Matthew 28:19-20). So it only makes sense that making disciples is the central thing Churches and ministers do.
While going and making disciples is nothing new, the world has changed a lot over the years and, in particular, the past few months. Today’s world is a digital and online world. Because of this we interact differently and we have different kinds of relationships. Going to make disciples looks different today than it did just a few months ago but it is still very possible to go and make disciples online.
But how? How do you go and make disciples online in today’s world? What can you do?
For starters you need to pray. Every time you go online pray that God opens doors for you to minister to people you encounter online or on social media. If you pray that God gives you opportutnies each time you get online, your mindset will be different going into your time on different social media platforms. You’ll be thinking and looking for ministry opportunities every time you go online rather than just “killing time”. And by asking God to lead you, He will open your eyes to opportunities.
After you pray, look to start and engage in conversations. After you pray, look for opportunities to engage with others on social media and online. Making disciples online all begins with having conversations. It can be a conversation you initiate or a conversation that you contribute to. A conversation that you initiated can be something encouraging on your social media accounts like opportunities at your Church or ministry (see next point). You can share an encouraging verse, asking how you can pray for people (they really do respond) or even share your story of how you came to know Jesus. Doing any of these can help start conversations.
But to start and engage conversations, it goes beyond what you share on your social accounts. It can be by contributing and engaging in a conversation that is currently going on. For example, you can comment and engage on posts from your friends or those you follow. As you follow God’s lead and scroll through your social media feed, look for a friend who shares something about themselves that you can comment on and engage them with. In case you didn’t know, people are very honest on social media so if you see something praiseworthy, cringeworthy or comment worthy, post a comment and rejoice with them, cry with them or offer prayers. Then, take it a step further and message them privately and say something positive or encouraging. Again, ask for God’s leading on this, but strike up a conversation and see how a conversation develops and maybe a door will be opened for you to share about Jesus with them.
Another action step you can take is to invite them to something. This could happen in a variety fo ways. For starters, you share something very simple like a special event your Church is doing or an online group that your friends may be interested in or even a Church service. This is something you can do on your social media accounts. But, if there are people you are actively engaged with in conversations, personally invite them through direct message, email or text. People respond so much more positively when you personally invite them to something (see how and why here). The more you engage with them on a personal level, the more likely someone will keep taking steps of faith with you.
Here is the great thing about the mandate from Christ to go and make disciples. You don’t need to be an Online Campus Pastor or Social Media Pastor to be someone who ministers to people online. Anyone can be a digital missionaries and go and make disciples online today. If you are feeling ill equipped to do so, the good news is that there are two ways you can become more prepared.
- Learn how to be a digital missionary. Here are 3 ways you can be a digital missionary today.
- Join the Digital Bootcamp Facebook Group! This is a group designed for ALL ministers, not just digital ministers. In this group you can learn digital tools to help you reach more people for Christ.