, this is the fifth in a 15-part blog project discussing the book, @stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online.
“As a Christian….you have content spanning centuries that has proven to be the most impactful, life-changing content in existence.” – @stickyJesus
If you take the crafting of your blog seriously, you are constantly reading about how to develop your abilities to improve your creativity. Time and time again, the most important fact preached by leading authorities on the art of blogging is that content is king. If you write compelling content, readers will come. If there’s value in your writings, they will stay. If it improves their lives, they will share with others.
We consume on a daily basis what used to take weeks, months and even years to create. If it was just about creating volume, the number of successful authors would be innumerable. But it’s not just about the quantity of your content – it’s about the quality of that content.
In File 5 we talk about Jesus: King of Content. Think for a moment about the volume of stories being shared on a daily basis that tell us about lives changed by Him. Think about the difference in your own life because He is your Lord and Savior. Now think about how many other people share the same compelling story.
Our message is supreme – We serve a risen Savior who is desperate to have a relationship with each and every one of us. Our method of delivering this message is evolving on a continuous basis. As a pastor, I realize that just erecting a sign announcing we are there for people doesn’t have them running to us in droves. People generally don’t just wander into church on the weekend. Chances are, we have got to reach the masses where they are – at home on their laptop, at a child’s soccer game getting updates on their smartphone, or via the social media giants. We are to be a lighthouse to those looking for direction in the midst of the storm.
Discussion:
- What social media efforts have you personally found to be most effective as you share Jesus with others?
- Which efforts have you found to be effective in learning from others about what our King is doing in their lives?
- What aspect of God’s content do you find to be the easiest to share?
@stickyJesus 4) Jesus: Master of buzz" href="https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/2011/05/11/stickyjesus-4-jesus-master-of-buzz/" rel="bookmark">4) Jesus: Master of buzz <– @StickyJesus – The Group Blog Project" href="https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/2011/05/02/introducing-stickyjesus-group-blog-project/" rel="bookmark">@StickyJesus project –>@StickyJesus 6) Holy Spirit: The Power Source" href="https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/2011/05/16/stickyjesus-6-holy-spirit-the-power-source/" rel="bookmark">6) Holy Spirit: The Power Source
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One group that excels at getting the word out about what God is doing and how He is changing lives is Compassion Ministries. First of all, their heart for widows and orphans sits center to the heart of God. Then they take teams out to the mission field to write about their experiences and with every post they transport you to right where they are. You see God at work not only in the people benefiting from Compassion, but you see the transformation occurring in the bloggers that report what they see.
It's staggering how social media can take you around the world, in real time, to witness the hand of God at work. When my pastor tweeted his way through Port au Prince, right after the earthquake, God used it to awaken my heart and He planted a crazy love for Haiti deep inside me. God wrecked me for that place and those people. Now my husband and I go and lead mission teams here on a regular basis.
Our culture remains intrigued by reality TV shows and the inside look at people's lives. As Christ followers we can share the inside look at a life operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. Between His Word and His movement in the world – we have much to share.
"And there are so many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25)
Our God – the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Write on and share what God has done, is doing, and promises to do. Be faithful, proclaim, and trust the Holy Spirit. If we obey, He will use us to embed the code for eternity in other people's lives. Thanks Bruce for a walk through file #5. All Glory to the King of Content as he continues to do more than we could ever record. Bless you, Bruce!
Great share Tami – thanks! Part of what makes utilizing social media to share the Gospel is that via our connections we are able to instantly share stories of contagious content. Once shared, these stories become driving forces, such as you and your husband now leading teams of servants based off of your pastor sharing what was happening hundreds of miles away.
His Great News is contagious – it's our responsibility to share with others.
One of those blogging trips is in my dreams . . .
i also really like groups on fb like i am second, which get peoples stories out there – famous people and prominant people that we kinda "relate" to also – they always move me because you see God's work lived out. i love how things like youtube and vids can be shared so easily now – visual and conversation…
Funny you mention your pastor Tweeting through Haiti. I just returned from there the other day…and Tweeted throughout the entire trip: updates, pictures, stories. I am amazed at the number of people who engage with my Twitter and/or Facebook (and with me…and with God…) when they can hear the stories of what God is doing.
My name is Lyndie Blevins. I'm developing my writing career first through building content on my blog. This spring I have made a commitment to myself to be more bold about my faith in posts. This book is reinforcing what I have been doing.
I worked in IT at a major retailer with a world wide presence. We had a mainframe mail system before email was wide spread, so I've seen the power of 'connected' mail in an organization, it is powerful. Even though this was a public organization, I also saw the impact of email in the faith arena. Once, we had an employee who was very ill. He had been in ICU for several weeks and was not improving. His aged parents were out of state, but they were called on a Friday and were told they needed to come immediately. We were all very concerned. That afternoon, our HR director sent out a message telling about this young man's situation and asked for associates to think/pray for him. The message went out to almost 30,000 employees world wide. It was a pretty gutsy move. As I read it, chills went all over me. You could almost feel the spirit of God come out from the screen as the prayers went up.
