Christian Missions and Social Media

10 Oct 2014 Connect with me on Twitter @bluefirefly2359

Agenda

• What an ultimate social missionary can look like

• Social Media – Does it really work?

• When to use Social Media and When not to

• Should Christians be wary of using Social Media?

What an ultimate social missionary can look like

Meet the Millennial Missionaries

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/july-august/33-under-33.html

Read 33 examples of how Christian leaders use social media to spearhead their causes, fusing their faith with the work they do

The young generation of Christian leaders are embracing social media!

Meet the Millennial Missionaries

The Ex-Muslim EvangelistNabeel Qureshi, 31@NAQureshi | Atlanta

Meet the Millennial Missionaries

The Ex-Muslim EvangelistNabeel Qureshi, 31@NAQureshi | Atlanta

Engagement – Prayer Request

Meet the Millennial Missionaries

The Ex-Muslim EvangelistNabeel Qureshi, 31@NAQureshi | Atlanta

Provide Tweets for people to Retweet to spread the message easily outside your friends and family circle into your interest circle

Meet the Millennial Missionaries

The Ex-Muslim EvangelistNabeel Qureshi, 31@NAQureshi | Atlanta

The next best thing for investigators to a threatening visit to the church is a Youtube video

Meet the Millennial Missionaries

The Ex-Muslim EvangelistNabeel Qureshi, 31@NAQureshi | Atlanta

Blog is great for those who prefer to investigate through reading a series of articles

Social Media – Does it really work?

Social media – Does it really work?

http://www.dahlfred.com/en/blogs/gleanings-from-the-field/351-should-missionaries-use-facebook-and-twitter

Interact and keep your supporters updated Build new connections Increase awareness of your workConnect with other missionariesKeep up with current news

You have a unique story to share – document it and share it!

Your next generation of young audiences are primarily connecting on social media daily, almost constantly

You can extend your reach on social media You can join in the global conversation that is on

social

Social media – Does it really work?

Social media – Does it really work?80% of people check out your website

before attending your church.  The second place they visit is your

Facebook page to view pictures and dialogue between church members 

Social media is seeker friendly for people to explore Christianity safely

http://pastors.com/7-ways-to-have-a-great-church-facebook-page/

https://www.facebook.com/hillsongchurch

Social media – Does it really work?

Any pre-

believer on

earth!

Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone is 6 or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation

Post materials for your followers to Share or Retweet. Bread Upon the WatersEcc 11: 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?

Social media – Does it really work?

1. The Intellectual Atheist/Agnostic: Sees his/herself as intellectually too advanced for religion and seeks to engage with other likeminded individuals through writings, YouTube videos and talks.2. The Activist: Proactively works for issues connected to naturalist or humanist causes.3. The Seeker-Agnostic: Considers the metaphysical a possibility but is comfortable with uncertainty as it concerns the interaction of science and the metaphysical.

4. The Anti-Theist: Believes religion to be evil, thus actively works against religion and religious influences.5. The Non-Theist: Does not have much interest in religious concepts.6. The Ritual Atheist/Agnostic: Does not have otherworldly beliefs but regularly attends a religious ceremony, finding that this meets some social or psychological need.

Investigators who reject face to face evangelism might at least interact with social media at their own pace

• Paul declared he would “try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some” (1 Cor. 9:22).

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/august-web-only/six-types-of-atheists-christian-outreach.html?start=2

What the 'Six Types of Atheists' Mean for Christian Outreach

Social media – Does it really work?

Surprise, it was sign #4 – the one that invoked the positive social proof - more persuasive than saving money (sign #1), protecting the environment (sign #2), and making responsible choices (sign #3)

Sign #1: Save $54/month on your utility bill.

Sign #2: Prevent the release of 262 pounds of greenhouse gasses every month.

Sign #3: Saving energy was a socially responsible thing to do.

Sign #4: More and more of their neighbors were already actively using fans to save energy.

Which sign do you think was the most effective at getting people to use less energy?

People believe what is recommended by their friends!

Social media – Does it really work?

Share video highlights from your sermon.

Post links to your full message on YouTube

Copy your most powerful or memorable statements directly from your manuscript and share them.

Take memorable statements and make a graphic out of them.

Ask questions about the message. For example, ask them to do one random act of kindness and then share about it.

