Fishing with the Net: Digital Evangelism Grows Worldwide
Every day, modern-day missionaries are going online and using portable digital devices like smart phones to share the Gospel with people all over the world. The opportunities for digital evangelism are exploding -- and you can be a part of it.
You can now be a missionary to the nations from your office, laptop, or cell phone!
Here are some ideas and ministries you can check out to help you get started in reaching the nations with the Gospel through digital evangelism.
Global Media Outreach: This Internet evangelism outreach is similar to going on a missions trip without ever leaving your house. This outreach of Campus Crusade for Christ allows cyber-missionaries to decide how many people they want to minister to online in any given day. Then the e-mail comes to your in-box. You can target your ministry to a specific group, like teens or members of the military -- whoever you connect with. To learn more, go to http://www.globalmediaoutreach.com/.
Conferences and Colleges: One of the keys to a wider effective use of the digital media is the insight provided by conference sessions or Bible College training. One such meeting is the new Christian Web Conference at Biola University in September: http://www.christianwebconference.com/
I am teaching an online Internet Evangelism course at Regent University this Fall. To learn more about this course and the Regent University School of Divinity, go to http://www.regent.edu/acad/schdiv/
As yet, few colleges have digital ministry included in their courses. Internet evangelist Tony Whitaker has a suggested curriculum at: www.internetevangelismday.com/curriculum.php
Networking: Informal networks in a particular country or region of the world are having a dramatic effect in enhancing effective outreach and coordinating follow-up on the ground. Web outreach teams, radio ministries, literature groups and local churches can partner together and create synergy:
http://www.internetevangelismday.com/building-networks.php
Internet Evangelism Day: This is both an annual focus day - next year’s date is April 25, 2010 - and a year-round online resource guide. Our blog and newsletter will keep you in touch with developments:
www.internetevangelismday.com/blog
www.internetevangelismday.com/newsletter
Church Websites that Reach Outsiders: In the last year, over 500 churches have used Internet Evangelism Day's church website self-assessment tool and received the free evaluation report that this provides. Each report provides a comprehensive list of suggestions for action that will enable a church's website to better engage with outsiders in their community. www.internetevangelismday.com/church-site-design.php
Speaker Panel: If you or your organization are involved in conference ministry or Bible College training, our new speaker panel offers a growing range of international speakers who can speak on various digital evangelism issues. Some are also available to join a staff consultation for any mission agency that is considering how to integrate web or mobile ministry into their outreach. (And if you are involved in digital ministry yourself, you may wish to be added to this panel, without obligation. If you know others who might be potential speakers, please send me their email addresses.) www.internetevangelismday.com/speaker.php
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Internet Evangelism: Casting a New Kind of Net
Could God Use You in Digital Evangelism?
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