OVer the weekend the young man had a remarkable recovery and was eventually restored to full health. The experience showed me the potential of the internet being used in matters of faith
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One of the reasons I think social media has sooooo much potential for churches is because they have so much great content at their disposal. Think about it… individually we as Christians have the most impactful, stickiest content ever – the bible, and we have the Holy Spirit creating new content in our hearts and our lives every day. Now take that and multiply it by the number of people in your church. Wow!
But we're not done yet… now add to that all the content many churches create on a weekly basis just for the Sunday service… sermon text, video of the message, discussion questions,dramas performed and videos shown during services, video promos for upcoming events. Now add to that stories, pics, and video from church activities – youth group, small groups, missions trips, serving people in the community, outreach events.
Just about every church of more than 250 people should have so much content that they struggle to pare it down to what would fit into 1 blog post a day. Yet, most don't realize the gold mine they're sitting on. I find it extraordinary exciting and yet somewhat frustrating at the same time.
Thanks Christie – let's hope that's the only snake story for this year. Now if we could just keep the coyotes at bay….:<(
Great point about asking questions – people are looking for outlets to share. I know that when I ask the right question on Facebook as a status update, I can get overwhelmed with answers and follow up questions. There is no greater investment that we can make outside of investing in people.
Anything that leads to a conversation leads to an opening for us to share Jesus. Thanks Christie for your timely insight!
Facebook has been the most effective way that I can show Jesus to others. My posts are always God-honoring and I look for ways in which I can minister to my "friends".
Twitter is has been my avenue for learning from others what our King is doing in people's lives.
It is easy for me to share God's love and acceptance and mercy to people online.
i think i'm exactly the same sarah – fb is my relational social networking and twitter i use to collect quotes and also i post blog updates and things on there, whereas i dont on fb…
i think there are people God just "puts in our path" on both types that we just so get nudged to share with and connect on a different level with… people who invite you in to share more than just an update, but to have conversation with, that we can pray for and be asked for prayer…
Most effective tool: Facebook is my major connection ministry point. Not a week goes by that I don't get a personal or urgent Direct Message "back stage" asking for counsel or prayer. It's been an amazing platform for going deeper into people's lives who are curious about Christ. I've seen miracles in this space. God continues to wake me up with the power of this tool for ministry & evangelism.
Learning from others: Twitter is an education tool for me. I am addicted to links & blog posts shared by people I trust. I have learned more on Twitter about culture, faith, technology & people than I ever learned in college—that's not an exaggeration. It's definitely my preferred source of learning & reading.
Easiest to share: I share the things God downloads to me personally each day. I'm not big on sharing scriptures but rather on sharing scriptural truths in an accessible voice. It's become my joy and a true source of power for me in my relationships with others and with God. When we all step up as "priests to eachother" as the bible says, there's an even greater responsibility to study God's word in it's full context and pray it into this space. My study has gone deeper and it's been an amazing adventure I never expected as a spinoff of my time on social networks.
Great post, Bruce & I appreciate the dimension of your questions. Bless you.
My life is what is most "sticky". If I live how people hope (happy marriage, but share my struggles; great kids, but share the work to get there, etc– be authentic but givw Jesus credit for fruit- that is best light" I also made graphics for "congrats!" "Praying for you" Happy Birthday" and I post on walls on FB, and espcially pre-beievers, taking the time to build them up, affrim them, compliment how God created him/her. A few words of lovinging kindness go a long way. I answer outrageous posts of anti- christian messages with an invitation to dialogue or a link so they can learn more on that topic (gentle ansswer).
I mentioned above how I would love to go on a Compassion Blogger trip. One needs a really popular blog to qualify for that. But I struggle with my own efforts. All I know to do is to fill up on His content and then spill it as it speaks to me. And trust that He will bring the right ones to the table. And grow a following in His time.
Even if it's only a party of one.
I have to be content with that.
That being said, I think I've grown in so many ways, both personally and in my writing, by my connection with The High Calling ( http://www.thehighcalling.org/ ), a network of over 1500 bloggers (at last count) who share their stories of faith (and doubt) in their daily work. It's where I've learned/am learning to share through poetry and photography.
Thanks for introducing me to The High Calling Sandra! There is a treasure of information over there.
Be encouraged in your blogging – anything done to His glory will prosper, whether we necessarily see the fruit or not.
His Word will not return void . . .
You'll find a lot of pearls over there. 🙂
i love this chapter. it shows you that you dont have to be the most intellegent or have a doctrate in biblical studies or be able to explain everything logically or use the biggest words… the important thing is to be yourself and to love Jesus and shine for Him in the everyday. He takes our ordinary offerings and uses them in extraordinary ways. i am sure this side of eternity we wont grasp how He has used our simple tweets or facebook status updates to encourage, challenge, inspire and draw people to Himself.
heres my post on this chapter:
http://onepassiononedevotion.wordpress.com/2011/0…
"My life is a story – His story". What a great summary Claire! Our lives should be the loudest message of what He can do through us. I really enjoyed your thoughts via your blog – thanks for sharing.
I can imagine the dance and am enjoying watching you praise our heavenly Father! I too am one of a few leading the charge in my church currently, but we are seeing some fruits from our efforts. Be encouraged! Thanks for sharing.