Transcript e-vangelism - Church of God

e-vangelism
Witnessing on the WEB
Sharing the Gospel
on the Internet
“Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains
my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” –
Psalm 144:1
The Internet
I. The Methodology
"Our task as Christians, I believe, is to claim
every new medium for Christ."
Dr. Quentin J. Schultze, Calvin College.
Author: Internet for Christians
"The Internet is the first medium that allows anyone
with reasonably inexpensive equipment to publish to
a wide audience. It is the first medium that distributes
information globally at almost no cost."
Bill Gates, Microsoft
Technology Penetration
Time to Reach 30% Adoption in US
Households
Connectivity of U.S.
Households (1998)
100%
Radio
97%
TV
95%
67%
35%
68%
48%
Phone Cordless Cable TV Desktop Cell
Phone
Phone
PC
US
Population
32%
Internet
Access
19%
Fax
19%
Pager
14%
Voice
Mail
Email vs. Regular Mail
Comparison of email messages and
regular mail in 1998
Regular mail
198 billion
5.5%
Email
3.4 trillion messages
94.5%
Source: U.S. Postal Service
Of Internet Users Today,
46% came online in 1998
Percent of users who began going online in 1998 vs.
those prior to 1998
1998
54% 46%
(in 1 year)
Prior to
1998
Source: The PEW Report
Worldwide Users
March 1999
In
Millions
Africa
Asia/Pacific
Europe
Middle East
US & Canada
South America
World Total
1.14
26.97
37.15
0.88
88.33
4.63
159.00
II.The Mission
How can the church
use the Internet for
evangelism?
Our Challenge
The Great Commission
The idea may have seemed impossible.
Today the growth in communication
technology is being adopted globally.
We now know what God knew, the world is
within our reach...
YOU CAN REACH
AROUND THE WORLD
AROUND THE CLOCK!
Gutenberg made three
contributions which
rendered "obsolete" the
handwritten books of his
age:
1. Movable type
2. The printing press
3. Special ink.
The Internet makes three
contributions which
fundamentally change how
we get information and
communicate:
1. 24/365 Access
2. Info access not limited
to “physical” place
3. Instant communication
to one or millions of
people
3 Types of Evangelism
Proclamational
Confrontational
Relational
“E-vangelism” is
friendship evangelism
via the Internet. It is
meeting people
online, and
developing real
relationships with
them.
A. The Stuffed and the
Starving
B. The Cold and the
Bold
Matthew 24:12-14 "Because of the
increase of wickedness, the love of most
will grow cold, but he who stands firm to
the end will be saved. And this gospel of
the kingdom will be preached in the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and
then the end will come."
 Most Powerful Moment
 Most Powerful Tool
 Most Powerful Message
C. The World on the
Internet
1. Cyber Culture is Post-Christian
Experiential
Participatory
Interactive
Communal
2. Mistakes We Have Made
How Non-Christians Feel
(Willow Creek)




Cynics – those who don’t believe and
have an attitude about it
Skeptics – those who don’t believe, but
are willing to listen
Spectators – those who aren’t
particularly interested
Seekers – those who are genuinely
seeking truth
THINK
MISSIONARY!
4 Imperatives
for a Wise Shepherd
Zechariah 11:16:
1) Care for the lost
2) Seek the young
3) Heal the injured
4) Feed the healthy
Titanic
III. The Message
1. Lead with a need
they care about!
Deal with their symptoms first.
Then deal with the disease (sin).
Offer the cure.
2. Communicate in a
language they can
understand!
3 Questions to ask about your website:
Is the gospel there?
Is the gospel clear?
Is the gospel out front?
3. Present it in a
package they can
relate to!
Do we want them to know about US or
JESUS?
10 Top Search Terms at Alta Vista
Top Ten Search Terms
Most frequently entered terms on
Altavista
1. Sex
2. Nude
3. Pictures
4. JPG
5. Software
6. Windows
7. Adult
8. Women
9. Naked
10. Erotic
Source: Webnomics
4. Prepare Internet
rescuers!
Identify them.
Train them.
Pray for them.
5. Provide a way to
respond!




Respond to emails in a timely manner.
Get answers to questions quickly.
Give crisis advice.
Lead new converts in discipleship.
The Harvesting Equation
Prayer + Lost + Gospel = HARVEST
If the prayer is there, if the lost are
there, if the gospel is clear, the harvest
will be amazing!
Suggestions for
Getting Started
1. Before you start – go
swimming!
Understand search engines and page
promotion
Define a clear set of goals
Identify your target audience
 Have a statement of purpose
 Know your main objectives
 Have a concise outline of the
information your site will contain.

4 Goals
Accuracy, Clarity, Beauty, Dignity
2. Understand the
difference between
the Web and other
media.
• “Push” vs. “Pull” Technology
• Every page a starting page
• Fear mice – the reader’s finger
is on the button at all times.
• Keep material for believers
separate.
3. Watch your language!
• Keep it simple. (Although English is the main
language of the Internet, the percentage of non-English users is
rising.) Consider using Javascript pop-up boxes.
• Using the Bible
• No evangelical-speak
• Don’t be preachy.
4. Be brief – the K.I.S.S.
of life!
• Keep it short (500-750 words)!
• Be succinct. (People don’t read web pages, they scan
them.)
• Avoid “clickable graphic” only
links.
5. Use 200 years’ worth
of experience.
• Look at the press!
• The “5 W’s”
• Who
• What
• Where
• Why
• When
5. Use 200 years’ worth
of experience.
• The “takeaway”
• Headlines and subheadings
• Use an assistant editor.
• Be a squirrel.
6. Use different types of
pages.
• General interest pages
• Articles on a non-religious
subject with a Christian angle
• Testimonies
• Basic Gospel
• Apologetics
• Evangelistic Bible study
7. Use true stories.
• Jesus – the story-teller
• Not for church consumption
• Guidelines for testimonies
• Level of English
• Target audience
• How to start
• Use an angle
• Inner feelings
• Honesty
• Your old religion
• Avoid religious jargon
• Direct speech
• Correct
misunderstandings
• Not always
chronological
8. Draw people into your
web site.
“Bait the hook according to what the fish
likes, not what the fisherman likes.”
–Hemingway
• If you like it, so do millions.
Greeting cards
Music, film, video
Apologetics
Children’s pages
Short stories
Help for teens
News and tourism Health
9. Be subtle—wise as
serpents.
• Neutral but not non-combatant
• Meet them on their patch
“Some want to live within the sound of a
church or chapel bell,
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of
hell.” – C.T. Studd
10. Follow up.
• Respond to emails in a timely manner.
• Get answers to questions quickly.
• Give crisis advice.
• Lead new converts in discipleship.
11. Promote your site.
• Understand the search engine system.
• Register all of your pages.
• Submit your pages to Christian directories.
• Print your URL in publications.
• Encourage visitors to return.
What are the Issues?
Underlying technology constantly
changing
Technology getting more complicated
Cost of building and maintaining
websites is skyrocketing
Successful Internet sites do not
“editorialize” content
The Model for Internet
Evangelism
“All the believers were one
in heart and mind. No one
claimed that any of his
possessions was his own
but they shared everything
that they had.” - Acts 4:32