e-vangelism

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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
1441
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I. The Methodology

• The Internet

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• "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
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Technology PenetrationTime to Reach 30 Adoption
in US Households
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Connectivity of U.S. Households (1998)
100 Radio
97 TV
95 Phone
68 Cordless Phone
67 Cable TV
48 Desktop PC
35 Cell Phone
32 Internet Access
19 Fax 19 Pager
14 Voice Mail
US Population
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Email vs. Regular MailComparison of email
messages and regular mail in 1998
Regular mail 198 billion
5.5
94.5
Email 3.4 trillion messages
Source U.S. Postal Service
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Of Internet Users Today, 46 came online in
1998Percent 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
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Worldwide UsersMarch 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
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II. The Mission
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How can the church use the Internet for
evangelism?

• Our Challenge

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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...

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YOU CAN REACH AROUND THE WORLD AROUND THE CLOCK!
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Gutenberg made three contributions which rendered
"obsolete" the handwritten books of his age
1. Movable type 2. The printing press 3.
Special ink.
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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
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3 Types of Evangelism

• Proclamational
• Confrontational
• Relational

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E-vangelism is friendship evangelism via the
Internet. It is meeting people online, and
developing real relationships with them.
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A. The Stuffed and the Starving
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B. The Cold and the Bold
Matthew 2412-14 "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."
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Most Powerful Moment? Most Powerful Tool?
Most Powerful Message
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C. The World on the Internet

• Cyber Culture is Post-Christian
• Experiential
• Participatory
• Interactive
• Communal
• 2. Mistakes We Have Made

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How Non-Christians Feel (Willow Creek)

• Cynics those who dont believe and have an
  attitude about it
• Skeptics those who dont believe, but are
  willing to listen
• Spectators those who arent
• particularly interested
• Seekers those who are genuinely seeking
  truth

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THINKMISSIONARY!
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4 Imperatives for a Wise Shepherd

• Zechariah 1116
• Care for the lost
• Seek the young
• Heal the injured
• Feed the healthy

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Titanic
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III. The Message
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1. Lead with a need they care about!

• Deal with their symptoms first.
• Then deal with the disease (sin).
• Offer the cure.

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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?

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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

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Top Ten Search TermsMost 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
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4. Prepare Internet rescuers!

• Identify them.
• Train them.
• Pray for them.

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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.

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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!

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Suggestions for Getting Started
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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.

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4 Goals
Accuracy, Clarity, Beauty, Dignity
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2. Understand the difference between the Web
and other media.

• Push vs. Pull Technology
• Every page a starting page
• Fear mice the readers finger
• is on the button at all times.
• Keep material for believers
• separate.

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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
• Dont be preachy.

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Be brief the K.I.S.S. of life!

• Keep it short (500-750 words)!
• Be succinct. (People dont read web pages, they
  scan
• them.)
• Avoid clickable graphic only
• links.

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5. Use 200 years worth of experience.

• Look at the press!
• The 5 Ws
• Who
• What
• Where
• Why
• When

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5. Use 200 years worth of experience.

• The takeaway
• Headlines and subheadings
• Use an assistant editor.
• Be a squirrel.

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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

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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

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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 Childrens pages
• Short stories Help for teens
• News and tourism Health

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9. Be subtlewise 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

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10. Follow up.

• Respond to emails in a timely manner.
• Get answers to questions quickly.
• Give crisis advice.
• Lead new converts in discipleship.

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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.

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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

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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 432
The Model for Internet Evangelism