Use Social Media to Extend the life of your sermons

http://www.propreacher.com/13-ways-to-extend-sermon-life-with-social-media/

If you used an especially funny or powerful story, copy and paste it into a post. You might be surprised how many people share it with their friends or followers.

Encourage people to Tweet highlights of the message after the service . This is a form of note-taking that will help them remember the point longer, and a cool way to spread your message to their network of friends.

When to use Social Media and When not to

When to use Social Media and when not to?Social media is not the

most friendly place for Christians generally

When to use Social Media and when not to?Do not engage

Trolls and do not engage in debates yourself

Let your followers, friends and advocates speak up for you instead

In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topicmessages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4]

When to use Social Media and when not to?

Social media is generally not a place for Christians to evangelise

When to use Social Media and when not to?Social media is

not a place for Christians to preach, condemning people’s sins, but share God’s work in action.

Stay clear of hot button issues with huge lobbying groups

When to use Social Media and when not to?

Social media is not a place for Christians to preach.

But it is ok to share life’s wisdom, frailties and struggles.

When to use Social Media and when not to?

It is good to share where you are so your supporters can meet up with you

When to use Social Media and when not to?

Do not accept everyone’s request

When to use Social Media and when not to?

It’s good to give factual updates of your ministry, not hard sell.

When to use Social Media and when not to?

It’s good to write reflections without imposing on others to follow the same.

When to use Social Media and when not to?

It’s good to share what happens behind the church doors to create a curiosity and longing for the things of God.

When to use Social Media and when not to?

It’s good to share fun things that Christians can do too!

When to use Social Media and when not to?

It’s good to post down to earth things and not just spiritual things. It makes you more approachable.

But beware of posting anything that causes envy.

When to use Social Media and when not to?

It’s good to share counter-culture articles, not religious issues

When to use Social Media and when not to?

It’s good to celebrate religious neutral cultural elements

Tips from a not-so Millennial Missionary Pastor• Monitor your Facebook wall

– make sure there is discussions on race, religion or politics and nothing negative (set a good example)

• Be very careful what you post. As there is no face to it, the statements you make can be taken out of context.

• Delete and dissociate if there are any such comments. Delete them and say that u don't approve or associate with such comments.

• Delete solicitations too.

Social activist/ entrepreneur (pastor/missionary) in Indonesia• Have other administrators

to help you monitor• Consider both closed and

open FB groups for different content sensitivity

• Highlight other successes as part of your content strategy, don't just talk about yourself.

• Talk and comment on other people's lives and events.

• Highlight whereabouts and programmes so people can meet up or participate

• Don't concentrate on successes but fruitfulness

Should Christians be wary of using Social Media?

Social media – real concerns

We should see people face to face (not virtually, but physically) so as to build a genuine, deep and sincere relationship with them and we need to be wise and careful about how to use it.

Social media – more but weaker ties

http://community.lithium.com/t5/Science-of-Social-blog/Can-Social-Technologies-Increase-Our-Dunbar-Limit/ba-p/13694

In order to maintain more ties, we either have to lower the overall tie strength (see figure 1b), or simply maintain fewer number of super strong ties (see figure 1c). In either case, the average tie strength is weaker.

The Science of Social

Testing your heart

• Do most of my social media comments actually share something useful, or do I usually talk only about myself?

• Do I use social media to actually socialize, or do I only use it to broadcast every step in my day?

• Do I share photos of myself on my page for the sole purpose of boasting about my life?

• Do I rarely read other’s postings, only worrying about how many “likes” or comments my postings receive?

• Do I constantly check how many friends I have and worry when others have more friends than me?

http://dragonintuitive.com/how-social-media-can-affect-spirituality/

Social media concerns – Tips from missionaries

http://www.dahlfred.com/en/blogs/gleanings-from-the-field/351-should-missionaries-use-facebook-and-twitter

Time waster – limit your time spent Entertaining Distraction – don’t be compelled

to check out notificationsEscapism – escape into God’s presence not

social mediaApproval of men – forget about how many

“likes” you get

Summary• You can use social media in

varying degrees – from simple Facebook to the ultimate social missionary!

• Social Media is a useful interactive & self discovery platform for keeping your supporters updated and reaching the new millenial seekers

• Have a content strategy and beware of the pitfalls of using social media

• Be mindful about the subtle spiritual effects of social media